In an effort to meet the growing demand for on-campus parking, Binghamton University has opened a new, 24-hour parking lot for students, faculty and staff with commuter or resident permits.
Located adjacent to Glenn G. Bartle Drive, Parking Lot G1 is found on the east side of the West Gym and will increase the parking capacity on campus. Of the 297 new spaces in Lot G1, ten are metered by the Whoosh! mobile app, which offers a pay-by-phone option on campus as metered parking. The lot will accommodate all pass holders and offers a special discounted resident parking permit as part of a pilot program.
According to Michael Wuest, student representative of the Parking and Transportation Stakeholders Group (PTSG), executive vice president of Off Campus College Council and a senior double-majoring in history and political science, Lot G1’s installation was planned by PTSG’s sustainability subcommittee.
The parking lot was originally set to open in fall 2017. However, there was a delay in construction after Brian Favela, former executive director of Transportation and Parking Services, left his position in July 2017. When current Executive Director Tanya Husick took over, the project was presented again to the subcommittee, which approved it as well as the pilot program.
According to Harry Bittker, student representative of the BU Council and a senior majoring in political science, the discounted permit was an idea he had as a Student Association Congress representative during his sophomore year. His idea called for the addition of Lot G1, a move that allowed Lot G, the parking lot located behind the West Gym, to be predesignated as a commuter-only lot.
“[Lot G] was underutilized as a 24-hour lot because of how far it was from the residence halls,” Bittker said. “This will free up more spaces for commuters in that lot, too. What makes Lot G1 unique is that it’s the only lot open to students who buy one of the new discounted resident permits.”
The discounted resident parking permit has an annual price of $100, while typical residential permits cost $140.55.
As a 24-hour lot, Lot G1 is available for all staff, resident or commuter students and nonaffiliated guests and visitors. A select number of spaces are set aside for on-campus residents, who will receive a discount if they park their cars in Lot G1 because it is further from residential buildings.
“The tradeoff is that the fringe lots are utilized more and students receive a discounted rate,” Wuest wrote. “I believe the agreed designated spaces for this long-term program is 40 [to] 50 spaces.”