U of L parking passes sell out quickly

Students’ chances to get a spot ended in minutes

Since July 17, students have been waiting for their chance to purchase a University of Lethbridge parking pass, but when they were made available Thursday morning, they sold out within minutes. Students were forced to wait after the software Automated Issuance Management System (AIMS) — a brand new parking permit management system — was suspended.

The university chose the system to provide students with a smoother process; however, the software proved it couldn’t handle high online traffic.

After a week of troubleshooting, the university abandoned the system since it was no longer confident it could operate correctly.

Instead, sales were launched in two phases and were separate for residence and non-residence students.

Each student was provided with a unique link to their university email account that granted them access to the parking form on their respective launch date. Permits were awarded on a firstcome, first-served basis.

“The technology performed well; students ranked the lots in their order of preference and submitted simple forms using a variety of platforms,” said John O’Keeffe, executive director of campus safety in a press release.

The system opened on Tuesday for resident students to purchase a pass to their designated lots.

General passes were available at 7 a.m. Thursday and reports on social media suggest they were sold out within minutes; those who did not secure a permit were automatically added to the wait list.

Shortly after, the university confirmed the news on the University of Lethbridge Facebook page.

One student suggested the parking lots are never full, but the university stated it considers 90 per cent utilization to be the maximum rate to ensure that those with a pass are able to find a spot.

Another student suggested the university consider expanding its parking capacity.

“As our campus grows and evolves, we will continue to look at the accessibility of campus. In support of this, we have initiated a feasibility study to evaluate the impact of and cost associated with the construction of a parkade on campus,” said the university in response.

Some students who received a pass to Lot Q, which is located at the University of Lethbridge Community Sports Stadium, expressed their gratitude in securing a pass, but also shared frustration about its distance to campus.

Last year, the university lost two parking lots to accommodate the construction for the destination project and students voiced concerns over the lack of stalls as a result.

After hearing the initial frustration last September, the stadium was designated as permit-only parking. Permits were sold through a lottery system and those who secured a pass to Lot Q were also provided with a Lethbridge Transit bus pass to help ease the trek to campus.

The university recently announced that Lot Q will remain a permanent parking lot and will see infrastructure improvements. This year, however, Lot Q permit holders will not be given a transit pass. Instead, students are encouraged to use the lit pathway that was installed earlier this summer linking the lot to campus. It will feature security cameras and emergency phones.

“We have also added a manager of campus mobility (Cara LaMontagne) and frontline support staff to respond the day-to-day needs of students,” the statement read.

“We’re also supportive of a UPass and will work with the Students’ Union should the undergraduate student body choose to implement one.”