Going Green- UCLA helps you get around

By Gurdeep Kaur on May 7, 2012

Traffic heading into West L.A. is something we’ve become accustomed to account for in our daily commutes. On Thursdays and Fridays, many of us are reminded of yet another hurdle we have to jump over before we can begin our trek over the hills of UCLA to our classes. Thursdays and Fridays are street sweeping days. Many students live on campus or in the apartments nearby so parking is usually not a problem except for when they have to pay their monthly or quarterly parking fees. Students who commute have regular parking permits that they purchase and can park with relative ease in the many parking structures on campus. Due to the very little free parking available that allows for students to park for more than two hours at a time, these seem like favorable options, even with quarterly parking permits costing $204 and going up another $9 next year. However, for students living in the apartments and residences off campus that don’t pay for parking, this becomes a major hassle. Usually, on a typical day, you might get lucky and find street parking, after about only one hour of searching and waiting. However on street sweeping days, you are completely out of luck. And in case anyone oversleeps and forgets to move their car, the parking enforcement is always ready with citations and multiple tow trucks on these days.

Parking is a major annoyance, if not obstruction to getting to class. Parking on campus is $3 an hour and in some places, $18 a day. If you want to drop something off, you have to pay at one of these places because even the parking meters over by Murphy Hall were removed this year. There are other options available to students to help reduce both costs and our Bruin carbon footprint. The vanpool connects to numerous regions and students can join either as regular riders for a monthly cost between $110 to $300 including parking, or as part-time riders for $6- $10 per ride. However being a part-time rider does not mean you will always be guaranteed a seat and you must sign up and purchase vouchers ahead of time. If you want to join a vanpool, you have to hope your schedule lines up with the departure times. One way to eliminate the need to match your schedule with that of eleven other people is to simply join a carpool with either a friend or someone you find through the UCLA transportation website. The website has taken steps to ensure that it is a safe network, but it is always better to be cautious before jumping into a car with a stranger. For this reason, this option is not very appealing. It does allow for you to save time, split costs, and qualify for a parking permit at a reduced price that encourages carpools. To get around the nearby Westwood area, there is of course the option of using the BuinBus, the Big Blue Bus, and other forms of public transit. Most students live close enough to walk to campus or skateboard and ride their bicycles. However, UCLA is not the most bike-friendly school with its steep mountains, endless steps, and constant “no-wheels zones.” I remember one of my first experiences as a Bruin was riding down BruinWalk when a police officer stopped me and in a concerned tone, informed me that BruinWalk was a historic pathway.

As a local student, I usually go home on the weekends. I utilize public transportation and sometimes drive. On a typical day, it takes up to three hours to get 30 miles from UCLA by riding the bus and metro. However, carrying all my books and laundry while racing to catch different busses is sometimes more of an adventure than 30 miles should demand. With traffic, average driving time is about an hour and a half. The vanpool departs from campus before my classes are over for the day. Nonetheless, the availability of so many different options allows for students to try out what works best for them. Soon there will be a bicycle-renting service available here in Westwood. UCLA is making progress in its attempts to reduce its impact on both the natural and social environment. There are many options available at different prices and they allow flexibility to the students and faculty of UCLA. These options should be better advertised so that people can utilize them and help improve them.

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