Parking

The Lunatick's Ravings:

Sung to the tune of Gilligan's island:

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale

A tale of a really dumb school

that started cutting parking lots

Just like a damn fool.

The students were optimistic

They thought they could find a spot.

The students lost another lot

now there are only 4 now there are only 4

The parking was getting worse

The busses couldn't keep up

If not for the students having no choice

They would be truly fucked, They would be truly fucked.

The president said let's destroy another

To build an Asian cultural center

With Mr. Wang

President Kenny too

He's a billionaire

She ain't his wife.

The staff and professors

The residents

And commuters

Here at SUNY @ SB.

Ok now that you know what I am talking about let's discuss.

We all know parking is the biggest universal problem on campus. However do most people know how many parking lots have been eliminated or shrunken in the past 5 years? My guess is NO! So let me tell you.

Let's go back in time. Before the SAC loop existed. You know that empty field next to the SAC loop, across from Kelly quad. That used to be a parking lot. Granted it was unpaved, but it held more cars then the new lot by the Sports complex. It disappeared during construction of the loop and just never returned. The room is still there to put the lot there just smaller then it used to be, but that wouldn't look pretty (like the rocks, but that's a topic for another day). To continue with the SAC loop it cut the size of the lots behind the Computing Center and ESS, or Physics (whatever you prefer to call the lot).

Next we go to the new bio wing on Life Sciences. Another unpaved parking lot destroyed, yet one was built, for the construction crew. My money is on that that too will disappear when construction is done.

Ok so this was a rather small parking lot, and was technically 24-hour staff. However as with all other 24-hour lots they never ticket after 4:30pm.

Finally we come to the old, metered parking lot by the main entrance. A parking lot you had to pay for but a parking lot none the less. Gone too, replaced by the Asian cultural center, which ground has yet to be broken at.

Survey says: That's a lot of parking spaces. However to be fair let's discuss all the new parking lots built in the past 5 years.

The new lot behind the sports complex is a nice size, isn't too far from campus. It is both faculty and commuter. However it is of no use to the residents or people visiting the campus because it is no where near where they want to go.

And of course there is the… Oh well I guess that's it. So let's take a tally:

Parking lots eliminated: 3

Parking lots reduced in size: 2

Parking lots built: 1

These are great numbers for teaching your child to count backwards (or think backwards). However do the math, it looks to me like it's time for a parking garage instead of a useless building that adds to the problem instead of making it better.

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