By THERESA KASALLIS
Thanks to the latest opening of a new Y-parking lot, students now have 300 more spaces to chose from ? even if they are nowhere near classroom buildings.
?I don?t know how many will use that parking lot because it is quite a ways off campus,? said Craig Lybbert, Construction Project Coordinator for Brigham Young University. ?I?m sure that during events it will be really helpful, like during education week.?
The main goal in building the new parking lot off Bulldog near Hogi Yogi, was to free up parking congestion, provide students with more options and free up traffic along adjacent streets that neighbor the off-campus parking zones.
?It depends on how far away from campus you are, generally further away you can find a spot,? said Lauralee Bundel, a 23-year-old pre-communications major from Provo, Utah. ?But if you?re close, it?s really hard. Overall the off-campus parking situation is bad,?
The new lot was scheduled to be finished in August, but was delayed until the end of the year.
?It was scheduled to be completed on the 4th of August, but it was delayed almost a month and a half because of Provo city needing a building permit,? said Lybbert.
?Also, the contractors hoped to be done last week but we had to hold that off a little bit because of the colder temperatures.?
Lybbert says that his contractors were waiting until the weather cooperated but was glad to report that in September, they were able to get most of the asphalt laid.
Since free parking passes were handed out by BYU, many students spoke about an increase in limited space and the lack of convenience.
?I am usually driving from one lot to another, holding on to this false hope that I will find the perfect, close spot,' said Kyle Stapely, a 23-year-old open major from Lake Stevens, Wash. ?I pretty much always end up at the farthest lot away from campus.?
Students say more might need to be done, but remain optimistic and look forward to having more parking options.
?I?m excited to see if this helps the parking situation. So many students drive now because it is free, but now this opens up more space for us,? said Stapely. ?Also, I think it will be good to lessen the load of parking for other lots.?