Campus parking. The chronic problem that plagues many students on this campus. Whether it be arguing against parking tickets or not being able to find a parking spot, parking is a glaring problem that needs to be addressed.

There could be a number of talking points brought up regarding parking, but recently it has been the difficulty of finding a parking spot at all that comes to the top of my mind. In my opinion, I believe the root cause of this difficulty is a result of overselling parking passes to students. Essentially, there are not enough parking spots available for everyone to have a parking spot.

Although my solution to this problem will have flaws within it, I believe that UW-W should consider switching to an assigned parking system. This way, each pass holder is guaranteed a spot in their chosen lot.

How this system could potentially work is by operating on a “first come, first served” basis, much like the format that is currently used when purchasing parking passes. Each pass holder would be allowed to select their own spot, which would give pass holders freedom to choose a spot convenient to them. Once all of the parking spots are sold out, the lot will be capped at its maximum. By utilizing this system, it assures that those who pay for a parking spot, get a spot.

Enforcing this new system should also be significantly easier. It should simply involve matching license plates to the registered vehicle assigned to a particular spot. If a car is parked in a spot that doesn’t match the license plate of the spot holder, a parking ticket will be issued to the violating vehicle.

I understand that this may create a race for students to purchase parking passes and most likely increase the prices of such passes, but the overall purpose of this change is to create fairness and ease within the parking lots of UW-W. It’s as simple as that.

– Scout Springgate

Managing Editor