>>> CORRECTION: Discounted parking permits for students who park in F10 began in 2008. Refunds for permit exchanges are not immediate and may take up to six weeks to process.
In response to the daily demand for on-campus parking, CSUN police services this semester are offering parking permit discounts for students who choose to park further away from the campus core.
Parking Lot F10 is located at Lassen and Lindley avenues, at the extreme northeast end of campus. The lot accommodates about 800 vehicles and is serviced by a campus shuttle that transports students to and from the lot every 15 minutes.
Campus police services is offering students the opportunity to park at this lot. As an incentive, it offers to reduce the price of one- and two-semester parking permits by as much as $55 and $110, respectively. Currently, full-price two-semester permits cost $360; one-semester permits are sold for $180.
Students who currently possess full-price permits and wish to park in F10 can visit parking services in the CSUN Police Dept. building for an immediate refund of the difference.
Police services hopes the option to park off-campus will help reduce the daily influx of cars in campus parking lots and offer students an alternative to the daily high-stress game of finding a parking space.
The lot has been used for the past several years as an overflow lot for the overwhelming number of vehicles that invade the campus during the first few weeks of school. F10 offers all of the amenities of other campus lots, including daily permit dispensers, lighting, emergency blue-light call boxes, and security patrols.
“We’ve tried to make the lot attractive to staff and students who pay the highest standard rate by offering it at a reduced rate,” said CSUN parking services Capt. Alfredo Fernandez.
Fernandez encourages students and staff to take advantage of the lot and shuttle. Doing so, he says, will reduce the parking inventory availability and the traffic around campus.
“It also helps us as far as our carbon footprint,” he said. “Now we’re not going to have people driving around, idling, looking for space. I think it’s one of the best-kept secrets in town.”
However, for all the benefits the lots offers, Fernandez said, students have yet to warm up to the new parking option. Fernandez believes people will continue to park where it is most convenient and within a reasonable walking distance.
“It’s one of those things where if we can just get people to stop thinking ‘I’ve got to park right in front’ of where I need to park,’” Fernandez said. “Think about getting into the campus and, if you leave at a certain time, getting out of the campus. You don’t have to deal with that.”
CSUN senior and biology major Cameron Vandieren lives on nearby Devonshire Street and utilizes the shuttle to get to and from school. Although he does not utilize the lot to park, Vandieren believes the new parking option and reduced permits are a good idea.
“I absolutely would do that,” he said. His arrival time to his destination on campus depends on how many stops the shuttle makes, but he estimates the ride to and from campus takes about 10 to 15 minutes, he said.
CSUN freshman Tyler Karp, however, will not take advantage of the new parking option, choosing instead to park closest to where he needs to be on campus. He only utilizes F10 when visiting the gym and doesn’t want to put up with the “hassle” of having to catch a shuttle to and from campus, he said.
“If I can get closer parking, I will,” he said. “It’s a gamble, but it’s something you have to take sometimes.”
