Visitor parking focus of forum

By Keith Allen

Arizona Daily Wildcat

About 30 staff members and students voiced their frustrations with campus parking at a symposium sponsored by UA's Parking and Transportation Services yesterday.

Most of the concerns focused on the new visitor parking spaces in the Park Avenue Garage.

Marlis Davis, director of Parking and Transportation Services, commented in a earlier interview that the 189 spaces were added to the visitor parking section of the Park Avenue Garage for conferences and other activities.

"We need to be notified when there are changes," said Marie Spark, a second-year management and business administration graduate student. "If it (the parking changes) was planned for a while, we need notification."

Gay Thompson, an administrative associate in the Finance Department, said when the new parking spaces were added in the garage, it left only "two or three" handicapped spots on the first level.

Thompson said people with disabilities have had to park on the second level or above, where the elevator is often broken.

"Conferences are quite rare, and I've noticed that it (visitor parking) is empty and unused," said Alex Sugiyama, a fifth-year economics graduate student and alternative GPSC representative. "I've been parking on the roof most of the time."

Lori Magloire, an administrative secretary in the Finance Department, said it is like "the mall at Christmas" on the permit side of the lot, whereas there is an "entire lot empty" for visitor parking.

Magloire said that because the gate at the Park Avenue side of the garage is closed during the evening rush hour, it causes all permit traffic to go out one gate.

"Something needs to be done, or it is only time until someone gets killed or there is a lawsuit," Magloire said.

Charlotte Oliver, an administrative associate at Residence Life, said the intersections at Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue and Speedway and Mountain Avenue do not "allow foot traffic very readily."

Oliver said she has seen two people hit at Mountain and Speedway.

Sugiyama also recommended a left turn arrow be put up at the Speedway and Park Avenue intersection.

Speakers were also concerned with flex lots.

Sugiyama suggested the Zone 1 lots, the flex lots and lot 7105 near the Student Recreation Center be combined during the summer.

Spark also said she felt "uncomfortable" and unsafe using the flex lot by the Student Recreation Center.

Tanisha Price, an administrative secretary at Student Health Services, said that the parking lot at Cherry and First Street Ÿ lot 4055 Ÿ is empty during the day and recommended that it go back to Zone 1.

Davis said that the UA Parking and Transportation Committee will take comments and discuss options and budget impacts during December and January.

A newsletter with the committee's decisions will be circulated in the spring before registration for new parking permits, Davis said.

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