Parking: Overpopulated and Unpermitted

By Shelby Arellano

As the Simpson student population reaches record highs, available spaces to park have not only become harder to come by, but also a daily gamble. 

For many, the commute to campus has transformed from a routine drive to a high-stakes scavenger hunt. Enrollment numbers for Simpson University are at an all-time high, creating a daily struggle for both commuters and residential students to find a place to park. What was once a minor inconvenience has become an ultimatum for many students– they either show up an hour early or risk being late to class.

Arianna Hanners, a sophomore who was a residential student last year and a commuter this year, speaks on how the parking situation differs from her experience last year. 

“Parking was hard enough last year. I would have to park in the gym lot because there was never enough room in residential. Now that I commute, I have to show up around 30 minutes early to class to make sure I find a spot,” Hanners said.

Brent Thompson, the Chief Operating Officer (C.O.O.) at Simpson University. Thompson was interviewed via email.  

“Simpson University has 1,185 students’ university-wide this fall, including 840 traditional undergraduate students, the largest traditional undergraduate enrollment in the university’s 106-year history,” Brent Thompson states referencing the total number of spots. 

“College parking demand is generally evaluated based on actual peak usage rather than total enrollment. Not every student is on campus at the same time; not every student drives, and residential students use parking differently from commuters,” Thompson replies when asking for the stats. “For that reason, simply comparing total university enrollment with the number of parking spaces does not provide an accurate picture of parking demand,” Thompson replies.

“Simpson University currently has 811 parking spaces across campus. Those include 285 residential parking spaces, 186 spaces in the gym lot, 167 spaces in the North Lot, 109 street parking spaces, and 64 spaces in the Phoenix Charter area. Parking demand varies by location and time of day,” Thompson goes on to mention.

“At certain times, demand can be concentrated around particular buildings while spaces remain available elsewhere on campus. Part of our ongoing review is looking at how parking is distributed and making sure we are using our total parking capacity as effectively as possible,” Thompson went on to mention.  

The administration looks out for peak usage patterns. They also look out for distribution strategies- the theoretical availability for spaces offer little comfort when students are already running behind schedule. 

Many students wonder what some solutions were in regard to the parking situation. 70 new parking spots are one of the new additions to parking this year.

“We resurfaced the gym parking lot over the summer as part of our ongoing work to maintain and improve campus parking facilities. We also added more than 70 parking spaces across campus this summer, so we entered the academic year with meaningfully more parking capacity than we had last year. “Thompson states.

Thompson continues to inform us of the thought process that goes into evaluating further parking discussions.

“We’re continuing to review parking patterns and practical improvements such as signage, space designations, enforcement, and additional or reconfigured spaces where appropriate. We want to evaluate parking over a representative period and make decisions based on actual usage patterns,” Thompson said.

The disconnect between administrative data and the daily struggle to find parking leads to Thompson answering what the plan is moving forward.

“Our focus is on whether that capacity meets actual parking demand, particularly during the busiest periods of the day, rather than simply comparing the number of spaces with total university enrollment,” Thompson continued.

This data could impact future decisions about parking infrastructure.

“We’ll continue monitoring how our parking areas are being used, where demand is highest, and where capacity remains available. If that data shows additional capacity is needed, we can evaluate where and how additional parking would make the most sense,” Thompson concludes.

Ultimately, the finding suggests that a responsive strategy must be employed in order to optimize parking to the best of its abilities, whether that is now or based on real time usage or needs.