As the Elephants Take Over Lot A

By Opinion Editor William Curtis

It’s that time of year. Yup, you guessed it. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus has come for its annual visit to George Mason University. Get ready for the big-top tent, the flying trapeze, the concessions and cotton candy galore. But the one thing we students love most of all about our friends’ visit—wait for it—is the outrageous amount of traffic that comes with it.

This year, with construction of the campus being at its zenith, the traffic has already created a huge problem for everyone on campus with the large amounts of congestion generally holding up every street for miles. It seems that even with all our problems with parking, the situation just continues to get worse.

We’ve all had our qualms with the parking situation on campus, and now we need to prepare for even less parking spaces and allow ourselves more time to find that perfect parking spot. With the e-mail that was sent out by Parking Services regarding the circus’ subjugation of Lot A, it seems that most students are in an uproar about where they will be able to park in the coming weeks.

The circus needs its tents and allotted room, not only for the animals, but also for the people who work there. “Essentially, you have to think of the circus as its own little town, they have their own laundromat, bank and even school that comes along with them—so the space they take is very important,” said Anne Moran, Parking Services Coordinator. The circus needs these spaces to take care of themselves while here at Mason.

You have to realize that they are constantly traveling, and therefore need everything with them at all times. This year, they will only be occupying the 240 spaces that make Lot A, so while there will be some displacement in this lot, there is still the Patriots Village lot that is open to the public.

They will also be occupying Mattaponi River Lane with their trailers and equipment. Also, to continue alleviation of the traffic problem, one more bus has been added to transport students from the field house to campus, so now there are two buses that will run every five minutes.

Many still think that there clearly isn’t enough parking on campus, as many students have been stalked or accosted for their parking spaces while walking from the center of campus to their vehicles. I myself have had this exact situation happen to me on several occasions and it makes me very uncomfortable.

Some students are even often offered by others to be driven back to their cars in exchange for their spaces. “We have enough spaces to accommodate all the students that have parking passes on campus, it is just a matter of convenience that causes so many problems with parking,” Moran said.

Students realize that the field house lot is open, but because of its location students are disenfranchised to use this lot. If more students used these open lots for parking then it would be much easier for everyone to find a space.

Due to the fact that the Patriot Center is contracted through the Washington Sports & Entertainment Company, there is little control that Parking Services has over the situation, let alone Mason itself. Regardless of who has put them in our spaces, they aren’t leaving for about two weeks.

So remember to please remain cordial and compassionate to our friends from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, maybe even buy a ticket and see “the greatest show on earth!”