Parking lots at Cal State Long Beach fill on most days, but it happens later and later each day as the semester progresses, according to data collected by the University Police. Use of the Marina Lot has also declined, although students still park there.
Will Khem, a senior chemical engineering major, said he thinks parking has gotten better since the beginning of the semester, although he said it’s still bad between about 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
During that time period, “I’m just circling around all the time,” he said.
Other students said they see an improvement in the parking situation, although many also said it’s still a problem.
“The first week of the semester was horrible,” said Raymond Coronado, a social work graduate student. “Now … it’s not horrible, it’s just bad.”
CSULB Police Chief Stan Skipworth said parking data is gathered informally to help keep the administration and parking officials abreast of trends and issues in parking.
“We … constantly do lot assessments to be able to effectively estimate when lots are filling up, what type of traffic may be in queue, i.e. waiting for spaces, and then approximately how much offsite parking use there is … down at the Marina and in other areas,” Skipworth said.
He pointed out that individual lots fill at different times, and of course lots open up again throughout the day as students leave.
Sarah Gagner, a kinesiology graduate student, said she only comes to campus part time and late in the afternoon.
For her, she said parking is “never a problem.”
Skipworth said he appreciates the hundreds of people who use the Marina Lot.
“This provides a great amount of relief to the on-campus limited parking areas,” he said.
Skipworth also pointed out that there have been some additional challenges this semester with the construction of the third parking structure, but he said the parking situation is working itself out.
“I believe that the parking trends of the last two to three weeks have shown what they usually do, which is a gradual decline in the need for parking,” he said in an email.
Another contributing factor to increased parking availability is students’ rising use of the U-PASS, which “has opened up a good many spaces in all of our lots,” according to Mark Rudometkin, associate director of parking and access services
Katie Flaherty, a senior liberal studies major, said she thinks parking is crowded, but that it has improved some.
“I guess it’s gotten somewhat better,” she said. “Just try to get here early enough.”
The university will continue to use the Marina Lot, Earl Warren Drive and the access road near the Pyramid to supplement existing on-campus spots, Rudometkin said.
“We are also looking at a few of the neighboring churches and their parking lots which are closer and a bit more convenient than the Marina to campus,” Rudometkin said, “as long as they are cost effective to the department.”
According to Rudometkin, parking and access services is also working “diligently” with the contractor and campus officials to make sure Parking Structure 3 is open as soon a possible. He hopes to see it open early in the spring ’09 semester.
“We have gained a good amount of knowledge on what works and what doesn’t for our students, faculty and staff, and will continue to do all we can to make it as seamless as possible to get a space on campus,” Rudometkin said. “We are constanly working to make this successful for the entire campus community.”