By LAURIE THAYER
Along with all of the detours on campus, long lines at the testing center and changing majors, parking is one of the pains that is part of the BYU experience.
The whole campus parking issue begins with acquiring a permit from the BYU traffic office. In the past students have had to wait in long lines at the beginning of fall semester to obtain a permit, but the traffic office has decided to sell fall and winter permits early this year along with spring and summer permits on April 24.
'It's always a hassle around the university because you're always getting stuck in lines. It's the same with buying a parking permit,' Gregory Coxey, an international relations student from Reno, Nev., said. 'They issue a lot more passes than spaces so it's always a fight for parking.'
Jayson Watson, a student from Sacramento, Calif., majoring in international business, said that he wasn't sure that it was worth the pain to get a parking permit. Aside from waiting in line, campus accessibility from some of the lots is another problem for Watson.
'I didn't know that a Y parking permit meant that I had to park up by the Y,' he said.
While the earlier sale date won't improve the accessibility or number of spots, incoming students for spring and summer won't have to turn around a few weeks later to purchase another permit and won't have to wait in as long of a line at the beginning of fall.
'Selling parking permits early should really be helpful to the students,' said Denise Haney, Parking and Traffic Services supervisor.
Students who purchase their permits between April 24 and May 9 will be entered to win door prizes that have been donated from a number of organizations on and off campus. If the switch proves to be successful this year, the traffic office hopes to move the sale date even earlier next year to catch those students who leave before finals are completed.
'I think we're going to have good success because we've already had a lot of students call to ask when they can get their fall permits,' Haney said.
The traffic office will close early April 24 because of graduation, but will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting April 25. Students need to bring their current vehicle registration, proof of emissions compliance and their ID card or driver's license. Those who live on campus will also need to provide proof of housing residency.
'It's extremely annoying because if you're missing one bit of information they will tell you to come back again,' Watson said.