Once again students on Jan. 23 will have to battle one another to park their automobiles in a parking space, while others will stalk one parking row waiting for that lone student returning to his or her car after class.

The first few weeks of parking on campus this semester were not easy. With the loss of several hundred parking spaces to make room for construction of Parking Structure III, it takes longer for students to find an available parking spot while rushing to classes.

Next semester, construction will begin on the new Hornet Bookstore, which will be located north of Parking Structure II. According to an e-mail sent this October from University

Transportation and Parking Services, this will take away 300 parking spaces. Most of these parking spaces belonged to faculty, so faculty will join the students in a search for a place to park.Most students are not optimistic about next semester’s parking situation.

Nick Gaines, a junior criminal justice major, said, “Next semester will probably (be) more congested because more people come every year.”

This year, UTAPS opened up a parking lot at Ramona Avenue for students. The Hornet Shuttle transferred at least 250 students a day to and from the parking lot. The wait time for this shuttle is about 20 minutes.

Next semester, the McAulliffe Baseball Field parking lot on University Drive East will be available for students and faculty to park. Also the parking lot of the Knights of Landing, which is near the Scottish Rite Center on Newman Court, will be available to students and faculty starting next semester. Both of these locations are within walking distance to the campus.

One complaint that Tricia Prestimonic, a senior speech pathology major, has is the distance that she has to walk from her car to her classes.

“Every day it takes me 25 minutes to walk to my car from my classes,” Prestimonico said. “I don’t think I should have to park 10 miles from campus.”

Suzanne Bracamonte, assistant to UTAPS manager Nancy Fox, said that UTAPS is urging students to consider alternative modes of transportation next semester.

“We are hoping that more students use the light-rail system since they extended it to Folsom,” Bracamonte said.

Modes of alternative transportation include riding bicycles, the Hornet Shuttle, carpooling or walking to campus.

The Hornet Express Shuttle will continue to offer service to Ramona Avenue, La Riviera Drive, Morse/Fulton and Howe/Arden Fair Mall. With the exception of Ramona Avenue, the approximate waiting time for the shuttle is 40 minutes.

Regional Transit offers free rides on buses and the light rail for students with a school identification card.

According to UTAPS, several thousand students use alternative commuting choices. Lucy Sing, a junior liberal studies major, said, “I carpool sometimes, if the chance comes along. But most of the time, I drive.”

Bracamonte did have a suggestion to students whose only option is to drive to campus. She said that if students must drive to campus, they should arrive either very early or late in the afternoon when more spaces are available.

Jamie Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]