Strategies for packed parking
The hunt for a parking spot often has students patrolling the lot rather than heading to the overflow areas
The filled parking lots that have greeted Madison College students at the start of the semester have led to some familiar strategies for those seeking a spot.
September 18, 2019
Finding a parking spot in the Madison College parking lots is probably the worst part of the school day. Once you enter those lots, it’s you against the world. Blinkerless cars slowly prowl the lots in circles, students drag their feet as they walk back to their vehicles, and the road rage ensues.
But worry no more! I’m here to arm you with common, but not always practical, strategies to find a parking spot.
One strategy students tend to use is slowly trailing behind a student returning to their vehicle, and finally using that blinker (for what seems like the first time) to signal to the world that their light stalking has paid off–they have finally secured a parking spot that’s not a mile away from Truax. That is, unless, someone beats you to it.
A common sight in these parking lots is, well, what I’d call, an old (Mid)western showdown. Two battered up cars facing one another, armed with desperate students waiting for the parking spot. The tension is palpable. This showdown typically ends with a good natured, midwestern handwave, allowing the other student to take the spot, and you…well, rinse and repeat.
This next strategy is one of my personal favorites. I tend to spend my mornings slowly circling the parking lots even though all of them are filled. This method is great for listening to the last of your favorite playlist, but also entails an emotional rollercoaster. This is what it typically looks like: Spotting what looks like an open parking spot. Your heart rate quickens. Quick! Look around in hopes no one else is seeing this open spot, too. Step on that gas and put on that blinker. As you approach the empty parking spot – nope. Another Honda Fit.
All jokes aside, parking in the mornings can be…well, a train wreck.
Luckily, Madison College has created 250 more parking spots for this year located off the tennis courts on Wright and Straubel Street. They listened to our pleas, and answered.
So, next time you’re stuck prowling the campus lots and your patience is thin, head on over to lot K2 to begin the whole process again.
