The Baron has posted a fall term update on the on-campus parking situation for the past two years. This year, we revisit the topic once again as it continues to evolve and worsen.

Introduction of Hotspot Parking

In previous years, UNB Saint John students and faculty needed to purchase physical parking permits, displayed as hangable tags or stickers, to indicate their authorized time on campus. This year, however, the system has transitioned online, requiring users to register their vehicles via license plate, eliminating the need for physical permits.

The shift to the hotspot parking system was announced by email on August 20th, just two weeks before the start of the fall term. The launch, while intended to streamline parking, introduced several quirks and technical challenges. Many students and faculty found themselves scrambling to purchase a permit through the online system, encountering glitches that complicated the purchasing process and even led to open discussions online, such as on Reddit. For instance, some users reported issues completing transactions, resulting in instances where permits were obtained but never charged.

Parking Space on Campus

Last year’s parking coverage article looked into some significant concerns about the removal of parking spaces and the reallocation of previously designated student areas to staff-only zones. These changes, implemented due to the ongoing construction of the Health and Innovation Center, tightened the availability of student parking, and we are still seeing the effects of those changes this year.

While the number of accessible spaces for students hasn’t changed, the demand continues to climb. For students like second-year Dakota Foster, the struggle to find a parking spot is a regular ordeal: “I hate how hard it is to find a parking spot if you show up after 8 a.m.,” Foster explains. “Once, I had to drive around the back of the gravel parking lot for a while until someone moved their car.” These kinds of experiences have become common, with students reporting that they often need to arrive much earlier than their classes just to secure a space. The gravel parking lot itself is a temporary solution as it will most likely be not possible to park there when it inevitably begins to snow.

These issues are particularly challenging for commuting students with tight schedules. For students juggling multiple responsibilities, the added aspect of an unpredictable parking situation only contributes to their daily stresses.

Residence Parking

Residence parking has proven to be an ongoing challenge, especially for students living on campus. Now with construction near residence parking, it challenge continues to grow. One anonymous resident came forward with a host of valuable opinions and information: “I’ve been parking here for two years now and lived on campus for three. Throughout those years, I have noticed an extreme lack of designated parking for residence students, often resulting in fines and warnings that could be completely avoided. There’s a whole parking lot dedicated to staff and faculty that constantly remains unused because faculty never park down there, and students are afraid of fines.” This lack of accessible parking forces students to make uncomfortable choices, including risking fines or being forced to park far from the residence buildings, creating unnecessary stress for students with mobility issues.

Adding to these challenges is the apparent deficiency in campus security, as our anonymous responder reports. “Residence administration started sending out emails last year about making sure to lock cars because someone lost a substantial amount of money in a car break-in on campus. My own car was vandalized by having eggs thrown on it in residence parking, and after I put in a claim, security did nothing. There was no visibility of my parking spot, so the case was dropped out of frustration.”

Conclusion

Despite ongoing construction on campus, many of the issues highlighted in previous reports remain unsolved. Overcrowding and vehicle security continue to be major concerns of the student body, and between this and the frustrations surrounding the recent, rocky implementation of hotspot parking, it’s fair to say that everyone on campus has been left with a sour taste in their mouths. As construction begins to wind down in the coming years, there’s hope that these outlined flaws in parking will be prioritized and addressed for the benefit of everyone at UNB Saint John.