Return thrill to Playland

Don’t drive around campus in frustration hunting for parking.

New construction begun this summer consumed about 450 parking spaces.

Spaces are limited In Lot 16 for remodeling in Moody Learning Center and in employee Lot 21 for expansion of Scobee Planetarium and building a Challenger Learning Center.

Lot 26 and the unpaved Lots 31 and 33 at North Main Avenue and West Evergreen Street are closed for construction of Tobin Hill Lofts, a public-private partnership between the Tobin Hill neighborhood and the college that will include retail, residential and parking facilities.

To alleviate the tight lots, the college has arranged access to a nearby district-owned property.

An additional 650 parking spots are at the site of the former Playland Park, 2222 N. Alamo St., for students, faculty or staff at this college.

The use of the site is a good first step, but the college needs to step up and ensure it provides what it is promising.

A contract with Star Shuttle is supposed to provide a 40-passenger bus to shuttle drivers with $50 parking permits between North Alamo Street and Fletcher Administration Center at Lewis Street and West Dewey Place every 15 minutes from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

The ride is estimated at seven minutes though high traffic hours may affect the length of the ride; however, a student complained Wednesday afternoon that she had waited almost two hours at Fletcher with no sign of the shuttle.

Eventually, a friend arrived to transport another stranded student, and she and another were offered a ride to the Playland site.

Other complaints have surfaced about the announced security at the lot. So far, the coverage has been spotty or confined to mornings, so drivers will have to weigh the potential convenience against the potential for losses or damage.

Parking access has plagued this college at least since this campus opened in spring 1951, and there appears to be no end in site.

Just remember why we are all here. Everyone needs to get to work and class on time, so figure out how to do that and make the necessary accommodations.