“So where exactly can you park here?” said De Anza student Donna Gullo. It is a question asked by many students who drive to school everyday. At certain times of the day, parking at De Anza can be both paradise and hell on earth.
It is several factors that are hurting the parking situation. First is the lack of spaces available to students. Chief Ben Rodriguez Jr., of the Foothill / De Anza College Campus Police said there are 3,805 student parking spots on campus. The number has steadily gone down as Measure E improvements slowly encroach on the parking lots.
Another factor affecting parking is the markings in the lots. Because the school has repainted the stripes in the parking lots, there are remnants of the previous markings. Many students are confused with which line marks the “true” parking space, ultimately causing two spots to be taken up.
One student thinks that a main contributor to the parking predicament is that many De Anza students refuse to come to school earlier.
“If students would just get earlier classes, parking would be so much easier for them,” said student Diana Viray.
Convenience of parking spots has become a major issue with the student body. Many try to park close to their class and many do not want to walk a few blocks into campus, even if it means guaranteed parking.
“Chances are if you wait for a ‘good’ spot, you’ll probably be late for class,” says student Joe Pangrac. “So I’d rather take what I can get, even if it’s toward the back of the lot.”
With so few spots after 10 a.m., many drivers become desperate. Several eyewitnesses said that some students risk a ticket by parking in the 30-minute spaces all day. Some told of hit and run incidents in the parking lot.
“[The driver] just hit the other car, and simply drove away, as if nothing had happened,” said student Nick Pegis.
All of these factors can lead to frustration. Some students claimed that they wait on average 20, 30, up to 60 minutes without finding a single spot. But Rodriguez said there have been little to no reports of road rage in the parking lots.
Alternative transportation is available to students for a guaranteed on-time arrival to school. The free Altrans Shuttle runs from Vallco Fashion Park to campus several times a day. Five bus lines also make a stop near the De Anza campus. “Neither really works with my schedule,” many students said. And although the Altrans shuttle is convenient and cheap, it only runs for the first three weeks of classes. Students still must eventually drive and park on campus.
Carpooling is another way to reduce congestion not only in the lots, but also on the freeway. “It usually takes 10 minutes to find a spot,” says student Tabatha Davis. “But [people in my carpool are] sick today, so it’s taken 45 minutes so far.” The Web site www.rides.org offers a free service to find would-be carpoolers a match.
To ease the parking problem, there are several plans to help. Rodriguez said the first plan involves converting the one-way street near the archery range into a street with parking on both sides. This will add approximately 140 new spots.
Also, plans call for reducing the size of the berms, or hills in the A, B and C lots. This will add approximately 100 new parking spots. Rodriguez said, “I want to be able to park as many cars as possible. The spot you get may not be right next to your class, but you will have a spot.” There was no timeframe given for these improvements.
Despite the circumstances, some students see the humor in the situation.
“It might take an hour, but it’s fun,” says student Tuan Nguyen.
FACTS ABOUT
Parking
at De Anza
n 3,805 total
student spaces
n Lots A, C, E have
motorcycle space
n 62 limited time spaces
n 85 disabled spaces
n 191 compact spaces
n 579 staff spaces
n $25 tickets for
parking without a
permit, or parking
on the lawn
n $250 tickets for
parking in a disabled space
