Parking to decrease as construction begins

“The changes in the parking come about because we are going to be losing a number of parking lots and spacing as part of the [10-year] Campus Plan,” said Kim Jackson, director of parking and transportation.

Jackson said that parking locations for faculty, staff and students will be shifting in the next few years as construction outlined in the Campus Plan begins. It is not yet clear if the policy precluding sophomores from getting parking permits will be permanent.

USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 said that there should be other options for sophomores who want to bring their cars to campus. “I hope that the University will look into the possibility for sophomores to have spots somewhere in the Princeton area,” he said. “I hope this decision to not have spots in Lot 23 is a temporary one.”

Currently, more than 600 sophomores, juniors and seniors have registered their vehicles. Freshmen cannot bring cars to campus, according to “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities.”

Dan Jones ’08, who has had a car on campus since sophomore year, noted, “I think it’s more of a priority for juniors and seniors to have cars, but it’s certainly very nice for sophomores [as well].”

Jones said he felt there was an increased need for juniors and seniors to have cars “because they have been here longer, so they have more needs within the community. Juniors and seniors go out with friends a lot more especially, once you turn 21, to go out to Route 1 and certain bars in the area.”

“I don’t think it’s a big deal. Most people don’t use cars [on campus],” said Eric Finkelstein ’10, who does not have a car on campus.

The University is also considering a policy that would ask graduate students not to bring cars to campus in the morning, but rather to take the shuttle, walk or bike, Jackson said, adding that if graduate students needed to bring cars to campus later in the day, it would be less of a problem because parking shortages would be less acute.

This tentative policy for graduate student driving emerges as the Department of Parking and Transportation begins to implement the sustainability plan that was announced in February. The plan, which called for the University to return to 1990 levels of carbon emissions by 2020, is meant to reduce the number of cars commuting to campus by 10 percent by 2020.

“Restricting vehicle movements” reduces greenhouse gases, Jackson said.

The department is also looking to expand the campus bus system’s weekend and evening service, Jackson added.

“If we are going to ask people to not have a car, we’re going to need to look to provide some kind of transportation to help get them where they need to go,” she noted.

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Proposals to change bus service providers are in the works. In addition, Jackson said, the department hopes to have low-emissions buses with bike racks and low floors, which would create better accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

A tentative expanded bus route between campus, a grocery store and a shopping mall is under review. The campus plan also proposed a “campus circulator,” whose route would go from the Dinky to Nassau Street, the E-Quad, Prospect Avenue, Washington Road, Faculty Road and back to the Dinky.

The stop at the Dinky would address the concerns of those who signed the saveforbes.com petition calling for a shuttle stop at Forbes College, Jackson said, explaining there was not a safe way for a bus to stop directly on Alexander Street.

Staff writer Sarabeth Sanders contributed to reporting.