Anyone who's been on OSU's campus knows that it can be a bit hazardous to try to get around on foot or by bike. The car is the current ruler of the campus, but Jeff Kaplan, senior vice president of Administration and Planning for the University, is working on plans to fix that problem.
One of the big steps will be to cease creating new parking spaces on campus and to use what's already available. The core of the campus will slowly be set off limit to cars and incentives will be created for staffers and students to use parking further away from central campus.
Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking for OSU, has some great goals for promoting alternative transportation on campus. “We have to try to take the core of campus and try to make it more friendly to get around,” explains Blouch. “We’re looking for ways for people to get here — on buses, more partnerships with COTA, carpooling.”
The steps will be taken gradually to let people become accustomed to the changes, instead of making changes wholesale all at once. And parking for the medical center will be mostly unchanged to let patients enter and exit the area easily. Medical Center staff members may be offered incentives to park further away to allow for more patient parking in the area.
An estimated 70,000 to 75,000 cars pass through OSU each day, and 40,000 parking passes are sold each year.
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