UNCC Parking Situation Presents
Problems To Faculty And Students
Parking at UNCC is stiii a
probiem, a sampiing of student
and facuity opinion suggests.
The diversity ranges from
faculty members having
difficulty in finding parking
spaces in their designated areas
to students complaining that
facuity members shouldn't have
parking spaces closer to
classroom buildings than those
of students.
Eleven persons were
interviewed on the issue of
parking spaces and parking
meters. Some opinions
expressed included:
David Frye, sociology
instructor, says his "faculty
sticker is no help". But he sees
no solution beyond what the
administration has already
committed itself to (Master
Plan) — there is "no magic
solution".
"Meters should be given
more time" for the money they
require says commuter Ken
Russel.
Fran Saxon, UNCC student
feels parking areas are located
G
O
-Q
B
o
1-d
s
3
C
X
B
3
too far in the same direction.
"They're adequate but
inconvenient". Sax'on, a
commuter, said "meters should
be in areas D or B instead of E."
The UNCC traffic department
issues B permits to faculty and
staff, E permits to commuters
and D permits to dorm student
and A permits to handicapped,
maintenance, etc.
A group of Concord car
poolers, Scott Beeker, Larry
Parker and Rick Freeze, was
firm on the issue. Parker said
visitors should park elsewhere.
"Parking should be free".
Beeker said "meters are a
rip-off".
The Master Plan (UNCC
Campus Planning workbook),
printed in May, 1974, gives a
clue to the problem. One
statement reads:
"Since the University has
been designed as a pedestrian
campus the plan should strive to
maintain the separation
between pedestrian and
vehicular traffic."
In eluded also in this
Semester
Break Brings
Traffic
Changes
by susan sluss
During the semester break,
there are going to be major
changes in the traffic flow here
at UNCC. The reason for the
changes, according to Jerry
Hudson, Director of Parking and
Safety is "to relieve the
congestion at the main entrance
of the University".
The changes affect the
section of Mary Alexander Road
from the University Boulevard
entrance into the University to
the entrance to the four-way
intersection in the parking lot.
That section of the road will
become one-way, inbound. All
traffic from the Academic
buildings must then exist via
Mallard Creek Church Road.
Traffic may enter from this
intersection also. A traffic light
will be installed at the
University Boulevard and
Mallard Creek Church Rd
intersection. A yellow flashing
light will replace the traffic light
now located at the main
entrance of the University. A
survey count will be held at the
main entrance for two weeks
after the yellow light is installed
to determine whether the
flashing mode is adequate.
During the past six months,
UNCC has retained two separate
professional consulting
corporations, one for long range
physical planning, the other for
traffic. Both looked thoroughly
at the traffic flow pattern and
through their recommendations
and UNCC's own analysis, the
changes are being made.
Approximately 7000 cars
go through the main entrance of
the University daily. Two
thousand move to the dorm area
and 5000 go to the academic
parking areas.
workbook are the rationale for
recent developments of physical
concept that account for many
of the changes in parking
facilities. A few examples of the
specific concepts determined by
the long range planning in
conjunction with CRS (Caudill
Rowlett Scott) an architecture
engineer planning service seek
to: 1) "Establish a pedestrian
street system to provide for ease
of movement. 2) Separate
visitor and public traffic from
normal campus vehicular
movement. 3) Provide a central
structured parking facility for
visitors and short term parkers.
4) Provide for separation of
vehicular and pedestrian
traffic".
These concepts are
beginning to take shape. 800
new faculty/student parking
spaces have been constructed
and Ed Ayers, director of
Physical Plant and Business
Services, said in October about
one-third had been paved.
Because the state doesn't
allocate money to build
university parking lots, student
fees were increased. To pay for
revenue bonds, maintenance and
utilities for the parking lot,
costing around $355,000 the
cost of parking stickers for
1974-75 went from $12 to $20.
At the request of UNCC
Dorm Councils and Student
Government, Jerry Hudson,
director of Public Safety, says
parking meters were put up near
the dorm areas to accommodate
short term visitors.
Meters were placed near the
main buildings at the request of
part time and short term
students who felt they shouldn't
buy $20 stickers for the little
time they were on campus when
feeding meters would be more
economical.
Presently there are 77
meters in the main parking lot,
35 in the Union parking lot and
38 in the dorm areas. This is an
increase of 90 new meters over
last year's total of 60. Meters
increased in the Union from 35
to 45, but since construction for
by queenie mackey
expansion of Cone University
Center began, the meters
allocated for salesmen, visitors
and those seeking admissions or
information have not been as
productive as those in the main
lot. This will be reviewed by the
traffic committee, said Hudson.
The meters are timed to
service parking for four, eight
and 16 hours. Hudson said the
meters cost from $45 to $50
apiece and $20 to install. Plan
are to install two free meters
near the Rowe building and lake
area. This wilt give 30 minutes
free parking for loading and
unloading purposes.
In response to why meters
were placed in the main parking
lot areas E and B Hudson said,
"The through street was
reason for location." After
construction of the Earth
Science building is complete,
those presently parking in the
graveled parking lot will be
"absorbed in the B areas of the
main lot, with exception of a
few handicapped spaces."
Woody Named
Legislative Intern
UNCC junior Political
Science major James Woody has
been named as a Legislative
Intern next spring in Raleigh. A
Forest City native. Woody will
serve as a staff assistant to
officers and members of the
1975 General Assembly.
While in Raleigh, James will
also pursue a parallel course of
academic study at N.C. State
University. He was one of only
10 students chosen by the N.C.
State Department of Politics
and General Assembly
representatives out of 160
applicants in North Carolina
accredited colleges and
universities.
The internship will allow
James to enroll in three
upper-division courses at N.C.
by jerry proctor
State. These courses are: 1)a
Government Internship
Seminar, 2)Legislative Process,
and 3) Problems of State
Government.
James will work a minimum
of 25 hours each week at the
General Assembly, which
convenes January 15, 1975. He
will be paid $50.00 a week for
the twenty weeks of the session.