YourVoice: Students share opinions on parking scarcity at Sinclair

Since January, the fourth floor of Parking Garage A at Sinclair College has remained closed after heavy winter snowfall created safety concerns. In a previous interview, parking manager Andrew Pittenger explained there was “plenty of room on the first three levels” and said the top level was not necessary, especially since students were now allowed to park on the first floor, which had previously been reserved for staff.

However, many students who drive to campus feel differently and believe reopening the fourth floor would make parking less stressful and improve the overall student experience.

Leiley King

Leiley King said they support reopening the fourth floor, even though they have never personally parked there before.

“I think, yes. I’ve never personally used the fourth-floor parking garage before, but if there was a reason to install it in the first place, that probably means that is a good enough reason to keep it operating,” King said.

King said finding parking often depends on what time classes begin. Morning and evening classes are usually easier, but midday classes can be frustrating and time-consuming.

“If I’m going for my classes that start at noon or three o’clock, it takes me typically like five to 10 minutes to find a parking spot,” King said. “I don’t think that the parking is currently sufficient.”

They explained that the second and third floors are often full during the busiest parts of the day, leaving students circling the garage and adding unnecessary stress and time before class even begins.

King also shared that when they first started attending Sinclair, they were late to class because they underestimated how long it would take to find parking.

“I think it was a 10 a.m. class, and I was like, ‘surely it won’t take me that long,’ and it took me like 15 minutes to find parking, let alone get to my class,” King said. “That was really stressful.”

Alec LeBlanc

Student Alec LeBlanc shared similar concerns, saying the garage already feels too small for the number of students commuting to campus each day.

“I think so, yes. I feel there is already a small amount of parking in the parking garage as is,” LeBlanc said. “The weather is nicer now, so it’s not as big of a deal, but I think that it should be reopened.”

LeBlanc said the closure of the fourth floor has made parking feel even more limited, especially during afternoon hours when the majority of students are arriving for classes at the same time.

“Parking is already scarce as it is, so there not being another level to the parking garage is a bit of an issue,” LeBlanc said. “Especially when you have so many people here coming at the same time.”

He said morning classes make parking easier, but students with afternoon classes often struggle much more.

“If you have a class in the middle of the afternoon, you’re not going to find a spot,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc added that parking has caused frustration for him more than once and that there seems to be an imbalance between the number of students and available spaces.

“I think that there is a huge disparity in the number of parking spots to the number of students here,” LeBlanc said.

Chiara Jackson

Not every student feels the fourth floor needs to reopen, however. Chiara Jackson said she feels parking is currently sufficient because she prefers using the first floor.

“I think it’s sufficient just because of the way I park, so I just go on the first level,” Jackson said.

As a newer driver, Jackson said parking on the upper levels feels intimidating, so having access to the first floor makes the current situation manageable for her.

While some students feel the fourth floor should reopen to ease congestion, others believe the current setup works fine. One thing is clear: Parking continues to shape the daily experience of many Sinclair students.

Jacie Moore, reporter

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