Brennen Brothers, news editor

On Feb. 25 and 26, a parking enforcement notice was posted by Public Safety Program Manager Marco Hartkopf in the daily A-mail stating, “There have been ongoing issues of over-parking in Lot K. Moving forward, we will be towing immediately any person not parking in a designated parking space across campus. The over-parking is causing issues with the flow of traffic around campus and ability of people to come and go from parking spaces as they are being blocked in by over-parkers.”

In an interview with the Echo, student Alex Rhoads shares their experience with parking on campus, stating, “Students also regularly park where there aren’t any lines to park in at the ends of the rows. That makes it harder to navigate in the lot that already feels too small to easily get around in. It’s honestly a little scary to drive through the tight corners and narrow aisles when the lot is full and multiple people are driving around looking for parking.”

On Feb. 27, 20 vehicles were towed around campus due to over-parking, parking in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) spaces without proper permits, blocking traffic and drive lanes or creating unsafe conditions, states Hartkopf in an interview with the Echo. He continues to write that less convenient lots are not being utilized. Hartkopf states that on Feb. 26 people were towed due to over-parking despite Lot L being about half full. Additionally, he says, “Our department does not have final say about parking infrastructure and we try to work with students and staff who find it difficult during the beginning of the year. […] Due to the above stated issues of people not parking in open lots and choosing not designated spaces instead have essentially forced action by the university.” 

Student Zeya Ruiz, shares in an interview with the Echo, “My biggest issue with parking at Augsburg is the lack of space. It seems like whenever I need to park after 9 am, Lot K is full, and other lots are far away – and often also entirely full. […] I think the real takeaway is that Lot K should be expanded. People want to and can park there, and they aren’t able to. And getting your car towed sucks.”

Student Christine Horner also shares her experience with the Echo, stating, “I have had ongoing difficulties with parking at Augsburg since I began attending classes here in 2022. Even with a parking pass, I still struggle to find a place to park in any of the lots and have to settle for street parking multiple times a week. I can’t say I’ve seen a significant difference in parking spot availability since the A-Mail notification about parking enforcement went out on Feb. 25, but I will say that I have had a slightly easier time finding parking this semester than last fall semester.”

Hartkopf says that he has seen improvement with parking, and traffic trends will slowly catch on.