Parking is one thing that most if not all students can agree is one of the most annoying parts of going to school. Garages and lots are always packed and chances of finding an open spot are slim to none; but the Libra parking garage is usually not that full. KnightNews.com found out why students don’t use this garage as much as others.
The Libra parking garage is located on Libra Drive right in between housing communities Libra and Academic Village. It is a D parking lot meaning that students, residents and visitors can park there. It is an nearby location for some on-campus residents, but many on and off-campus students agree it is not useful for them.
This garage is the farthest garage to campus and is also far from many classroom buildings. It is close to the Recreation and Wellness Center but students who go the gym would rather park in Parking lot B or Parking garage A.
“I’d much rather park anywhere else than Libra garage because it’s so far. It’s honestly last resort parking,” said sophomore Cody Gaitley.
Libra Garage offers 1,037 parking spots in a 6-story, 345,000 square feet lot and is full of open spots for students and visitors to park in. UCF has 18,374 parking spaces overall in 10 different garages and nearly 32 lots.
“The Libra garage is mixed-use, which means that it’s open to all students, faculty and staff. It’s also an overflow location for football game day parking operations,” said Courtney Gilmartin, the Public Information Officer from UCF News & Information.
There are many complaints from students about its location. They said they would have wanted it to be inside of the school rather than on Libra Drive.
“This garage was built with student housing proximity in mind. In addition, Libra’s location helps to minimize the number of vehicles on the central core of Gemini Blvd. For example, a lot of the vehicles in the Libra garage come in and out through Libra Drive, which helps to reduce traffic on Gemini Blvd,” Gilmartin said.
Brittany Smith, an Academic Village resident is just thankful that UCF has provided more parking.
“Parking is horrendous at UCF so any parking is really helpful,” Smith said.
UCF is a growing campus and its population is also progressing which is why more garages have been added over the years.
“UCF’s campus is a series of concentric circles, and most of our classroom buildings are located in the inner circles. Garages are located on the outer circles to keep traffic flowing. So if you’re coming to UCF, you will likely have to park in the outside circles and walk in to your destination,” said Gilmartin. “UCF, like many other places, has peak times for campus activity (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Thursday), so the garage nearest to your class might not be your best option for parking during those times. You should get to campus early and allot extra time for walking.”
Austin Locke, a UCF sophomore, lived nearby the Libra garage during the summer term, and said that he enjoys this garage because it is the best one with good lighting at night.
“For students who live off campus, it’s probably a last option,” said Austin Locke. “I’d get here early and try to find a spot elsewhere even though it’s really risky. I’d rather be driving around other garages until I find a spot.”
