Multiple parking spaces have recently been designated as reserved for “alternative fuel” vehicles in several parking lots at De Anza College.

Five of the parking spaces have been reserved for alternative fuel cars and five of the spaces are for reserved for carpooling cars. They are located within the first three lanes, right behind the staff parking spaces.

The parking stalls for hybrid cars will take effect before the end of June 2008, and registered carpooling will take effect starting summer quarter.

The central organization behind this project is called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The group aims to establish a sustainable environment by renovating the buildings in various locations around the campus and its facilities.

Parking stalls will be marked with color coding. Just as staff parking stalls are distinguished by orange lines on the ground, alternative fuel cars will be distinguished with green lines and registered carpooling will be distinguished by blue lines.

The blue color is different than the blue lines which designate disabled parking spaces. Signs will also be made to indicate that these parking spaces are designated for alternative fuel cars and registered carpooling only.

The Foothill-De Anza District Police is responsible for monitoring the parking and issuing tickets for cars parked in these spaces that are not hybrid vehicles or that are not registered for carpooling. The ticket is $35.

All the cars parking in these spaces must be properly marked. For hybrid cars, every car displays an indication made by manufacturer.

In carpool spaces, every car is required to have a sticker provided by Student Activities upon registration. Students apply for a carpooling sticker at the Student Activities office. The office then matches students who provide carpooling and need carpooling by area and schedule. Such a sticker is not required for alternative fuel parking stalls. The carpooling program was very popular until late 2006, when students stopped participating in the program.

“We had a system. We just have to reinstall the system,” said Donna Jones-Dulin, director of College Services.

According to Rodriguez, in 2006, there were 20 designated parking spaces concentrated in Parking Lot A, and he received several complaints that parking spaces were far away from the campus. Director of Campus Safety and Security Ben Rodriguez said that if more carpool designated parking spaces are made and they become more popular around the campus, more students might use the carpooling program.

“$6 to $10 gas price might change students’ minds,” Rodriguez said.

The number of alternative fuel and carpool designated parking stalls might be increased in the near future based on demand.

If more students carpool and few use alternative fuel vehicles, the new alternative fuel designated stalls might be redesignated for carpooling students. Conversely, if more students begin using hybrid cars, De Anza will increase the number of alternative fuel designated parking stalls.

In effect, there is a possibility that De Anza officials will change the carpooling parking stalls to alternative fuel cars stalls.

Yujin Yoshimura is a freelance reporter for La Voz.