The Facts: Traffic congestion and severe parking issues have plagued the University this semester. The construction projects on and around campus have created a lack of available spaces. This has led to overflow on some areas of campus despite several alternate modes of campus transit.
Our Opinion: The University and students need to actively address the issue and find some alternatives to the current mayhem.
The start of a new school year entails certain inevitabilities. Sweltering heat, bewildered freshman and the buzz of construction are events we’ve all come to know and accept.
Congestion and excruciating parking should not and must not be allowed to enter those hallowed ranks.
The traffic situation this semester has been particularly unbearable — not to say this isn’t a perennial issue, but it certainly has taken on a life of its own. The construction and subsequent decrease in parking spaces certainly deserves some blame, but there are ways students can help alleviate this semi-temporary difficulty.
There are many alternative ways to reach campus — many of which also take vehicles off campus’s roads.
The Wolfline is an extremely efficient service (compared to many other city-bus services) that is paid for by student fees. To not utilize the buses, if you can, is a waste of money you’ve already doled out to the University. Not only will riding the bus, even a few times a week, take automobiles off the road, it’s akin to rewarding yourself.
For students who live off-campus, the buses serve several park & ride lots. These satellite-parking areas relieve parking-induced stress and can allay some of the pressure that has ravaged on-campus parking areas. This has been especially prevalent this year at the Coliseum Deck, which has experienced serious overflow issues.
Many students were upset with the changes the University made to the GoPass program over the summer. The truth is that the ability to ride Capital Area Transit and Triangle Transit Authority buses for free is an incredible privilege. Take the time to go and get a pass from NCSU Transportation — even if you only ride every once in a while, it’s worth your time.
Additionally, students might want to consider riding their bikes or walking to campus when feasible. Not only is this great exercise, it can help everyone get to school a little easier.
The University needs to do its part on these congestion issues. Perhaps N.C. State should look into the possibility of only providing on-campus parking passes to students with a sophomore standing or higher. This is in line with the policies of many other universities and makes a lot of sense when the campus demographics are taken into consideration.
In any case, students and the University’s administration need to address some of campus’s lingering congestion and parking issues, or they’re only going to get worse.
