opinion_
New parking plan
looking a little better
A draft of modifications to the West University
Neighborhood parking plan was issued this week and it
represents substantial and constructive changes.
The memorandum to Michael Gleason, city manager, from
Eugene's traffic engineering staff contains elements that make
the proposed parking plan more feasible to University students
and area employers.
According to the memorandum, the purpose of the parking
plan is to reduce traffic and parking congestion in the West
University area. We have always agreed that there is a problem
with parking in the area — and that some type of solution is
imperative.
However, we have staunchly opposed the parking plan as it
was originally presented. The planners spent years devising the
parking plan and during that time overlooked meeting with in
terested groups, such as area employees and University
students.
It seemed at the time that parking plan advocates were more
intent on pleasing West University residents than with incor
porating the needs of the area groups. A large turnout of less
than-pleased groups appealing implementation of the parking
plan at an Oct. 10 City Council meeting brought the plan to a
screeching halt. As well it should — in the original form the park
ing plan would have created more problems than solutions.
The City Council postponed its decision on the appeal and
had city statt meet with the groups the planners overlooked.
They have been meeting with representatives of University
students, Sacred Heart Hospital employees and employees of
the Bureau of Land Management.
To the credit of parking plan advocates, they took the sug
gestions from the groups and incorporated most into a draft of
the parking program.
They realized that patients and families of patients at Sacred
Heart Hospital need long-term parking and that the cost of park
ing is already too high; that Lane Transit District buses do not
provide adequate service to the area; that the cost of parking
permits are too high for students; that the boundaries of the
parking program impact high density housing parking; that pur
chasing a parking permit does not guarantee a parking space
and that the plan may just shift the parking problem out of the
West University to another area.
The changes they made show some understanding of the
unique circumstances and character of the area.
To address the parking concerns of University fraternities
and sororities, they removed the area north of 11th Avenue and
promised only minor changes to the area between Hilyard and
Alder streets, and 15th and 18th avenues.
To satisfy the concerns of residents, they included only
spaces adjacent to low density dwelling units between Hilyard
and Alder streets, and 15th and 17th avenues.
As a result of the parking plan the University has formed a
task force to look at the possibility of redistributing the Univer
sity's off-street parking. At present, the University's Bean park
ing lot is, according to the memorandum, "50 percent under
utilized."
There are a few elements in the new parking plan that seem
more fanciful than practical. The possibility of the University set
ting up a shuttle bus from the Bean parking lot to the west side
of campus and a shuttle from Autzen Stadium really doesn't ap
pear feasible nor necessary. The expense alone of such a shuttle
system should eliminate it from consideration.
Buying a parking permit in the West University
Neighborhood still doesn't guarantee a parking place. It remains
a gamble. But the odds are significantly better. According to the
memorandum, "based on the.. .findings sheet, it is projected
that supply of on- and off-street parking should adequately meet
the demand by commuter vehicles that currently park.. .in the
area."
With these modifications in hand the City Council will meet
on Nov. 16 and accept or deny the appeal. If they deny the ap
peal the parking plan will be implemented.
We congratulate the city staff for the way they modified the
parking plan. And in this form, we think the West University
parking plan could be the long sought-after short-term solution
to parking problems in the area.
letters
Blunted point
David Nott, in his letter 'of Oct.
31 protesting protest marc hers,
has a point he wants to get across.
Unfortunately, his letter does not
convey it. This is because his argu
ment lacks two fundamentals:
logical structure and supporting
evidence.
Nott feels that protest rallies are
objectionable — objectionable
enough to call the participants
"morons" — because they aren't
taken seriously and the par
ticipants don't write letters to
their lawmakers or to newspapers.
To address the first point if Nott
would glance at the campaign
platforms of almost any of the
eight declared candidates for the
democratic presidential nomina
tion, he would see that these pro
minent politicians do indeed take
the pleas of protest marchers very
seriously.
And on the second point, Nott
has no basis for — or at least pro
vides his reader — no evidence
supporting — his assumption that
protest marchers are inherently
non-letterwriters. In fact, it is pro
bable that people concerned
enough to march are concerned
enough to write to their
lawmakers.
The next time Nott produces an
argument, I suggest he select a
foundation firmer than sand.
Molly Taylor
junior, English
Attention
It has come to my attention that
the ASUO has received some
criticism for the ASUO/ASLCC
anti-draft poster used to publicize
the rally that happened on Oct.
14
I designed this poster, as I do all
the posters that come out of the
student government offices here
at Lane. I want to point out that
this poster does not necessarily
Oregon daily
emerald
The Oregon Duty tmerald it publnlwd Monday through To
day accept during rum week and vacations. by the Oregon Daily
fmerjld Publishing Co., at the University ol Oregon, (ugene. OH.
<*7401
The f meratd operates independently ol the University with
oWices on the third door ol the frb Memorial Union and is a
member ol the Assoc lated Press
News and HMonal Mkttll
Display Advertising and Psrsmesi Mg-171]
Classwtied Advertising tdl till
ProdbctWln Mt-4 III
Orridation Ut-UII
f dfHP 2
fdilor
Managing Iditor
fdilor
Assistant News I (lilor
idiloiii! Page fdilor
Pholo f dilor
Sports fdilor
Sidelines fdilor
I nlertammenl fdilor
Asvium I nlrriam'menl fdilor
Nigh! f ditor
AttooHr Mian
Higher I dor atHin
Hi-(urimrnii and Schools
Student Government
Irrlum
PlllllH S
C ommurniy
(iiwril Mart
Advertising Manager
( Uiulird Advertising
Produr Iron Manager
( onlroller
Debbie Howlell
Srndy fohnstune
frank Shaw
Brenda Ihornton
Cod lrmaid
Dave Kao
Doug levy
lohn Mealy
Angela Allen Morgan
Kim Carlson
Cort fernald
Doug Nash
Melissa. Martin
|im Moore
loan Herman
Brooks Darefl
Michele Malassa
Darlene Core
Sally OI|ar
Vk Iona Koc h
lean Osvnbey
reflect the opinions of either
ASUO or ASLCC as a whole.
It is the artist's prerogative to
choose graphics that visually com
municate the message she or he is
trying to convey when designing a
poster. The graphics used for this
particular poster effectively il
lustrate my personal opinion of
our military selective service
system.
I have received both positive
and negative criticism for my
choice of graphics on this poster
both from within and outside of
our offices here at Lane. I do not
apologize for my personal opi
nion, but do want to clear up any
confusion.
Cathy Benjamin
ASLCC communication director
Behooved
It is a continual source of
wonder that some persons feel
behooved to classify as "Radical"
or "Communist" anyone who
works for peace or believes in
compromise.
On the other hand, I am beginn
ing to draw the inference that
those who support the inevitablity
of war as the only solution to in
ternational problems are by and
large self-proclaimed conser
vatives. Such conservatives
gleefully point out each instance
in which a supposedly "Radical"
group fails to raise public outcry
over atrocities ostensibly commit
ted in the name of Communism.
At the risk of pointing out the ob
vious, it is a rare occasion indeed
when we see conservatives speak
ing out against atrocities commit
ted in the name of democracy.
All this, however, is beside the
main issue, as I wish at least some
such "Conservatives" could bring
themselves to see. The primary
concern of the vast majority of
peace activists, in Eugene and
elsewhere, is with peace, not
politics. Pointing out warlike acts
on the part of the U.S. does not
imply a tacit acceptance of similar
acts by other countries; activists in
this country who engage in such
pointing do so because they have
a chance to change this system
directly, whereas they can affect
other countries only indirectly.
Americans can march on the
Capitol and the White House;
they cannot march on the
Kremlin. Progress towards peace
must begin somewhere, and
those of us who are not in the
position of being foreign am
bassadors would do well to begin
it at home, where we can have the
greatest effect.
Those who consider all peace
activists to be Soviet agents would
also do well to note that many
such activists in Europe have
roundly condemned both Soviet
and U.S. preparations tor war.
Considering the tact that the Euro
peans have their asses quite
literally "on the line," it is difficult
to imagine a more egalitarian
position.
Hiawatha
graduate, music
Footballsex...
Clark Kerr, former president of
the University of California, is
alleged to have said that
presidents must be sure that their
universities provide three things:
football for the alumni, sex for the
students and parking for the
faculty.
On the first of these, the Univer
sity's record is spotty. The second
is none of my business. However,
the faculty (and staff) parking
situation is bad and threatens to
get worse. Lots on the west side of
campus fill earlier and earlier;
reserved space signs sprout like
weeds; cars without valid stickers
infest our spaces, seemingly
without effective penalties.
The proposed West University
Neighborhood parking restric
tions are a response to the
residents' real problems, but the
plan will only make matters worse
here. Drivers will pay for the
dubious privilege of hunting
spaces in the lots rather than pay
to hunt them in the streets.
Short of building a parking
garage across from PLC, I don't
have an answer. I do know that
pipe dreams of parking people at
Autzen Stadium are no help. Nor
is it useful for ASUO spokespeo
ple to state that faculty and staff
have it easy with reserved spaces
next to their offices. I'd hope that
we can hear constructive
suggestions.
Daniel Pope
asst, professor, history
Unfunny
The intended humor in the All
Pac-10 Name Team (Sports Shorts,
Nov. 2) instead revealed a level of
insensitivity and unconscious pre
judice that I hoped had disap
peared many years ago. A
nickname like Boomer may be
humorous, but I fail to see
anything humorous about names
such as Lupe Sanchez, Drew
Smetana or Angelo Dilulo. What is
uncommon from one person's
narrow experience is not a proper
focus for derision.
Robert Bowman
professor, accounting
Thursday. November 10. 1983