Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
I’m so grateful I never have to leave campus and come back and find a spot. This summer, the parking situation is tighter than usual because of construction issues. One of my helpers tells me it is easy to find parking before 8 AM, if you can make that work into your schedule.
I can’t see double parking in that garage as being anything other than a selfish and discourteous act (except in extreme emergencies, perhaps, and by that I don’t mean running late for an exam.) But the wrong way driving, which my helpers have seen from time to time, is clearly due to people getting confused or being unfamiliar with the roads on campus. Still scary, though.
Some of my assistants have also had this reaction to double-parkers, who are either unskilled, unmindful, or selfish. However, I recommend patience with wrong-way drivers. Many BC visitors use the Comm Ave. garage, and someone driving the wrong way may be on their 5th college visit & can hardly remember where they are, let alone which way to drive in a dim garage with only moderately clear directional markings.
BC has no immediate plans to increase the amount of parking on campus. However, administrators are considering options on the Brighton Campus and the Hammond Pond property. Also, as construction projects near completion, they expect to have fewer contractors parking on campus.
There is limited space on campus; unfortunate, but true.
I spoke with a real person in the transportation office (I’m not sure they have a wall), and she said “Students can only park in the mod lot at that time if they are a grad student with an SGS-2 permit. If not, they are welcome to use the Commonwealth or Beacon Garages, but they will have to pay.” I hope that helps, and I hope you are coming back to visit me!
According to the Wall’s friends at Parking and Transportation, it’s mostly two things. The first is lack of space on campus, which creates a lot more demand than supply. The second is more subtle: prices are partly high to encourage people who can to use other ways to get to campus, like the campus bus system, public transit, bikes, or feet–that makes for a greener campus, a healthier community…but it also helps with the first issue. The walls at T & P are sympathetic, as is this Wall.
