2008 Woodie Awards
PSU grapples with parking woes
Aida Zamilova
Issue date: 7/24/08 Section: Front Page
The problems with that idea, Herring says, are expense and feasibility.
"We have had companies coming in and talking to us about doing a marketing study on doing high-rises, but prices of those have just gone way beyond what people would be willing to pay for a permit to park in it," said Herring. As an example, he offered the experience of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Lawrence, which charges several hundred dollars a year for spots in its multilevel parking garage. PSU students pay $44 per year for a parking permit.
Moreover, Herring said, KU is located downtown and "(is) forced to go up instead of spreading out."
When asked to compare the PSU parking situation to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., Herring said, "I think they are all in terrible shape. I have talked to the director of parking over at MSSU; I have quarterly meetings with K-Sate, KU, Wichita State, Fort Hays, and Emporia - there is never enough parking available on the university property."
Another possible solution discussed by PSU students and administrators is a shuttle bus service from the Kansas Technology Center to the main campus. But Herring says the success of that idea depends on its feasibility. He says he remembers when that was tried years ago, the use didn't cover the service's cost.
Although having the shuttle bus was problematic in the past, the situation may now be changed.
Herring says that now that the university has several buildings west of the main campus, PSU administration may want to look into the feasibility of the shuttle bus project. If the pilot P.A.C.T. bus that currently stops by KTC and the main campus proves profitable, the university may invest in the separate shuttle bus project.
Meanwhile, the university is working on four parking improvement projects simultaneously, according to Paul Stewart, director of facilities planning. The first project, which Stewart considers a priority, covers the parking lots north of Grubbs Hall and those east of the Physical Plant and Nation Hall. The university has already bought some property behind Grubbs Hall, except for the Campus Christians house, for more brown parking spaces.
"We have had companies coming in and talking to us about doing a marketing study on doing high-rises, but prices of those have just gone way beyond what people would be willing to pay for a permit to park in it," said Herring. As an example, he offered the experience of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Lawrence, which charges several hundred dollars a year for spots in its multilevel parking garage. PSU students pay $44 per year for a parking permit.
Moreover, Herring said, KU is located downtown and "(is) forced to go up instead of spreading out."
When asked to compare the PSU parking situation to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., Herring said, "I think they are all in terrible shape. I have talked to the director of parking over at MSSU; I have quarterly meetings with K-Sate, KU, Wichita State, Fort Hays, and Emporia - there is never enough parking available on the university property."
Another possible solution discussed by PSU students and administrators is a shuttle bus service from the Kansas Technology Center to the main campus. But Herring says the success of that idea depends on its feasibility. He says he remembers when that was tried years ago, the use didn't cover the service's cost.
Although having the shuttle bus was problematic in the past, the situation may now be changed.
Herring says that now that the university has several buildings west of the main campus, PSU administration may want to look into the feasibility of the shuttle bus project. If the pilot P.A.C.T. bus that currently stops by KTC and the main campus proves profitable, the university may invest in the separate shuttle bus project.
Meanwhile, the university is working on four parking improvement projects simultaneously, according to Paul Stewart, director of facilities planning. The first project, which Stewart considers a priority, covers the parking lots north of Grubbs Hall and those east of the Physical Plant and Nation Hall. The university has already bought some property behind Grubbs Hall, except for the Campus Christians house, for more brown parking spaces.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
sckirklan
Steven
posted 7/25/08 @ 12:31 PM CST
I hardly see how the closing Joplin street is going to add a significant amount of parking to condone such an activity. Furthermore I'd like to know how PSU will be handling egress through private residental driveways of implied private residental homeowners on (E or W) Lindburg ST. (Continued…)
Christopher
posted 7/25/08 @ 11:33 PM CST
What I don't get is why Nation, Willard, and Dillenger have rather big parking lots (still not enough I realize) and yet Trout, Bowen, and Tanner have such limited parking?
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