Over the last few years, parking at Camosun College’s Interurban campus has become one of the biggest inconveniences facing the student body. This is the worst it’s ever been, and there are no signs that the college is planning on doing anything to fix the issue.
Before the fall 2024 semester started, several rows of parking spots in the lot behind the Alex & Jo Campbell Centre for Health and Wellness building were changed to staff parking. This may be helpful for staff, however, it made the situation worse for students. Out of desperation I have on occasion parked in one of these new staff spots, risking a ticket just to make it to my midterm on time.
It seems that I am far from the only person who is acting out of desperation to get a parking spot. Some students have taken to parking on the grass by the parking lots. And while it gets you to class, you just might have to deal with a boot on your car and a hefty fine when you return.
If you’re a student reading this who primarily or exclusively has classes at the Lansdowne campus, you have no idea how good you have it. I have had several classes at Lansdowne during my time at Camosun, and not once have I been unable to find parking. It’s such a refreshing experience to not have to show up 30 minutes early to find a spot; sometimes I’ll go there just to study.
Back to reality at Interurban, where the entirety of my program moving forward is. The Camosun website states that upwards of 14,000 learners attend Camosun, either at Interurban, Lansdowne, online, or some combination of the three. The website also includes that there are over 2,300 trades students, which will surely benefit Victoria and surrounding areas moving forward. But even taking public transit into consideration, there’s still a serious lack of parking for trades students.
This leads them to the other parking lots, further exasperating the issue for students in other programs. I don’t mean to point fingers at the trades students, as the opposite is also true. Many students in non-trades programs will head over to the lots by the Bhalla Centre for Trades Education and Innovation or the Jack White Building.
It’s a vicious cycle, leaving every person fending for themselves while just hoping to get to class on time. I truly don’t think it’s unreasonable that students with a 10:30 am class should be able to find a parking spot if they show up at 10:00 am. However, the reality is far from that.
So, what’s the solution?
There are a couple of options. The college could look into leasing the chained off and unused parking lot at the Vancouver Island Technology Park
Or, they could invest in the growing student body who waste several hours of valuable studying time every week driving around in circles by building another parking lot.
Either way, something needs to be done.