{"id":44218,"date":"2026-04-27T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=44218"},"modified":"2026-04-26T14:29:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T18:29:12","slug":"yourvoice-students-share-opinions-on-parking-scarcity-at-sinclair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/tartan-news\/2026\/04\/27\/yourvoice-students-share-opinions-on-parking-scarcity-at-sinclair\/","title":{"rendered":"YourVoice: Students share opinions on parking scarcity at Sinclair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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 \u201cplenty of room on the first three levels\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leiley King<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leiley King said they support reopening the fourth floor, even though they have never personally parked there before.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Leiley King. <\/strong>CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI think, yes. I\u2019ve 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,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m going for my classes that start at noon or three o\u2019clock, it takes me typically like five to 10 minutes to find a parking spot,\u201d King said. \u201cI don\u2019t think that the parking is currently sufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it was a 10 a.m. class, and I was like, \u2018surely it won\u2019t take me that long,\u2019 and it took me like 15 minutes to find parking, let alone get to my class,\u201d King said. \u201cThat was really stressful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alec LeBlanc<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\u201cI think so, yes. I feel there is already a small amount of parking in the parking garage as is,\u201d LeBlanc said. \u201cThe weather is nicer now, so it\u2019s not as big of a deal, but I think that it should be reopened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alec LeBlanc. <\/strong>CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParking is already scarce as it is, so there not being another level to the parking garage is a bit of an issue,\u201d LeBlanc said. \u201cEspecially when you have so many people here coming at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said morning classes make parking easier, but students with afternoon classes often struggle much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you have a class in the middle of the afternoon, you\u2019re not going to find a spot,\u201d LeBlanc said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that there is a huge disparity in the number of parking spots to the number of students here,\u201d LeBlanc said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chiara Jackson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Chiara Jackson. <\/strong>CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s sufficient just because of the way I park, so I just go on the first level,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacie Moore, reporter<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out more posts by the Clarion:<\/p>\n\n\n