UConn Doesn’t Have a Parking Problem – It Has a Car-Dependency Addiction 

The University of Connecticut operates on a model of continuous growth, and with that continuous growth comes compounding problems. One problem students face daily is travelling to and from campus, as many are forced to commute due to dwindling housing options from repeated years of record breaking enrollment. The need to commute will only continue to grow as the university does, and the university only presents one practical solution to do so – driving. This, combined with the hundreds of students who park on campus near their dorms, presents a significant demand for parking. Many come to the conclusion that UConn needs to build more parking spaces (something the administration seems to also support, at least in the near term). However, the construction of new parking spaces only would exasperate many other issues the campus faces. 

University campuses like UConn’s are spaces primarily focused on students who usually walk from place to place. Cars in such crowded areas present a danger to the thousands of people who need to cross roads daily. The United States ranks significantly higher than its Western European counterparts in pedestrian deaths, with an increase of 50% between 2013 and 2022 according to the CDC. 2022 marked the highest number of pedestrian traffic deaths in 41 years. Not only do these cars present a risk to pedestrians directly, but they also contribute to the ever-increasing danger of climate change. Transportation related needs contribute to the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, at 28% in 2022 according to the EPA. The majority of these transportation emissions coming from cars and trucks. This doesn’t consider the environmental cost also inflicted by the manufacturing of cars or the generation of electricity to power electric vehicles. Car manufacturing also depends upon continuing the cycles of exploitation foundational to modern capitalism, including child labor and modern day slavery.  

There are plenty of practical steps UConn can take to mitigate car dependency and improve its environment for students. The most critical step is adding connections to the areas surrounding campuses. While providing U-Passes free of charge to students is a step in the right direction, the options are currently slim. Currently the only options for bus travel are buses to Willimantic and hourly buses to Hartford. Other important nearby destinations require significantly larger travel times, with New London sometimes requiring an over 8 hour journey by bus (depending upon when you leave) for a journey of only 36 miles by car. Such long travel times make buses a completely impractical option. Ideally, buses would be replaced with rail, which not only has the lowest emissions per passenger mile of any public transportation option, but also comes with the benefit of incentivizing more pedestrian focused development. This is a much more significant investment on behalf of the state, but one that would provide numerous benefits for every city it connects (Including reducing how many cars end up filling parking spaces during games at Gampel). 

Another important development UConn can make is prioritizing pedestrians and bike users in street design. Bicycle users provide another alternative to car transit over short distances near UConn, but the current design of campus makes this a dangerous prospect. As uncovered by the CDC, despite making up 1% of trips in the US, bicyclists make up 2-3% of transit fatalities. A large risk to bike users is the lack of dedicated, separate bike lanes or paths. Countries like the Netherlands make a deliberate policy out of physically separating bike lanes from traffic, with more than just painted lines. Dedicated bike infrastructure makes cyclists more visible to drivers while protecting pedestrians from being hit by cyclists on the sidewalk. This is something that the administration has already discussed in its Master Plan for development, which has yet to materialize. One immediate solution to protect pedestrians would be to replicate the success of Hillside Road elsewhere. Roads like North Eagleville and Storrs that see large amounts of pedestrians cross daily should be closed to all but university vehicles.  

UConn is not in need of more parking spaces – it needs to move away from the car all together. By focusing on pedestrian and cyclist friendly development, it can build a much safer campus for everyone.