OK College parking woes

Parking on Penticton's Okanagan College campus is a contentious issue, with the number of current active passholders far exceeding the number of available spots.

The campus has around 290 spots available without distinction to students with passes and staff.

According to Allan Coyle, Okanagan College's director of public affairs, 469 student passes are currently active, and with staff included, it puts the ratio of cars to spots at 2:1, without including people who just park and pay by the hour.

"At the beginning of the semester, it's really problematic," Coyle said, what with higher volumes of students on campus buying buying books and dealing with adding or dropping classes.

That's why the college gives students a break for the first part of the semester, choosing to dole out warnings instead of charging students who break parking rules.

But the hammer comes down next week, when parking rules will be enforced with tickets costing between $20-$40.

On Wednesday morning, both parking lots were full by 9:45 a.m., at which point students began parking along the back end of the lot and in side corridors.

Coyle said these practices aren’t allowed, and can potentially block fire lanes and access routes.

Students desperate for a spot, however, seemed to be willing to take their chances. Allisa Blake parked along a meridian in the lot this morning.

“I mean it does say on our parking passes that spaces aren’t guaranteed but it’s not like we have a lot of residential parking, so where do we park?” Blake said. “Do we just not go to class?”

Coyle acknowledged that parking can be a headache, for students and staff alike.

“It’s a scramble,” Coyle said. “But at least the pain is shared.”