You think you know, but you have no idea.

The reality behind MASON parking.

By Jessica Nam and Amanda Svec

At the end of the Fall 2007 semester, parking at George Mason University's Fairfax campus took quite a hit. Lot F, a general parking lot that housed 939 parking spaces, was closed for construction of Parking Deck III and the Public Safety Building. Shortly after, Rappahannock River Lane was closed to all traffic, and parking on that road was taken away as well. Then, in April 2008, Lot E was closed to begin construction on the new 600-bed residence hall complex.

So the question remains, where are the students supposed to park on campus?

According to the GMU Parking and Services Master Plan, and assessment of parking conditions at the Fairfax campus was carried out that examined the current parking situation. The following was revealed to be issues:

  1. The total number of parking spaces on campus is enough to satisfy the current demand for parking.
  2. There is a perceived shortage of convenient parking serving the campus core, as many spaces are located at the edge of University property. Of the 8,621 parking spaces on the east campus, over 1,400 or 17% are located more than a ten-minute walk from the campus core.
  3. The occupancy of parking lots close to the core is nearly 100% at peak times, while parking is generally avaialble at peak times in lots that are more than a ten-minute walk from the core.
  4. The development of new facilities on the campus will ultimately displace nearly 3,600 existing surface parking spaces, which will need to be replaced.
  5. Increased use of facilities available to the general public could create peak demand that exceeds projections.

Did you know?

- The master plan is adding a net total of over 1,700 new and replacement parking spaces on the east and west campuses and the Shirley Gate site - this exceeds projected demand by approximately 1,500 spaces.

- The projected parking need for 2020 was estimated to be 12,214 spaces.

- The plan further increases the concentration of convenient parking by adding a net total of 3,100 spaces within a ten minute walk of the core.

- The parking garage locations were actually selected to achieve 3 objectives:

* To increase the supply of inconvenient parking.

* Capture vehicles as they enter campus.

* Alleviate traffic impacts on Patriot Circle and adjacent roadways.

- Over 2.0 million square feet of new space will be needed by 2020 at the Fairfax Campus.

Students complain that Mason parking sucks, but what they should be saying is "I'm lazy." Mason has enough parking to accommodate everyone's parking needs, but the majority of parking is located at least a 10 minute walk away from the center of campus, GMU's Johnson Center.

"Students come to my office and complain to me everyday about how they can't find a parking spot," said Josh Cantor, Director of Parking and Transportation at George Mason University, "and I point to the map of campus and inform them that there is parking and where it is available, unfortunately is just not convenient enough to meet their desired needs."

To help the lazy complex that seems to be instilled in the students at Mason, GMU implemented a shuttle service that has slowly become very popular among the student body.

 

 

 

 

 

"I love parking at the field house because it's convenient," said Allison Bodsford, a junior at GMU. "It drops me off at the Cue Bus stop, which is right by my dorm room in Commonwealth."