Do you Really Need to Park? - 9A

Assignment 9A

1.   Mike: In this interview Mike noted that because he is a freshman and lives on campus, he does not have the need for a better parking system on UF’s campus. However, he also mentioned that he would like to be able to keep his car in his dorms parking garage instead of on the other side of campus. Maybe this is due to a faulted parking system.

2.   Natalie: Natalie mentioned that although she has a car, she chooses to bike or walk to wherever she usually has to go. Although she does not live on campus, she mentioned that she is aware of the parking problem but says it does not impact her daily life. She uses her car mostly for the grocery store and to get to and from Gainesville.

3.   Juancho: In this interview, Juancho says that he uses his scooter to get to campus for class. He mentions he does drive on campus throughout the week going to water polo practice but goes after parking has been lifted.

4.   Merle: Merle says she frequently comes up for Gators home football games and hates how crowded it gets in such a small area. She believes that a new parking system would not change gameday experience for her as Gainesville would still be just as crowded.

5.   Jaime: What I took away from this interview is somewhat similar to my discussion with Natalie. Jaime discussed that she uses the bus/rider app to get to campus. She volunteers at Shands but has a parking pass. In addition, she mentions besides Shands, she mostly uses her car to go out on Archer road if needed.

Who: While many people continue to complain about the lack and availability of parking on campus, people who do not drive have many alternative solutions. From what I’ve learned, there are many people who have cars, but are able to sneak past the parking problem by simply walking, biking, or using on campus services after parking has been lifted.

What: Unlike the first set of interviewees’, the five I interviewed for this assignment seemed to not let the parking problem get in the way of their daily lives. I’m sure if there were a better solution then it would make it even better but there is much more about campus than a parking spot.

Why: The underlying cause of the outsiders’ need may be solved by how you manage your schedule, and overall location of where you need to be during the day.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who: Students, visitors’ residents who frequently have to drive to campus	Who: People who have cars in college but do not use them to go onto campus
What: Unable to find a place to park legally during the day on a college campus	What: They do not use their own vehicles on campus therefore not needing parking spaces
Why: Campus rules along with the uncertainty about certain color-coded areas to park	Why: Many students or visitors use other forms of transportation such as walking, biking, the bus, or uber.