Parking complaints, solutions

By Ernest J. Castillo, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, January 21, 1999

Parking.

The word brings out frustration in many students at Cal State Long Beach. This semester should not be different.

Rosalynn Manalili, a 22-year-old graduate student, is just one of the many students who has problems finding parking before class.

"It's too crowded in Lot 14," she said. "They need more spaces near the Liberal Arts buildings. I have to park all the way in Lot 11 because there's more spaces there. I hate it when I have to walk all the way to my classes."

"They need more spaces near the Liberal Arts buildings."

- Rosalynn Manalili

graduate student

But CSULB offers transportation and parking services that can ease stress.

One option is to join the CSULB carpool program.

With about 1,000 participants, it gives students special parking privileges closer to campus if they carpool with two or more people.

In order to qualify, a minimum of two people must carpool to and from CSULB at least two days or nights per week. The driver must be registered with the parking administration, possess a CSULB parking permit and obtain a student carpool tag.

After receiving both forms of documentation, students can park in lots 17 and 11. At least two people must exit the vehicle or a citation will be issued.

If students cannot find someone to carpool with, the parking administration has a match list that can pair up students who live in the same area.

Another service designed to help make parking easier is CSULB's Campus Connection.

The Connection is a shuttle service that picks up and drops off students from designated stops on campus.

The shuttles can take students to the Eastside and Westside of campus, as well as to the Upper and Lower campus. The Connection also extends its services to areas off campus.

Many shuttle stops are located at the parking lots on campus for those students who commute. Other stops are located at the residential housing facilities and the library.

Some students do not realize there are other parking lots on campus which they have access to. Students may park in lots one, three, 11 through 14, 16, lots 18 through 20 and the parking structure.

Students can look in the appendix of the schedule of classes to locate where these lots are.