Undergraduate students commuting to the University of Florida have nowhere to park. The university has recently replaced the Park and Ride (undergraduate commuter) parking at Flavet Field with graduate parking. Meanwhile, the Park and Ride lot south of Hume Hall is closed for construction. The only option left for commuter students is parking in “any decal spots,” typically over a 30 minute walk from classes. Students are therefore forced to ride the bus if they want to make it to class. 

        This is not simply a matter of convenience or having to figure out bus schedules (which in itself is extremely challenging with all the construction on campus). Before and after classes, many buses are jam-packed with students, with many standing in the aisles and touching. In times of COVID, riding buses filled with this many students is extremely dangerous. Of course, students who are vaccinated are at risk for getting COVID (even if the possibility is lower than for the unvaccinated). Many students, then, must risk their health on a daily basis. For a university that strives to be COVID-safe, this is unacceptable. 

       It is true that the University of Florida has always has limited parking options. But parking garages like Parking Garage 14 (just south of Hume Hall and next to the commuter lot under construction) regularly have 1000 empty spots. As a result, some of the spots in places like these should be reallocated as Park and Ride parking spots. With this, undergraduate students who commute to the University of Florida will be able to park.

August 2022 Update:

As more students commute to campus, awareness of this situation has also continued to grow, yet the University of Florida has done little to improve this problem. Parking garage 14 on average has approximately 1000 vacant spots, spots that can be used by students who struggle to find parking on a daily basis. Our goal is to open these spots for Red 1, Red 3, and Park & Ride decals. The University of Florida provides it's students with many resources to succeed, but lately it's as if students spend more hours driving around rather than attending class.