It’s a well-known fact that City College has the worst parking problem in the area.
There have been meetings, email rants from staff and students alike and an endless battle with the California Coastal Commission.
In 2013, Vice President of Business Services Joe Sullivan piloted the Transportation Alternatives Group. For the past year the group has been trying to develop a solution to the traffic jams that easily compare to rush hour in Los Angeles.
From expanding overall parking, which was quickly shut down by the Coastal Commission, to valet parking to charging faculty and staff for parking permits, the Alternatives Group has discussed it all.
On Oct. 21, the college finally got it right and approved a motion to reduce overall traffic. The College Planning Council approved the motion to bring a new bike repair station, sheds and electric bikes to campus starting next semester.
The Editorial Board strongly approves this program and urges the campus community to do the same.
Every member of the board has been late to class or sat in the jumble of cars in the parking structure on West Campus and the expansive and confusing lots on East Campus. The demand for a fix from everyone has been very vocal throughout the years.
The pilot program will be tested with faculty for spring semester and will go into evaluation on whether or not it will be a viable option that students can take advantage of in the future.
The total cost of this step of the project is $128,810. It will fund electric bikes, a repair and rental shop operated by the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and storage sheds.
Along with the overhaul of bikes, the college will be providing a shuttle from Garden St. and Cabrillo St. and from the Wake Center on Turnpike Rd. During the first week of school the shuttles will only facilitate those involved with the pilot program, but come the second week of school students will be able to take advantage of these shuttles.
Providing shuttles could be that much needed fix to the Metropolitan Transit District situation that plagues many City College students.
The shuttles will come every 15 minutes and hopefully will stay reliable, unlike our dear friends at MTD. The only downside to the shuttles is that there is not one to transport students and staff from the more densely populated areas of downtown Santa Barbara.
This plan is a step in the right direction and we couldn’t be happier about it. It opens the door to a new era of transportation at City College.
An era where we don’t have to breathe in the exhaust fumes from the 15 cars stuck in front of us in the parking lots.
God bless the Transportation Alternatives Group.
The views and opinions in this Editorial are those of The Channels Editorial Board and not of the whole City College student body.
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