The issue of overcrowded parking on campus ?

Looony2nz · 10-13-2009, 06:41 AM

Hi all - I read an article in a local paper here in Palm Beach Cty Florida that there are parking problems at so many state schools, UF being one of them...and their rule ???? apparently (is this true?) is that you must have (according to the article) 120 credit hours to park on campus???

Is this true, and if so, and if this pertains to you, where do you park and ???? how does this work out. I am concerned about this.

Thank you ~

tarponm · 10-13-2009, 07:17 AM

My son is a freshman (0 UF hrs). He did take his car to campus, paying $68 for a semester parking pass-red. The # of UF hours dictates the color of your pass and limits the available parking spots. He parks in one of the garages that allows "red" decal parking and walks everywhere. He has always been able to find a parking space but you definitely don't move your car unless you have. We tried to talk him out of taking the car but it has worked out since he has been able to drive himself (and a friend) home a couple of times.
The majority of his freshman friends did not take a car. Either way seems to work out.

Looony2nz · 10-13-2009, 08:32 AM

OH ok...was just wondering where the allowed parking was relative to lets say the residence halls. If my daughter gets accepted and attends UF (?? lol) her plan is ?? to have an off campus job etc...and she would probably need her car - we assume. Anyway, was imagining how it would be if she worked , lets say, until 10:30 at night and parks (?) and walks back to her room from ...? where / how far....

During the day / and during the week, I'm sure a bicycle would work fine, but its when she would need to get off campus and use her car that concerned me... and distance from residence halls....

mmm...
Thanks

tarponm · 10-13-2009, 01:03 PM

My son lives in Mallory. The garage he parks in is probably a 15 minute walk (around a mile) to his dorm. I know that having a daughter walking at night constitutes a different set of concerns (I have a daughter too). She might want to think about a job on campus which is what my son is doing (lifeguard). You can check out the UF website for the parking decal maps (who can park where) to see how they stack up relative to the dorms she has on her wish list.

iInsomnia · 10-13-2009, 11:25 PM

Parking is quite a problem in UF, but it's not that bad. You may have to circle the parking garages a couple times during the week days. But parking restrictions are upheld during the weekends and between 5:30pm to 7:30 am during weekdays. Usually anyone under ~40 credits obtain a red3 parking decal which can only be parked at the crowded garages. Above 40 credits or so can park near dorms or lower level garages.

gthopeful · 10-14-2009, 12:43 AM

Parking was a big problem on campus while I was there. I used to drive home many weekends and I would have to get on campus by about 8:30 to get a spot at my dorm even during the summer. Of course, getting to campus by 8:30 on Monday meant leaving by 6, but that's my own doing

Really, there are two problems with the parking. One is that it's *really* cheap to park on campus and so the demand is high. At GT, parking is over $600 a year! (consequently, it's pretty easy to find a parking spot most times of the day) Second is that everybody has a car to have the freedom to go home. However, I think it's doable to just go home with friends on weekends and use the excellent FREE public transit system to get around town (honestly, how many people are going to UF that don't know anybody else from high school?)

rsala004 · 10-14-2009, 02:02 AM

yes, that is true...bus system is excellent.

why would someone walk 15 minutes to a on campus parking spot.

Looony2nz · 10-14-2009, 06:44 AM

thx for the tips....(and anyone else who may have more) My daughter would use her car (I suppose) if she had her off campus job and wouldn't be back till "late"....mainly I guess. If she was working during "daylight hours", Im sure the bus might come in handy - it would just depend on where she was going and when. but thanks !

iInsomnia · 10-14-2009, 01:13 PM

15-minute walks aren't that bad.

Looony2nz · 10-14-2009, 01:33 PM

no I guess 15 min isn't bad if you truly need your car...like I said it would depend when, where etc.

poeticlicense · 10-15-2009, 08:02 AM

When d lived on campus as a freshman (Jennings), she had an off campus job and sometimes worked as late as 2am. She had to park in the commuter lot. What she would sometimes do was to ride her bike to the parking lot and lock it then drive her car to work and when she came back, rode her bike back to the dorm. I wasn't thrilled, but she was very cautious and her roomie knew when to expect her, plus she had a cell phone on all the time.

Now that she lives off campus and still has the same job, she can park right in front of her apartment so late nights aren't a problem.

seiclan · 10-15-2009, 08:35 AM

When my daughter lived in Broward Hall, she had her car on campus. She had the Red 3 decal (that all students who live in on campus and have less than 30 credit hours (I believe) and most of the time used to park in the garage across from the Physics building (near Hume). She may have had to circle the lot a few times but she usually could find a space somewhere. It was btwn a 12 and 15 minute walk from there to Broward Hall (uphill). A bit of advice, don't bring a new car to campus. The parking spaces on campus (and in Gainesville in general) are very narrow and my daughter's car has taken quite a beating in the past three years! It seemed that everytime she would go to her car in the garage there would be some new door ding OR major sideswipe on it. We figure it isn't worth doing any cosmetic work on this car until she leaves Gainesville.

Looony2nz · 10-15-2009, 08:43 AM

poeticlicense - we have talked about her bringing her bike anyway to whatever school she attends, and the idea makes sense but yes, the "later" nights don't thrill me., but I'm glad someone else at least mentioned it.... I don't think she'd be working that late (Publix Supermarket closes at 10 and she's out by 10:30). BUT, thanks for the tip.

seiclan - sorry to hear about the car dings. That holds true for just about anywhere, but you're right. My d's car isn't new, but she has our habit of watching how & where she parks to avoid the dings etc. Its so amazing how careless others can be :-(

gthopeful · 10-15-2009, 09:49 PM

Quote:

A bit of advice, don't bring a new car to campus. The parking spaces on campus (and in Gainesville in general) are very narrow and my daughter's car has taken quite a beating in the past three years!

Good advice! I drove a ~10 year old car while I was at UF and one day I go to drive home and there's a HUGE (basketball-sized) dent in the rear side from where some ditz failed to pull out an adjacent space properly. I wasn't too mad though, as I bought myself a new car a few months later after I graduated with the money I saved by going to UF :P.

rogracer · 10-16-2009, 08:36 AM

^ so then you brought your new car to Atlanta???