While parking on campus has been a student struggle for years, taking a chance on getting a scuff or a broken bumper is worrying students now more than ever.
University of New Brunswick student Haley Layne Ward experienced this firsthand. She said she needed repairs to her car after parking at the Student Union Building.
“I was late one day as I usually park at MacLaggan [Hall] and ended up having to park at the SUB. I got there pretty early so there were quite a few spots and I pulled into one at the back of the lot,” she said.
“I later got a call from my friend that my car had been hit as there was a hole in my back bumper. My heart dropped immediately knowing that there are no cameras in the parking lot and therefore I wouldn’t know who did it.”
Ward said her car has been hit twice. The first time, the culprit left a note, and the second person called Campus Security to leave their information.
Numbers from UNB’s Security and Traffic office show there have been 33 reported accidents on the hill between September 2016 and Jan. 26, 2017.
Four of those incidents took place on St. Thomas University’s campus, while 29 were reported on UNB’s.
Seven were reported as hit-and-runs and four were weather related, having occurred during a snowstorm or from sliding on ice.
“Of the reports received two occurred on the main streets (traffic circle/McKay Drive) with the remainder happening in parking lots,” UNB communications officer Natasha Ashfield wrote in an email.
September and January accounted for the majority of the reports: Nine occurred at the beginning of the year and 10 occurred over the course of the last month. Ashfield said all parties were encouraged to report hit-and-run incidents to the city police.
Ward said she will no longer parks at the SUB, but is thankful the two people who hit her car were so honest.
Not all student have been as lucky. Brady Dowden, who could not be reached for comment, posted in the Facebook group STU Used Books on Jan. 27 claiming his car had been side-swiped after another vehicle “decided to triple park in the middle of two lanes” in the Vanier parking lot. He said his car was left with deep scratches in the bumper and he asked fellow students to provide him with any information they had on the incident.
Melissa Kiervin started her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2008 and said parking lot issues and similar incidents have always been a severe concern for students. She said she’s experienced parking lot woes herself.
“My car was parked alongside of the hill by Margaret McCain [Hall], and the ice slid my car so when I got back, I had to get in [through] the passenger side because it was too close to another,” she said.
Kiervin said the seemingly limited number of spaces makes her question when STU will make parking a priority.
“I hate that there is always a lineup of cars at the entrance [of the Vanier parking lot],” she said.
“Yes, we have to wait for parking, but sitting on the side of the road is incredibly dangerous.”
UNB Security posted a picture of the New Brunswick Community College/Aitken University Centre parking lot to their Twitter page last Thursday. It showed three rows of cars with the middle being blocked in.
“Please be careful when parking that you are not blocking someone else in!” the tweet read.
Ashfield said this kind of parking is brought on by students looking for convenience.
“As for awkward parking, in our experience people try to park as close to their preferred area (which causes congestion) in lieu of looking for stalls in the large exterior lots.”
Ward said the universities need to take more pride in making parking lots safe for all students, including making lines visible to avoid the “free-for-all” careless parking strategies.
“This is concerning because If people are in a rush to park or can’t get through that’s how these accidents happen like mine. And I have talked to a few others who have also already had these mishaps but weren’t as lucky and the people drove off leaving them with a damaged vehicle and the price to pay.”
