Leave earlier to get your spot

When snow is covering the ground, drivers coming to campus might

have to leave earlier because parking lots may be more congested

than usual.

Covered with snow, the parking lots on campus can be compared to

dirt lots that have no painted lines for spaces. This means an

estimated 75 percent of the maximum capacity is available, said

Michael Rose, General Professional VI at University Parking

Services.

Full capacity is not available because lines are not visible and

people do not park as closely together, Rose said.

Ryan Cook, a sophomore speech communication major, has shown up

to class 20 minutes late because he had difficulty finding a place

to park.

“People don’t know where to park,” Cook said. “You cannot see

the lines.”

A vehicle not entirely within the boundaries of a parking space

is in parking violation, according to the University Parking

Services’ Web site. Rose said tickets are not issued for such

violations when snow is on the ground, yet safety violations are

still enforced.

The rate of accidents reported increases by three to four times

the usual rate when there is snow on the ground, according to the

CSU Police Department.

The lack of space for movement could be one of the factors

leading to an increase in accident rates.

“A lot of times people don’t pull up as far as they should,”

said Breann Piechowski, a sophomore human development and family

studies major. “This makes it hard to reverse.”

Piechowski said ice on the ground just adds to the difficulties

of parking and exiting the parking lots in the snow.

Staff/faculty parking lots are not exempt from crowded parking

lots.

“It is exactly the same for us,” said political science

Professor Charles Davis.

There is a definite increase in the number of passengers on the

bus when it is snowing, according to Brooklyn Motz, a sophomore

anthropology major.

Motz began riding the bus this semester instead of riding her

bike due to the snow.

Rose said if it is at all possible for students to ride the bus

when it is snowing, it would help alleviate some of the congestion

in the parking lots that cannot accommodate full capacity. It is a

free service for full-time students.