The Rec Center: You Win Some, You Lose Some

The CSULB University Student Union Board of Trustees put the parking crisis on the back burner for the sake of the new rec center. The upcoming construction of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center will eliminate 500 parking spaces when it is built on parking lot 11. The loss is only temporary though, as the new parking structure number three, which will add a total of 1,100 spaces will make up for some of those taken away by the rec center.
The official groundbreaking ceremony for the center is set to take place in January 2009, but the center itself is not scheduled to open until 2010.

Photo: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students/asi/srwc/index.html

Share a Ride, Make a Friend

Parking and Transportation Services encourages CSULBers to participate in the ride share program. They even help commuters find people to carpool with to school. On the Parking and Transportation CSULB website, those interested will find the "matchlist". Once clicked on, a candidate chooses the city he or she commutes from. Then, they are given a list which includes the names, locations (cross streets), contact info, class schedules and any notes of possible matches.

In addition to freeing up more parking spaces, the ride share program presents economic and other benefits as well. Students, faculty, and staff who carpool can look forward to saving money on gas, car repairs and maintenance, and insurance. Not to mention that it will save students time. It also helps the environment. The ride share program can also be used as an opportunity to make friends on campus.

Photo: http://daf.csulb.edu/offices/ppfm/parking/program/carpool

New Associate Director of Parking says Cheer Up

Mark Rudometkin, CSULB's new associate director of Parking and Access Services wants to change how students think about on-campus parking. He told the Daily 49er newspaper that students need to "be patient and allow [themselves] enough time for parking."
Rudometkin knows how students feel. He remembers what it was like trying to find parking as a student at his alma mater, CSU Fullerton. Attracted to the challenges associated with parking, Rudometkin worked as a parking official at Disneyland where he says he was "swore at in over 50 different languages". He became associate director of parking at CSULB on Sept. 22, 2008.

Be a Good Neighbor, Don't Park Here

Students avoid parking on residential streets near CSULB upon request by the City of Long Beach. "We want to continue to be good neighbors with the people of this portion of Long Beach," said CSULB Police Chief Stan Skipworth.
In that neighborhood, ony residents who display special residential parking permits in their cars, have permission to park on the streets by the city. Even as student Alexis Corona told the Daily 49er, "Parking on campus sucks," CSULB students, for the most part, honor the wishes of the neighborhood and the city by taking heed to the "no student parking" signs which block the entry ways of residential streets.

Paying More to Not Park

Parking continues to be a serious problem at CSULB, yet students pay more for parking permits. The price of the student parking permit has gone up by $27, costing $123 per semester. Students are now afforded the option of purchasing an academic year parking permit for $246. Daily parking passes and the parking meters are not exempt to the cost increase. For a daily pass students pay $4, instead of the previous price of $3.75 and metered parking costs $2 per hour.
The sudden increase in student parking prices, which took effect on July 1, 2008, has students wondering why or what they are paying for. Students are paying for parking structure number 3. According to parking officials, the new structure is costing $41,000,000 to construct and students are pickig up the bill.

Parking Structure 3 On Its Way

CSULB students do not have to wait much longer for the highly anticipated, long awaited third parking structure. According to a construction update on the CSULB Parking and Transportation website, construction is on schedule and the structur is expected to be completed by February 1, 2009.
The new parking structure to be built on lot 11A will gain the CSULB campus 1,100 additional parking spaces, according to an anonymous CSULB parking enforcement officer.

Photo: http://daf.csulb.edu/maps/img/mags/2007.gif

Go Park Somewhere Else: Marina Parking for CSULB Students

CSULB commuters can skip the stress of trying to find parking on campus by parking at the Marina Pacifica mall. This free parking service provides an alternative to the nightmare of parking on the CSULB campus. And if students are worried about getting to campus, its got that covered too. Shuttles arrive at the Marina every fifteen minutes to take students to campus.
The fact that the Marina is quite a distance from the CSULB campus has deterred many students, which explains why parking on campus is still a problem. CSULB parking officials say that students had better take advantage of the free parking at the Marina, for if it is not utilized enough throughout the semester, it will be taken away. So if the mere thought of trying to find parking on the CSULB campus makes you not even want to come to school, do your self and this campus a favor and go park somewhere else!

Photo: http://www.daily49er.com

Take the Shuttle

After thirty minutes to an hour of trying to find a parking space, nothing is worse than walking to a class on the opposite side of campus. For this reason, the CSULB shuttle system accomodates students transportion needs.
The convenient system is comprised of four shuttles whose routes service the entire perimeter of the campus as well as some of the surrounding off-campus area. They are the East and West off- campus, West Off-campus Express, and On-Campus Only tripper. All shuttles are in service every weekday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the exception of the West Express off-campus shuttle which is available for use every week day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Photo: http://www.daily49er.com

U Pass, U Save... ALL YEAR!

Hate gas prices? Well, take the bus to school and anywhere in Long Beach or its surrounding cities for that matter. For free!

Originally intended to last until Sept. 30, 2008, the Long Beach Transit U-Pass free bus serivice has extended the program for one-year. Students, faculty, and staff of CSULB may ride any Long Beach Transit bus absolutely free of charge. CSULBers just have to swipe their valid CSULB identification cards to receive a free ride.

This alternative to parking on campus cost the campus $200,000, according to CSULB President F. King Alexander. It will save students money on gas and ease the frustration associated with parking on campus that many students experience on a daily basis.

Photo: http://www.daily49er.com

Early Arrival Required, not Suggeted

It's "You snooze, you lose" when it comes to parking here at CSULB. Insufficient parking on campus is forcing students to arrive earlier than they should have to just to find a parking spot. Many wonder when and how the parking and transportation nightmare will end. My blog will answer that question.
To get to the bottom of the issue of getting around campus through this blog means talking to campus parking and transportation officials about proposed solutions (as well as if and when these solutions will be acted upon) and interviewing students about their feelings and experiences. I will even address other parking and transportation issues such as travel time to class as a result of the location of student parking lots, timing of shuttles, and parking and transportation alternatives.