Despite the recent unseasonably mild weather here in Buffalo, the thought of commuting and parking on campus can still bring a chill to the minds of UB students who frequently drive to school.
For students who live in surrounding towns, and even for those on South Campus, the start of the winter season means it's time to start leaving early and time to get used to weathering the weather.
Emily MacDougall, a sophomore undecided major, lives in Niagara Falls. Each morning she leaves 45 minutes before the start of her first class, just enough time to make the 25-minute commute, find a parking spot and run to Cooke Hall. She said that poor weather conditions only lengthen the commute, making it more difficult for her to get to class on time.
"Commuting is really annoying when you have big spaces between classes. It's a waste of time and money to drive back and forth between locations, especially during the winter," said MacDougall. "The weather makes people more cautious which makes them drive slower and makes it take longer to get to school. Plus the parking can be bad in the winter."
MacDougall has class on campus four days a week, but is forced to drive to campus much more frequently due to other clubs and activities. Although she said that nothing is fun about driving in the winter, she admitted that the parking on campus could be worse.
"I don't think that parking is any worse in bad weather because people make up spots anyway," she said. "And UB has been keeping up with their plowing this year. I haven't seen any problems in the parking lot."
UB's Department of Campus Parking and Transportation Services also seems to think that parking and transportation on and around campus is not a large problem. According to the department's online survey of 1,289 students, faculty and staff, driving in parking lots during snowfall is not difficult. Fifty-six percent of the people surveyed said they had little difficulty driving around, and 42 percent said that they had some difficulty.
Angela Cole, a senior chemistry major, disagrees. Cole, who spent her first three years of college commuting back and forth between Amherst and West Seneca, said that the parking situation can frequently get ugly.
"People are always getting stuck in the parking lots, parking between lines, and parking at the end of rows," said Cole. "Thank God I have a huge truck because I would park on snow mounds and on the grass."
According to Cole, who made the 20-minute commute every weekday, snow and rain are a serious concern.
"Sometimes in my town there would be a driving ban but I would still have to go, because UB wasn't closed," said Cole. "It's hard being late for class, especially when there are tests because there's nothing you can do about it. It's not a valid excuse because you have to be prepared for the weather and the long drive. Last year I rear-ended someone because I slid into them and it ended up being a dean of UB."
Commuting can also be an issue for students driving the much shorter distance between the North and South campuses.
"I have to leave earlier to brush my car off and be careful on the roads," said Laura Hemlock, a senior theater major who lives in the University Heights area. "I wouldn't say it's a big problem, but it does take a while longer. If it was really bad out, I'd probably drive to South Campus and take the bus."
Hemlock said she has never had problems parking on campus or with unplowed lots, but credits her theater major with her parking luck.
"I'm really lucky because I can park in the CFA lot where there are always open spots," she said. "I know if I wasn't, and had to park along the spine, I'd be screwed. I feel bad for those people."
Most students agree that the only solution to this problem is to allow yourself extra time for traveling, and to make sure to calculate parking time into the equation.
Cole, who finally had enough of her long commute, just recently moved into Flint Village apartments to be closer to campus.
"Now I wake up five minutes before my classes," she said.
For everyone else still braving the slick roads and frustrating parking lots, Cole had two pieces of information.
"You need to leave way earlier than you're supposed to be on campus," she said. "Or pray for another winter like this."
