Campus parking increasingly tight

Any student with a car knows what a hassle it is to find parking on Main Campus.

While student population grows slightly and construction on campus continues, it seems parking becomes more difficult every day.

As the university stopped providing housing to upperclassmen, three separate apartment complexes, the Kardon-Atlantic Terminal Building, University Village and Oxford Village, were built a few blocks off campus.

The Kardon-Atlantic Terminal Building and University Village are both located on 10th Street. Kardon-Atlantic does not offer parking to its residents. University Village has a parking lot that can hold a few students, but many chose to park in the dirt lot located at 11th and Montgomery streets.

University Village resident, senior Sarah Telson opts to park in the dirt lot on a daily basis.

Parking there is free and it seems to be safe. My car has not been broken into, and so many other people park there too, Telson said. It’s just cheaper and easier than parking anywhere else.

Oxford Village, located on 15th Street, is not close to campus-owned overnight lots. Behind the building, on Sydenham Street, is a lot that can hold roughly 21 cars, though many students find that it is difficult to enter and exit.

To enter the lot to park a car, drivers must park in the street, exit the car to unlock the gate, and then proceed to drive in and relock the gate after parking. Drivers must repeat the same steps when exiting the lot.

Sophomore Mandy Wright had several issues with the parking procedures, mainly for her safety and the protection of her car. The only security is the locked fence, she said. It is completely useless because someone could wait for you to get out and unlock the fence and you’d be completely vulnerable because you’re out of your car.”

Leasing Manager Al Clinton encourages Oxford residents to look into available parking as they are the cheapest parking available. He said that they do not advertise because of limited availability.

For students parking using university parking, one reality is the increased price this semester. Overnight parking in one of the designated lots, such as the Bell Garage or Temple Towers is $308 a semester.

While this may be a strain on students’ wallets, the increase in price is attributed to the increasing demand for parking, limited number of spaces and the increase in Philadelphia property taxes, according to the Office of Parking Services.

In 2008 the Tyler School of Art will open between Diamond and Norris streets and will take up 255,000 square feet, according to the Department of Design and Construction.

The influx of art students coming to and residing on campus will likely increase parking demand.

Lots four and six, both on Diamond Street near the construction site, are currently being analyzed by university administrators to identify peak capacity for sufficient parking, according to officials involved in the planning.

“There are 12 separate locations that are around campus that might be possible parking areas, said Martin Dorph, vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. He said that while no plans are set in stone, a planning discussion will be held soon to figure out how to accommodate the need for future parking.

Jessica Cohen can be reached at JESS06@temple.edu.