Montclair State University students are complaining about the parking services provided by the institution. Since the beginning of the fall academic term, the excessive traffic has become chaos for many commuters on campus.
Ayah Zaza, a senior public relations major, says the amount of traffic at the university has been exhausting.
“This year I decided to pay [for parking] which I paid $426 for the Red Hawk Deck and I hate it because I have to go to level eight to find a parking [spot],” Zaza said. “It is crazy, it is busy, traffic and everyone is fighting to get one spot. I drive 40 minutes to get here and [the] parking itself is like 10 to 15 minutes, if I’m lucky to get a parking [spot].”
Ayah Zaza, a senior public relations major, says the parking issues on campus are getting out of control.
Jennifer Portorreal | The Montclarion
Similar to Zaza, other commuters on campus like Hunter Coe, a senior communication studies major, are echoing the same concerns.
“The traffic is really bad and the parking [is] kind of [terrible],” Coe said. “I actually decided not to have a parking pass. I park in my friend’s house who lives in Montclair and I walk here, so it is honestly [the] best case scenario.”
Hunter Coe, a senior communication studies major, says the parking and traffic situation affected his decision of not buying a parking pass.
Jennifer Portorreal | The Montclarion
Students are not only worried about not finding parking or traffic issues. Many are also not happy or satisfied with the parking prices, which is the case for Cameron Marino, a senior visual arts major.
“I’m always hesitant to buy a pass because of the price and I always thought it to be absurd for the amount of parking that the university offers,” Marino said.
Cameron Marino, a senior visual arts major, says the parking prices are expensive.
Jennifer Portorreal | The Montclarion
Claudia Nava, a senior justice studies major, says the parking chaos is affecting her daily routine.
“Lately I [have] to leave my house 30 minutes earlier before my class starts because it is chaotic in there and I have not bought a parking pass. [Lot] 60 is where I have been parking and it’s a tremendous walk to come here,” Nava said. “The prices can be a little less bit expensive specially for commuter students, but I also understand the university [has] to make money.”
Claudia Nava, a senior justice studies major, says the traffic on campus is affecting her.
Jennifer Portorreal | The Montclarion
Andrew Mees, the university spokesperson, said despite the increase in enrollment at the university, there’s still enough parking spaces to accommodate all students, faculty and visitors.
“There are 6,200 available parking services on campus,” Mees said. “During what can be considered a peak hours [from two to four p.m.], university facilities can confirm that [there] have been a minimum of 800 available parking spaces throughout the campus, every day, since the semester began.”
Mees also explained the excessive traffic is mainly caused by the geography of the Montclair State campus.
“The Montclair [State] is surrounded by two-lane city streets and train tracks, is situated on a mountain and is bordered by a major highway,” Mees said. “Those aspects of our location place limits on how traffic can flow and they are beyond the university’s control.”
