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It’s hard to read between the lines when the lines are nowhere to be seen. Commuters at the University of Maine know this fact all too well as they search the campus parking lots during the winter months only to find that any semblance of order has literally run amuck.
Pick-up trucks perch lopsided atop snow banks, Honda Civics somehow manage to take up three parking spaces and students sliver out from the minimal space between their car doors and the next car over. Those left without a space, which are many, stalk up and down the aisles of packed vehicles like sharks, hoping for a miracle.
It’s a devastating scene, to say the least.
As the snow falls, so does the barrier between sanity and survivalist instinct. Who could have imagined strategically painted white lines and their visibility would mean the difference between normalcy and pure chaos? It seems safe to say that UMaine parking authorities should have considered the idea, yet the problem remains far from in the clear.
Although snow removal hasn’t been easy this winter, it’s still not an excuse to keep commuters in the dark about strategic measures they could be taking to acquire a parking space. Whereas snow days and other events that affect travel are posted to FirstClass in a prompt manner, lot availability and parking alternatives are often left to be discovered upon arrival, subsequently costing the driver precious time.
This situation isn’t dire in any sense of the word, but there is something to be said of convenience when commuters pay a decent sum for parking services and are made to search tirelessly for a space every day. The word needs to be made readily available so before drivers arrive upon the UMaine scene, they know the extent of the damage. Daily FirstClass updates would suffice. Even a better promotion of the contact information for Parking Services would alleviate some of the frustration.
For now, we’ll continue sizing up the problem on our own four wheels, holding out for a place we’ll fit in. Let’s just hope making our own lines and our own room won’t push anybody out when all is said and done.
Don’t hesitate to call Parking Services each morning for a briefing on the state of the lots (581-4047). Perhaps a little pestering will yield more mainstream access and some better communication.
