by Abigail Ramirez
Daily Lobo
Students with Zia Lot permits will be directed to park elsewhere today.
The change was the result of several factors, including a decline in permit sales of about 800 less this year than last year, said Joshua Kavanagh, associate director for Parking and Transportation Services. The majority of the decline was in sales for South Lot permits, he said.
Zia Lot is on the corner of Avenida CÇsar Chávez and University boulevards, between The Pit and University Stadium. South Lot is on Avenida CÇsar Chávez Boulevard and Buena Vista Drive on the east side of University Stadium.
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Most of the 1,094 Zia permit holders will be able to park in the South Lot, Kavanagh said. The rest will be able to park in G Lot, he said.
Student Christina Lovato, who parks in South Lot, said the change is going to cause backups.
"I can't imagine how it's going to be now with all kinds of people coming from Zia," she said. "People are definitely going to be late to classes - that's for sure - and to work. It's going to upset a lot of people."
Kavanagh said the change should not cause many problems.
"We've studied the use of the lots and are confident that South Lot can accommodate the number of vehicles parked in both South and Zia at any given time," Kavanagh said.
Kavanagh said parking services checked the peak times for Zia and South lots and determined the difference in schedules allows enough room for students to park, he said.
There are 2,089 parking spaces and 3,991 permit holders in South Lot. At its fullest, the parking lot has more than 500 spaces still available, he said.
Some students purchase a South Lot permit but park on campus in the Cornell Parking Structure, Kavanagh said. Nontraditional students purchase a permit but only take one class, so the number of permits can be misleading as to how many people park in South Lot every day, he said.
Student Angelica Delgadillo, who used to park in Zia Lot, said she was not happy about the change.
"I'm pretty upset just because the only reason I really tried to get Zia is to avoid South Lot," she said. "It's such a hassle just to get on the bus."
Kavanagh said parking services wouldn't have closed Zia Lot if there was not enough room. Because the South Lot can take the extra commuters, it made sense to downsize operations, he said.
"Since we are a self-supporting auxiliary service, the combined shortfall in revenues and high fuel prices has put a real strain on the shuttle system," Kavanagh said.
Parking services is self-supported because it only receives funding from students who purchase permits and not from any other University funding, such as student fees, tuition and taxes, he said.
Service at Zia Lot is often disrupted because of events at the nearby sports stadiums, he said.
"We were looking at two complete closures for upcoming football games and a lot of early closures for basketball," he said. "The Gathering of Nations, state basketball tournament and other major events at The Pit throughout the spring term were also going to disrupt service."
The change will make the shuttle system more efficient by eliminating a stop, he said. Each shuttle driver will be able to make an average of two more trips per day, he said.
He said there are no estimates as to how much money will be saved, because they do not know how the route change will be affected by the lack of stops.
Kavanagh said after people get used to the change, all of the main campus customers will be pleased with the results.
"In the short run, we didn't do an effective job communicating the reasoning behind this change and the ultimate benefit to students," he said. "I know that has caused our customers some unnecessary heartburn, and I regret that. We will strive to do a better job in the future."
If students observe any service lapses, they can contact Joshua Kavanagh through e-mail at jkavanagh@parking.unm.edu or by telephone at 277-3482.
