Parking problem grows worse despite new areas

by Howard Harris

Parking will soon be a considerable problem in and near the university. Even though parking on the campus is now restricted to academic staff and disabled students, there are about twice as many authorised cars as parking spaces.

Outside the campus, every available space for some distance is occupied for most of the day, presumably by student vehicles. This appears to have caused some adverse reactions as shown by a recent letter to the editor from a disgruntled bowler.

The university has a plan which will eventually solve the parking problem, but not for several years yet. The scheme is for a 1000-car parking area in Aro Street, with a shuttle bus service up to the university. This cannot come about until the necessary land is bought for a new road from Kelburn Parade (near Glasgow Street) to Adams Terrace as the present access from Kelburn Parade to Aro Street, via Fairlie Terrace and Devon Street, could not be used by buses.

This development could take some time, as neither the city council nor the university have any power to take the land, but must buy it at the owner's price, and when the owner wishes to sell. Thus if any owner wishes to thwart the university, and refuses to sell, the parking problem could continue indefinitely.

Meanwhile, motorcycles and scooters continue to fall over on the slope of Kelburn Parade, and parking for cars is at such a premium that many students are forced to use the cable car and bus "services," in spite of everincreasing fares.

Staff parking alone is an increasing problem, yet available space is already used to capacity. Highly-paid academic staff can ill afford to spend time searching for parking.

Even when the Aro Street plan is completed, it may prove inadequate, due to the increased use of cars it will create. This can be seen from the fact that about 10 years ago. when parking for students was still available on the campus, many students would travel into town in their fathers' cars, and after dropping father off at work, park the cars at the university.

A recurrence of this, together with the antagonism towards public transport which is inevitable with the current policy of "user pays —and pays," could soon make a thousand spaces inadequate.

Yet even for these we do not have a tentative completion date.