“(The parking at the lakefront) really deals with Milwaukee County and there’s … this task force (that) doesn’t want any parking on the lakefront. They want to turn those lots into green spaces and actually bus people to the lakefront and not have parking.”
– Claude Schuttey, director of Parking and Transit

A typical situation unfolds on a chilly Friday morning as students wait at the Capitol-Humboldt UPark lot for a ride to campus.

One bus driver gets out, abandoning his bus to go into the drivers’ station for several minutes. Two more buses arrive. Three buses stand still in the parking lot while students wait outside in the cold.

“Glad they are staggering their pick-ups,” one student says.

However, with the possible loss of the UPark lots along Lake Michigan, the bus schedule may become one of commuting students’ biggest worries.

“Last semester, I had a lot of days where it was a half hour waiting for a bus,” said Lizzy Alaniva.

To alleviate the lengthy waiting time, Parking and Transit added more buses to each route. Claude Schuttey, director of Parking and Transit was not sure how many buses were added.

“Once we heard that, we actually got more buses on then,” Schuttey said. “(The) first I heard about that (was) this semester.”

Though more buses have been added, junior Tim Cushman said the situation is not much better.

“It seems the same, but more students are riding them,” he said. “(The route from) Veteran’s (Park) is now getting more full.”

Schuttey said that despite the demand for parking along the lake, as displayed by the crowded buses, the decision to eliminate the lakefront UPark lots rests with the county.

“It really deals with Milwaukee County and there’s … this task force (that) doesn’t want any parking on the lakefront,” Schuttey said. “They want to turn those lots into green spaces and actually bus people to the lakefront and not have parking.”

Buses would still run but would “park people, for instance, in the O’Donnell parking structure with shuttle busses,” Schuttey said.

Such a proposal would require students to budget additional time and money for their parking and commute to UWM.

Schuttey recommends that students talk to their county supervisor regarding the issue.

“Their county supervisor will vote on any decision on that parking lot,” he said.

Students like Kara Krause use the UPark a lot — and wait sometimes 30 minutes to stuff themselves into crowded buses — to avoid the often expensive and time-consuming parking situation near campus.

“I wouldn’t want to have to pay or try to find something on the side streets,” Krause said.

Schuttey said UPark is “an excellent program, and it’s working fine.”

Krause said the program could be improved.

“They need more buses at peak points, especially in the morning, or they need to pay attention to people at Bradford who are waiting the longest,” she said.

Schuttey said maintaining open communication between commuters and Parking and Transit is important.

“(If the buses are overcrowded), the bus people are supposed to contact us, and we will get additional buses on line,” he said.

Schuttey said students should also consider alternative means of getting to campus.

“The car should only be used for the student who is here for one class and has to go back to work,” he said.

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