Spot the Blue Box!!!

Last year everyone used to complain that there were too little parking spaces at University, considering the vast amount of students here. When I first heard that they (they being administration) put a lot of work into the parking situation, I thought, HURRAY!! However, I was slightly off track. They HAD put a lot of effort into sorting out parking… for themselves!!

Now, as you know, students can only park in the little blue boxes. If you haven’t seen one yet, don’t worry, they are extremely rare! You will only find them in that ‘car park’, if it can be called one, next to the canteen with about 30 spaces there; in another car park close to the football grounds; and the car park next to Mater Dei. Only these? Yep, that’s about right. The rest of University is dedicated to lecturers and other administrative staff, including every white box you find and the ring road.

So basically, by half seven in the morning, most of the spaces are already taken. You will end up going round and round university in vain trying to look for a blue box, while somewhere like the ring road is half empty. But no you cannot park there because you will risk your car getting towed. So although you would have arrived at Uni early, you will still get to your lecture 30 minutes late and probably get thrown out of the lecture room, or if you are lucky, just a very nasty look and a sarcastic comment.

One can try and understand the reasoning behind the administration. Probably last year several lecturers complained that they were not able to find parking, just like us, but the administration took the complaint a bit over board. To normal logic, there are many more students than lecturers, but two thirds of the parking is dedicated to administrative staff… is it just me or is the ratio a bit wonky?

There was a problem with parking last year, and now it is even worse. They had to increase the parking spaces and not decrease them for us. They have solved problems for lecturers yes, but not for students. Anyway, most lecturers are on a part time basis and come to lecture at 4pm, when most students would have left, so I don’t know what the reasoning behind this new system was.

The only good thing I can come up with is the permit. Yes I agree that only university students can park on university grounds, or else other people will take up the little parking we have left! However, University regulations state that to get the permit, one needs to present the insurance under their own name. Now seriously, how many students actually have their insurance under their own name, when the insurance premium for people under 25 years of age is sky high?

I know how the administrative staff will respond to these complaints… there are more direct buses now; students should use buses instead of coming with their own cars! Yes sure, if a student catches the direct bus at 7am in the morning, there is still 99% chance that the student arrives at University at 8.20/8.30, due to factors such as traffic, and also the minor detail that the ADT forgot to mention… direct buses are now passing through St. Luke’s and Mater Dei before making their way to University. So you are leaving home earlier than you would have if you use your own car, yet you are still arriving at Uni late for your lecture. All hail ADT!

I’m still amazed at how this (quotes) ‘New Parking System’ beams with practical efficiency. A little note to KSU: we appreciate what you have been trying to do to solve this problem, but maybe you need a more efficient approach? I mean, we started with a debate, which lead to a protest (which wasn’t exactly highly successful), which lead to yet another debate! Are we going to keep on going round in circles? Has there been any response? Maybe by the next In Situ issue I will have my answers!

Jackie Barbara