University Business - July 2010 - (Page 24)

COMMUNIT Y C O L L E G E S Overcoming the Community College Parking Crunch A multipronged approach to a common issue By Matt Jobin ne Of the primary challenges facing any community college is that there are many more students than parking spaces,” says eric Glohr, director of auxiliary services for Lansing Community College (mich.) and while this has long been a fact of life for administrators, that challenge has grown significantly in recent years. rising education costs have led many students to enroll in community colleges. in fact, a lot of these institutions are reporting double-digit increases in enrollment. for those already struggling to meet parking needs, this new influx of students has caused significant challenges. traditional community colleges have much different parking needs than uni- “O understanding of when peak usage is most likely to occur. for example, Lansing’s main campus has 19,000 students, but even during peak periods only 25 to 30 percent of those students are on campus, says Glohr. “During a typical day, we have 4,500 to 5,000 students on campus, plus about 1,200 employees.” in other words, actual usage may well vary from what you might assume at a glance. in fact, parking usage patterns can change significantly over time as some students seek alternative modes of transportation while others begin to rely more heavily on personal vehicles. So utilization studies should be conducted regularly. according to Glohr, Lansing typically conducts a new study every three years. Meeting need Once the actual parking need is determined, campus planners can begin developing strategies for meeting it. rural and suburban campuses are more likely to have parking flexibility because the land upon which lots can be developed is often more readily available and affordable in those areas. The development of new parking lots provides some economic advantages in the right situations, since lots are generally less expensive to develop than structures. however, lots are a very inefficient use of land, so they generally aren’t an option for urban campuses or suburban schools that are land-locked. for urban community colleges that require additional parking, structured parking is generally the best option. parking structures can accommo- Parking utilization studies can help determine peak usage times. versities because their student population is made up entirely of commuters. They must offer sufficient parking to meet the needs of students as well as faculty and staff. an analysis of commuting patterns can determine how much parking is actually needed. When possible, it is also beneficial to provide direct access to public transportation to make it more enticing for students not to commute by car. The best way to determine actual parking need is to conduct a parking utilization study. Such studies involve first-hand observation and measurement of usage patterns and interviews with key constituencies, and can provide a snapshot of peak and average usage, as well as an 24 | July/August 2010 date many more vehicles on the same footprint than parking lots. they also provide safety advantages, such as an ability to provide greater visibility in parking areas and reduce the number of potential hiding places. and they can be used to meet other campus needs, such as housing, educational, or administrative facilities. in urban settings, structured parking can also serve as a community resource. many urban institutions partner with local organizations to make their parking available to each other. for instance, churches can share parking facilities with community colleges whose peak usage occurs on weekdays. Similarly, local restaurants and arts centers need more parking during evenings and can make their parking facilities available during the day. partnerships allow each institution to minimize the funds needed to devote to new parking. One example is tidewater Community College (Va.), which takes advantage of the nearby macarthur mall Center garage for parking needs. Urban campuses are also more likely to have access to municipal on-street parking. administrators in these settings should partner with community officials to develop strategic plans through which on-street parking can be made conveniently available to faculty and students. finally, by promoting the use of public transit among staff and students, community colleges can lower parking demand and reduce the amount of money that must be dedicated to developing parking resources. One way to promote the use of public transportation is to sponsor transportation fairs at which students can universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - July 2010

Univertsity Business - July 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Community Colleges
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Annual Directory of Higher Education Consultants
Human Resources
Models of Efficiency
Lecture Capture: Policy and Strategy
Projecting New AV
Land Mines Ahead
End Note

University Business - July 2010