UCI has been making some progress in alleviating the perennial parking problem that keeps getting larger due to the increasing size of each incoming class. Apparently, all the student complaints were not taken lightly by the administration, so they’ve been tearing down old trailers to pave way for easier parking. A parking structure with 1,800 spots has eased things a little, but the situation has yet to be solved, if it ever will be. Yes, parking is still a huge problem at UCI, especially if you get to campus any time later than 8 a.m., but that’s to be expected with a student body with a heavy percentage of commuter students.
But, what do you honestly expect to get at a public university with more than 20,000 students and faculty members, valet parking? There’s a problem here, and not a particularly light one, but considering that other colleges have this issue without even allowing for freshmen parking, students at UCI shouldn’t take their parking situation for granted. There is definitely evidence that things are starting to go their way. Something good about the parking situation is that UCI permits are relatively inexpensive when students consider what they could be paying for a permit at another school. Any added expense outside of tuition can be considered “expensive,” though, and some students feel they shouldn’t have to pay for parking at all. Yet, this is another part of life that all college students have to put up with, and most students would agree that at UCI, this part of life sucks.