Parking woes rise as number of vehicles increase on college campuses in Mangaluru

Mangaluru: About a decade ago, the spacious parking lot of the oldest college in the city, situated on Light House Hill Road, was filled with a handful of vehicles belonging to staff and a few students. Today, finding parking both inside and outside the campus is a tough job due to the increase in the number of students (mostly two-wheelers) and personal vehicles of faculty. This is a similar scene at a medical college campus situated nearby.
The increasing number of student and faculty-owned vehicles is overwhelming the existing parking infrastructure across all campuses in coastal districts. Some campuses have leased nearby land for parking, and some are planning multi-storeyed parking facilities to ease the situation.
At St Aloysius (Deemed to be University), with several thousand students, the management discourages students from bringing four-wheelers. "Though we have sufficient space for parking, it is not enough as the vehicle load is increasing day by day. Currently, the college and high school campus is used for parking. As a plan to overcome this situation, a dedicated two-storeyed parking space is coming up in a new building on the campus, which can accommodate 600 four-wheelers and about 1,200 two-wheelers. It will open in a year, and all vehicle parking will be moved there," shared a senior official from the college.
The situation is similar at Kasturba Medical College and Manipal College of Dental Sciences (MCODS), Mangaluru. The college, with limited parking, has leased space at Mangalore Ladies Club, said Dr Dilip G Naik, pro vice-chancellor, MAHE Mangaluru. "Meanwhile, we are trying to decongest the campus by shifting a few courses to our campuses in Attavar and Bejai," he said, adding that students are discouraged from bringing four-wheelers to campus. "They are encouraged to take college buses, and there is a rule that in the first year of all courses, students will not own any vehicle."
It's not just campuses situated within the city limits that face the issue, but those on the outskirts too. On the Deralakatte stretch, with several medical, dental, and allied health colleges, the situation is the same. "Our campus sees, on average, 400-500 four-wheelers and 1,200 plus two-wheelers daily. The parking space is choked, and we have leased out land nearby. Also, we have started a valet parking facility where faculty and visitors' vehicles can park. There are plans to construct a dedicated parking space," said the head of Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), who did not wish to be named.
Other educational institutions said that they ask students to utilise the college bus facility or public transport. "It is both a safe, convenient, and sustainable choice," said a college principal.