By Lani Dame
Circling the parking lot, looking for a spot seems like a common occurrence during Education Week. Yet, administrators say it is not as big of a difficulty as people think.
However, every year parking is a concern. A few changes have been made this year and problems with parking have not increased.
“Parking is about the same other than a few areas where construction has changed things,” said Russ Fuller, sergeant over traffic enforcement.
Some faculty parking has been closed and shuttle routes detoured due to the construction on the new Joseph F. Smith Building, Fuller said.
Though the shuttles are making the same stops as in years past, they cannot go through campus and must turn around to make the full route.
Another change is additional parking for the disabled has been added near the Marriott Center, said Bruce Payne, Education Week program administrator.
Education Week draws in around 22,000 to 24,000 students during the week.
Since some of the registrants come from out of state, Provo is left with the problem of an influx of cars.
To help alleviate transportation problems, Payne said he encourages people to walk to campus, use public transportation and carpool.
For those who do choose to drive, sometimes the problem is not finding a parking spot but finding one close enough.
“Just trying to get in close, you can”t do it so I finally gave up,” said Larry Luke, from Simi Valley, Calif.
A parking tip is to park by LaVell Edwards Stadium and ride the shuttle instead of searching for close spots, Payne said.
Another helpful tool is the Education Week pamphlet, which includes a map of available parking lots.
Becky Heylen, from Folsom, Calif., said she parks using the map and has never had any trouble parking.
While most of the parking lots have kept their same functions, one has been converted into a camp.
The parking lot by the Richards Building has been designated as RV parking for the past 10 years of Education Week, Payne said.
“They make it a pilgrimage to come to Education Week every year,” he said. “They enjoy camaraderie with the others who are parked next to them.”
So far, traffic personnel have run into only one unanticipated problem.
The opening of the exhibit at the Museum of Art and Monday”s attendance at Education Week left many people driving around looking for parking spots and traffic attendants with a problem they had not seen in the past.
Having both activities going on at the same time increased the amount of people that would usually be parking.
Fuller said they cannot tell until the end of the week how this year”s parking compares with past years.
Once Education Week ends, traffic personnel will begin evaluating parking and seeing if any changes need to be made, Fuller said.
