Parking is increasingly becoming an issue in the college campus, and the problem is getting worse with increased enrolment of students. The spaces for parking in the parking lot are not enough to accommodate the number of vehicles owned by the college staff and students. This has caused friction between car owners and the college authority because of illegal and haphazard parking that has resulted. Other car owners have begun parking their cars in insecure places outside the college compound. This is creating a loophole for cars to be the subject criminal practices like vandalism and theft of car parts. The problem has caused miseries to car owners especially when they find their cars destroyed. In addition, the local authorities have introduced hydraulic cranes for picking the cars parked haphazardly or illegitimately (Asay 34).
Background of the study
The study focuses on bringing out an issue that has been stubborn to the community that the college belongs. The issue has gone ignored for a long time and has generated a lot of heat in the parties involved. It is an administrative issue but the college administration seems not aware. During the morning hours and breaking time, there is always an enormous problem of traffic. The wrong parking of cars causes a messy situation and the result is a long snarl up of vehicles trying to move, but they cannot. Wastage of time takes place in that process, and the situation becomes worse as time elapses since the motorists grow impatient quickly. The importance of studying this topic is to safeguard beneficial coexistence of the members of the college fraternity and the surrounding community. The college cannot make a lot of progress without peaceful coexistence of the people in that society.
Methodology
Through observations and interviews, it was reasonable for the paper to focus on the selected topic. The issue has been a thorn in the flesh among the students for a very long time. Many students kept on discussing the issue everywhere they would meet. They would ask each other about their parking since they knew a sizeable number of them had missed a space for parking and resulted in a wrong way of parking. The lectures too would occasionally put across their complaints of parking issues especially when a lecturer found the parking slot occupied by a student’s vehicle. These talks would derail student’s minds and increased tension among students as all they were thinking was the safety of their vehicles. The students do not settle comfortably in the college as they keep on going back to their vehicles to ensure they are safe where they packed them. Those of them who park outside the college may move long distances depending on where they found a parking space. If a student finds his/her vehicle intact, he would rejoice because some of his colleagues probably were unlucky and found their cars damaged or towed for improper parking (Asay 34). This only adds miseries to car owners lacking a legitimate space for parking.
The problem has also affected the disabled since they need ample parking space to allow their mobility. Sometimes a disabled person reaches the car park, only to find the space left is not large enough to allow their movement. Those who move on wheelchairs are unable to get out of their cars when the parking is full, such that, they cannot be able to move freely on their wheel chairs. Sometimes they go through embarrassing ways like relying on good Samaritans to lift them high and assist them get a clear place where they can use their wheel chairs. Those who use crutches have a problem of moving of moving around the parking area. Most of the vehicles are moving haphazardly so that they can secure parking space. Most the accidents that happen within the college go unreported but quite many and some are very serious (Cahalan 72). The disabled have to wait until the traffic eases so that they can proceed with their movement.
During the busy weekdays, finding a parking space is a nightmare. For one to find a space to park, one will wait even for more than an hour until an occupant moves his/her vehicle from the parking lot. This costs the students a lot of time, and it significantly affects the academic performance of students. Instead of waiting long hours to get a parking space, some of the people opt to go for parking outside the college at a fee. Outside parking at a fee has amounted to financial problems among the students since most of them do not afford the fees comfortably (Asay 34). In addition, vehicles can be stolen when they are parked outside the college.
The impact of this problem has adversely the academic performance (Potkewitz 25). Besides wastage of time, there are other effects that the parking problem has had. It has created conflicts between colleagues like in the case when one parks in the other person’s way, blocking the individual from moving his car. People have resulted in fights and holding grudges that end up in bitter consequences like hatred and enmity. These issues have caused many students to face the college’s disciplinary committee. The verdict given by the disciplinary committee may lead to expulsion or suspension of students from the college. This student goes through psychological problems and their get disorganized academically because of the sudden termination of their education. Other students have transferred from the college to avoid the problems associated with the parking issue. Students have also started missing the attendance of study sessions like classes and library sessions.
The rate of car crashes in the college is also on the increase. The scramble for parking space causes this. Every student wants to secure a parking space hence it becomes a case of survival for the fastest. Congestion in the parking lot has also contributed to the high number of accidents in the parking lot. Some students are not experienced in driving and driving in a congested place proves hectic. They cause damage to the nearing vehicles and their vehicle's too. This has contributed to frequent quarrels among students (Cahalan 72). They begin engaging in negotiations for payment of damages. Others result in fighting when they do not agree on who has caused the accident. When the issue of fighting reaches the security department, it becomes even a bigger problem for the participant students. Some students go ahead to vandalize others cars as revenge on those whom they feel have given a raw deal during negotiations after car crashes (Cahalan 72).
The parking problem has adversely affected the environment around the compound. There has been an increase in environmental pollution. There is always a lot of noise from hooting vehicles trying to avoid collision. When then vehicles are moving they accidentally get in contact with others and alarms rise causing more noise. When people alight from their cars they walk between closely parked cars and they may touch the cars accidentally. This causes the cars to alarm to rise and noise from car alarms is a major issue. Moving cars engines cause a lot of noise too. There is also air pollution that emanates from the exhaust fumes of the congested cars. The fact that the cars are congested and most of them use petroleum fuel, is enough to claim responsibility of air pollution (Potkewitz 26).
Results of study
This issue is quite evident and it is clear that the college has not recognized it as an administrative issue of demand exceeding supply. The number of individuals who get to the college driving and the parking permits issued by the college by far out-numbers the parking slots available in the college. This is lack of enforcement of the existing college laws. It is also a form of corruption in that the parking permits excessively just to generate more revenue. The college behaves like a monopoly and allows violation of rules for the money to represent its source of income.
There is a need to solve the issue urgently to save the affected people the miseries associated with the issue. One solving the problem, the students will be able to co-exist peacefully with their colleagues and lecturers. The habit that the students had started of parking their cars at the places strictly set aside for lecturers had ruined relationship of the lecturers and students. The students also engaged constantly in conflicts with the local authority because of wrong parking. On many occasions, many students found their cars towed away by the local council’s cranes and had to pay high amounts of fines. The local premises owners had a sour relationship with the college in general. They always got offended by the improper parking of vehicles outside their premises and could clamp the vehicle’s wheels (Cahalan 72). This poor association of students with their community created an in a conducive environment for learning. When a high number of students are driving to college, it is a clear sign of rise in standards of living of a country and should not be condemned. Rather the relevant authorities should come up with ways of managing the traffic.
The whole situation is likely to generate stress among the students, lecturers and the rest of society. They will tend to treat each other cold-heartedly because of the perceived lack of respect when parking. The lecturers will not be able to deliver well and students will lack the unity required in an institution of higher learning. Before the end of any a day, a good number of people in the college is lamenting for an inconvenience caused to them by the car parking issue (Potkewitz 26). This should not be the way of life in a college. In a college, people should be concerned with their respective duties that they are required to fulfil.
According to this study, the usage of personal vehicles by students for transport is a trend that is bound to increase and the only thing that the college should do is to manage the increasing traffic. There is a high rate of enrolment in the college, which means the students are coming from many parts of the country and they cannot walk to college. The impact of parking issue on the education performance is also evident. Most of the students have been unable to concentrate on their studies as their minds are preoccupied with parking issues. Others are getting late for classes searching for a parking space. In the evenings, a large number of students are unable to visit the college library since they cannot get a place to park their vehicles. What they can do is to park them outside the college. This would increase the risks of having their vehicles destroyed or even stolen. Instead of doing so, they opt to miss the evening study sessions (Potkewitz 27). In addition, it is also clear that most of the people have the will to have the situation corrected. They have tried to talk it out with their colleagues in the course of their work, but they lack the way to implement it.
The following recommendations would be helpful in curbing the issue of parking in the college campus;
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Increase the number of parking lots. Build the new ones as storey structures. This would require a lot of money to implement hence the college administration should take it as a major project that requires a lot funding. Storey structures are advisable because they save on the scarce land available for putting up new structures.
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Students should be encouraged to use alternative modes of transport to college. Use of motor bikes can drastically reduce the problem. They are space-effective at the parking lot, meaning more students would secure parking space with ease. They should also be encouraged to use commuter buses to and from college. This would ease the congestion that has been at the parking lots.
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The college administration to ensure that the number of parking permits is equal to the number of parking slots available. This would be a good solution because it would end the confusion that arises when student are issued with permits that are more that the slots available.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the problem of parking has profoundly affected the college campus and the college administration should take immediate action. It has affected the academic performance of the students because of time wastage and other reasons like suspension and expulsion. The disabled people’s movement has been disturbed and they are suffering in silent. Pollution of the environment is another issue that has cropped up, emanating from noise and exhaust fumes of congested vehicles. There has been an increase of car accident in the parking areas because of scramble for parking space and congestion of vehicles. The conflicts between the individuals have caused a lot of harm to their relationships. The owners of the premises surrounding the college seem to have lost confidence in college because of the improper parking of the students outside their premises. The whole situation will only cause stress among the students, lecturers and other stakeholders of the college. This will distract them from carrying out the core business of a college.
Work Cited
Asay, Jasen. "Students Face Parking Woes at Campus." McClatchy - Tribune Business News: n/a. ABI/INFORM Complete. Sep 27 2011. Web. 25 July 2012 .
Cahalan, Steve. "Extra Hours, Parking Top List of Issues." La Crosse Tribune: B1. ABI/INFORM Complete. Nov 08 2005. Web. 25 July 2012 .
Potkewitz, Hilary. "Yankees' New Parking: Lots of Debate." Crain's New York Business 24.17 (2008): 25- 28. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 25 July 2012.
