“Sharking” Lot Blues

Have you ever been on your way back to your vehicle and felt like someone was "stalking" you in one of the parking lots, waiting for that precious spot you're about to give up? Well you are being stalked, or better yet, sharked. Sharking is the creative term assigned to the act of drivers idling in parking lots while waiting for a parking space to open up. SUNY Fredonia is looking to eliminate this through their "Stamp Out Sharking" campaign.

Anne Podolak, Chairperson for the Transportation Subcommittee said, "The Transportation Committee elected to "Stamp Out Sharking" as a campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Sharking isn't a new issue on campus. Michael Barone, Director of public relations for SUNY Fredonia said, "I'm told the issue has been around for years, long before I began in 2008.  Our Director of University Services, who has been here for 18 years and oversees the program, says he's observed it throughout his tenure as well, although it was never termed "sharking" until recently.  The Sustainability Committee, however, identified it about a year ago as something it would like to help curtail, due to the needless carbon emissions that idling causes.  We created a PSA (Public Service Announcement) in conjunction with WNYF-TV last year to help address the problem, and we ran an ad in The Leader as well."

With a recent increase in construction, things have only gotten worse. The biggest hit came with the removal of the Houghton Hall parking lot. This has forced many students and faculty to utilize the parking lots along Ring Road. The Fenton Hall parking lot has almost become a sort of "cage match" where people will wait as long as it takes to win one of the coveted spots.

As with any issue, there is a solution to sharking. Back in the fall of 2005 a Park & Ride shuttle service was established. Originally it only ran one route between the Park & Ride lot and Maytum Hall. In its first year of service the shuttle transported 9,038 passengers. In 2009 the service evolved and a massive increase in usage soon followed.

"We expanded the service to a second route to the residence side of campus (Williams Center). Last year (2010-2011) we transported 23,259 passengers, although with just 5,700 students and about 1,000 employees, obviously many of those were repeat/frequent riders. From its inception through the end of the spring 2011 semester (six years) we have had 101,555 passengers," Barone said.

The Park & Ride service is very easy to use. All one needs to do is to go to any of the five Park & Ride shelters, press the call button and the bus will be there within two minutes. The shelters are located in front of Maytum Hall in Symphony Circle, lot #7, University Stadium, the Williams Center and the Park & Ride lot. The Maytum Hall route runs Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., while the Williams Center route runs Monday  through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Aside from its ease of use, the benefits are numerous. "If you think of how much time people wait for a spot, they usually would have parked, been picked up and dropped off by the bus, and been in their seats in class by the time they get that parking spot they think is so valuable.  Plus, it's free and it's just a two-minute wait, at most.  So sitting there idling is really a waste of their own time and money, and not a smart choice.  Also, the shelters keep them out of the elements, and it's much better for the environment as well," Barone said. "Plus, the bus drivers are pretty cool -- most riders wind up becoming friends with them."

Double-sided signs have been set up in the Fenton Hall parking lot encouraging the use of the Park & Ride shuttle.