You pull into the parking lot. Eyes scan for empty spaces,
taillights and walking people. You zero in on a pedestrian
who looks like they're leaving and roll along behind them
— near enough to close in quickly, but not so close as
to scare them off. They unlock a car and you take up that
territorial position that warns other drivers: "This one's
mine."
Parking on campus can put even the mildest of manners
in touch with one's dark side. When the weather turns colder
and piles of plowed snow eat up half a dozen spaces or
more, it only gets worse.
 |
PARKING POUNCE: An EMU student walks to
his car
as three vehicles wait to grab his parking
spot in
Halle Library Dec. 3. This familiar scene
can be
avoided if students use the Green Lot (formerly
known as the North Lot), which usually has
spaces available any time of the day. |
But, with a little preparation and a little resolve, Eastern
Michigan University students, faculty and staff don't have
to go there.
Although interior lots like the parking structure, Oakwood
South, Bowen and the Ford Commuter lot fill up between
8:30-9:30 a.m., Green Lots 1 and 2 (the 1,255 parking
spaces along Huron River Drive formerly known as the North
Lots) always have a place for EMU faculty, staff and students.
The lot's been renamed, though not yet completely re-signed.
The environmentally friendly alternative beats driving
around in circles or sitting in an idling car, waiting
for a parking spot to open.
"Everyone wants to park as close as possible to where
they're going, but I've seen people sitting in the lot,
lined up for at least 15 minutes," said Parking Supervisor
Luis Hernandez. "I guarantee, if they would drive out to
the Green Lot, they could have walked back to that spot
in five minutes."
Here's what you can do to avoid some parking headaches
on campus.
Wear a hat: Bundle up and walk from the Green Lot. You'll
end up saving time and frustration. Greg O'Dell, executive
director of EMU's Department of Public Safety, a self-described "old
guy," clocked himself at eight minutes walking from the
middle of the Green Lot to Mark Jefferson last winter.
 |
GREEN LOT WALK: A group of Eastern Michigan
University students walk from the Green Lot (in
background) through a scenic part of campus
Dec.
3. Parking Control and the Department of
Public Safety
encourage faculty, staff and
students to use the
Green Lot to avoid idling in
traffic and waiting
for a parking spot on other
campus lots that are
typically full. |
See the signs: Electronic signs that tell how many spaces
are available in the parking structure will go up on Oakwood
and on the structure itself in the next month or two, O'Dell
said. Likewise, read the signs at the lot to make sure
you're allowed to park there. Some staff lots become commuter
lots after 5 p.m. A student parking pass still costs $150
for fall and winter combined. The price hasn't gone up
since 2005.
Find a clean spot: If the lot's being plowed when you
arrive, go to a spot that's already been cleared. And if
there are other cars in the lot, park in a cluster. It
leaves the plows more room to maneuver.
"You don't want us to plow you in, believe me," said Dieter
Otto, custodial, grounds, motor pool and waste management
director. "If you get plowed in, you get plowed in good."
Move it: Don't leave your car at a meter or in a lot overnight
(unless it's in a 24-hour lot). Why? See above. The physical
plant plows at night, too.
Did you know: Eastern Michigan University's
physical plant contracts with Margolis Companies, which
plows snow on 10 of EMU's biggest lots (including the Green
Lot). That frees up physical plant staff to concentrate
on interior lots and EMU's 28 miles of sidewalks. Eastern
Michigan began supplementing some of its road salt with
a corn derivative, called M1000, that melts ice. It doesn't
burn the grass, works better at lower temperatures than
salt, and is better at controlling the snow and ice buildup
that obscures lot lines.
