The massive amount of students walking on Holloway and 19th Avenue can be distracting to drivers. These pedestrians may be taking public transportation because of the lack of parking at SF State.

Parking at SF State is minimal compared to the number of students enrolled. During the Fall 2003 semester, there were 29,686 students registered for classes, according to the SF State website. There is not enough parking to accommodate those students. Lot 20 provides 1,548 parking spaces for students, while lot 25 only accommodates 419, stated Sgt. Jennifer Schwartz from the SF State University Police Department.

SF State offers daily parking permits for $5 per day, or $1 per hour. CSU Hayward sells daily permits for $1.50 and offers students quarterly parking permits for $36. SF State is one of few CSUs that does not sell semester parking passes to all students.

Only on-campus residents are allowed to purchase semester parking passes in lot 25, for $81 with proof of residency and vehicle registration. Approximately 250 permits are sold per semester, according to Schwartz. The passes are valid any time in lot 25 on Winston Drive, and in lot 20 on North State Drive, from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.

More than four years ago, parking permits were available to all SF State students. At that time, there was a sufficient amount of spaces for the student body. Those permit sales halted in Fall 2000 due to various construction projects and increased enrollment. Before this time, there was a low demand for parking spaces, said Schwartz.

Sociology major Alicia Shorter, who drives to school, feels that parking permits would make her life a little easier by saving time looking for parking, but does understand why she is not eligible for a permit because she does not live on campus.

"The parking situation is a catch-22. It is limited and I just deal with it," said 26-year-old Shorter. "[SF State residents] have to live here, so they should have some parking privileges."

Shorter does not park in lot 20 or 25, but instead searches for street parking with no time limit.

"I would like to take Muni, but from where I live the trip to school is almost an hour," she said. "Instead, I just try to look at the parking situation as a way to get exercise."

Permits are only sold quarterly for campus residents because it is not feasible to sell permits to all of them, said Schwartz.

"There are not enough parking spaces to pre-sell parking permits to everyone," she said.

Currently, there are no plans to expand the parking at SF State. Although lot 25 is only ground-level parking, there is no money in the budget to build a larger structure and utilize the entire space, said Schwartz.

English major Zoneil Maharaj takes Muni to school to avoid the parking hassle.
"I would rather drive to school because Muni takes too long with all the stops, [and] driving is more convenient for me," Maharaj said. "But I don't like paying $5 and then still looking for parking."

Debit cards may be purchased, in the Administration Building and the Student Services Building, ranging from $20 to $50, in order to save time at the parking permit dispensing machines. No credit cards are accepted, according to Schwartz.

Because parking is scarce near campus, public transportation is highly recommended, on the SF State website. For students like Yien Saelee, an undeclared major, public transportation is the best alternative.

"I take BART to school because it is not economical paying $5 to park in the garage, plus the $2 bridge toll," Saelee said. "[SF State] should definitely have more parking spaces, and if they did I would probably drive."