by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Students have more parking options than South Lot or G Lot.
Local entrepreneurs are advertising private parking spaces that are closer to the University to UNM faculty and students.
Cliff Sarrel advertised six parking spaces by a house behind Newsland on Central Avenue for $30 per month last week in the Daily Lobo.
The spaces are available to anyone who will pay, but Sarrel said they are ideal for students and faculty.
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Some of UNM's options include the G Lot on University Boulevard and South Lot on Avenida Cesar Chavez near the football stadium.
Shuttles operate between the lots and main campus.
Sarrel said his spaces are well-suited to people associated with UNM because of their proximity to the campus.
"Just pull in the alley and park - not a lot of traffic, not a lot of fuss," he said.
Other private spaces have also been advertised, including some behind the Varsity Apartments. The owner of those spaces declined to comment, but the advertisement in the Lobo said the spaces cost $75 per semester.
Despite these other options, UNM spaces are still the best deal for students, said Erin Blanton, spokeswoman for Parking and Transportation Services at UNM.
"We believe that students get the maximum parking and transportation benefit at the lowest price with UNM park-and-ride permits," Blanton said.
The price of the permits, which allow students to park and take a shuttle to campus, range from $66 to $116 for the 2004-2005 academic year, depending on which lot students park in, Blanton said.
Included in the price are shuttle services, which run from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. every week day. The price of a permit also pays for security and parking enforcement.
Freshman Joby Elliott said he is happy with his parking space in the UNM parking structure between Lomas and Campus boulevards. However, Elliott said he would prefer private parking to some other UNM lots.
"I'm glad I don't park in South Lot," he said. "It seems like a useless place for students to park. If it came down to private or South, I'd choose private."
Elliott said he pays $84 per semester for the structure space.
UNM student Roxanne Roessner, who parks in the same structure, agreed with Elliott.
She said parking in the structure is nice because of security. The other lots aren't as secure, she said.
"My friend had his car stolen in Lot R," Roessner said.
Sarrel doubts UNM spaces are any safer than privately owned spaces.
"In Albuquerque, I don't think anything's secure unless you've got a watchdog and a security guard on top of it," Sarrel said. "It's a thieving, vandalizing, burglarizing town."
Roessner said she would rent a privately owned parking space if it met certain expectations.
"If it was cheap, close to my dorm and secure enough for my car and me, I would," she said.
Sarrel said none of his spaces have been rented.
