Washtenaw Community College to offer shuttle service to relieve anticipated parking crunch
A free park-and-ride shuttle service will return to Washtenaw Community College this fall to accommodate the parking needs of the exploding student population.
Plans for a parking garage are in the works, but in the meantime, students will again have the option of parking near Eastern Michigan University’s Rynearson Stadium starting Aug. 30 to catch a shuttle to campus. WCC first rented the lot and contracted with a shuttle service last school year.
Parking at WCC is a problem at the start of each new semester.
File Photo | AnnArbor.com
The college has arranged for two shuttle buses to pick up and drop off students every 15 minutes between 6:45 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. between the WCC Student Center and the bus shelter in the Rynearson lot, said Steven Hardy, vice president for administration and finance.
The WCC Board of Trustees on Tuesday agreed to rent 900 parking spaces from EMU and authorized a contract with Golden Limousine for two mini shuttle buses.
The service will likely run for 10 weeks of the semester - the school’s busiest time when parking in campus lots is scarce. It will also run this winter, Hardy said. Each contract has an option to expand the service to 15 weeks if necessary.
For 10 weeks, the service would cost WCC a combined $75,000, while for 15, it would be $119,000.
Juliana Keeping is a higher education reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
Rachel
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 9:31 a.m.
They should definitely extend the hours of this. As a student who takes night classes, I show up around 5, 530 and there are NO parking spaces. I would love to use this option, but Id have to way back to my car after class.
Cash
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 6:21 a.m.
Schultz, Your post made me chuckle, remembering the parking discussion at EMU back in the day. It was suggested that faculty and staff park in the shuttle lot as they, for the most part, worked 8-5, or something close to that. That would leave room in the near lots for students who take their classes at odd hours... may have a class at 10 and another at 2, etc. Well, you can imagine the furor! How dare they expect profs and staff to park away from the building and wait for a shuttle! That idea was quickly buried.
Cash
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 5:50 a.m.
Ed: Where did you obtain the quote "well heeled"? Not from me obviously. That is your assumption, not mine. Goodness. Note: I'm not seeing a denial that non students use the facility. I said "non students" not well heeled users...please if you use quotes, make it accurate. And, we all know the shell game...move money from fund to fund. All NFPs play it. I know how it was funded. I also know that a surface parking lot was an option. I believe students would have chosen a surface parking lot and a scaled down rec facility. I think students should come first. WCC board made a choice and I disagreed with their choice. I think convenience and safety of students should come before anything else. In another few months, it will be winter and dark at 5PM. Many students are not comfortable standing waiting for a shuttle in the dark. Remember, less than a mile away, a young college aged man was shot and killed this week. It was my experience that a shuttle from the same remote spot didn't work at EMU. I do hope for the student's sake, it works for them. I think we will see students circling around Huron River Drive like we have over the past few years, desperately searching for a vacant spot. That just adds to the congestion on that road and to the frustration of students. Students first.
schultz2005
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 5:46 a.m.
Is there a parking problem? It is only a parking problem if you cannot find a space in front of the building. Students (especially those who work out at the gym) do not like to park far and walk. There are plently of parking on the edge of campus but no one like to walk. Never had a problem find a parking space.
ladydi
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 8:03 p.m.
Parking isn't just a day class issue, it's a huge night class issue too! Why can't a solution be found for night students like the shuttle mentioned in this article?
Cash
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 7:25 p.m.
This same lot didn't work for EMU about 10 years ago when they tried it due to parking constraints. I hope it truly is workable for WCC students. There were too many variables...different class schedules, need to rush to work after class etc. Often commuters rode together..one had a class downtown and the other on campus. The shuttles would get off schedule when the weather was bad etc. I'm not saying it is a bad idea. Just remembering the history of that Rynearson Lot and the shuttle at EMU. Good luck WCC students. (Maybe WCC should have taken the money for their state of the art Recreation Center used by non students and put in a nice parking lot in that area for their students.)
Karen McV
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 6:41 p.m.
I am a student at WCC. Parking isn't just an issue at the beginning of the semester. Also, what about those of us who have classes that end after 6pm?