Study highlights parking solutions

The 2009–11 Parking and Transportation Committee's final recommendations have been released, with campus feedback being sought to see what can be done to improve parking at Buffalo State.

The report was turned in to the vice president for finance and management in August and was released to the campus at large last week. It's the first such report issued in over five years, said Karen O'Quin, chair of the committee and associate dean of the School of the Natural Sciences.

The committee proposed 11 recommendations, all aimed at alleviating parking concerns on campus. Most factions of campus, from UPD to students to staff, were involved in the committee, O'Quin said.

"There were some tense moments, because there were so many different perspectives," she said. "On the whole, by the end of the process, we worked together well as a committee. Every recommendation was based on a thorough discussion by our committee and a vote on the part of the committee members, including students."

As part of the committee's review, an independent consultant was brought in from Boston, Massachusetts. The consultant, Jason Schrieber from Nelson / Nygaard Consulting Associates, brought a whole new perspective to the parking situation on campus, O'Quin said.

"When you're on campus all of the time, you sort of overlook things," she said. "He had a lot of really good points to make."

One of the main issues Schrieber looked at is how the campus accommodates students who don't drive to school. He also looked at how to improve what the campus is doing to encourage more students to use means other than driving to get to school.

"(Buffalo State) is uniquely situated to take advantage of surrounding neighborhoods, the nice and very frequent transit services running by both ends of the campus, an expanding bike community in greater Buffalo, and what is ultimately the high potential for reducing the number of people needing to drive," he said.

In order for that to happen, however, the school has to put more effort into making things easier on students who walk, bike or take the bus to school, and focus less on being auto-centric, he said.

"It has a lot to do with respect," he said. "Anybody could walk there now. There are sidewalks, there are bus shelters, there are bike racks. How they're designed, treated and maintained is all lacking any respect for anyone who doesn't drive. It has a lot to do with respecting that folks might come to school by any other way than car."

While implementing Schrieber's ideas is one of the recommendations the committee made, the realities of the campus will weigh heavily on any decisions made, said Lisa Krieger, assistant vice president for finance and management.

"We think he's very forward thinking and on the cutting edge of transportation research," she said, in regards to Schrieber. "With that said, we have to remember that we're Buffalo State College, and something that worked at UCLA isn't necessarily a solution here. We're keeping our own identity in mind. We know that we don't all live in the city or on a bus line."

Although no decisions have been made on the majority of recommendations, two of the recommendations are moving forward, based on programs that were already being developed, Krieger said.

Shelters for students who use the MGC Direct will be installed over the next few weeks, and a contract with Buffalo Car Share is being considered, she said.

Other recommendations in the report include providing incentives for students to park farther away, eliminating all general reserve spots on campus and providing regular communication to staff, students and faculty about parking.

Students are encouraged to view the report and provide feedback, Krieger said.

"We've invited all of campus, students too, to submit their response to this document by email," she said.

The report and the email address used for feedback can be found at http://www.buffalostate.edu/financeandmanagement/x580.xml.

Michael Canfield can be reached by email at canfield.record@live.com.