Residents in Dinkytown, Como and Marcy Holmes apartments continue to struggle to find adequate parking in the concentrated neighborhoods.

Last fall, the city attempted to alleviate some pressing parking concerns near the University of Minnesota by revamping the Critical Parking Areas, or CPAs, program. The program, established in 1976, restricts parking in certain areas unless individuals have a residential permit. 

The first phase of modernization involved switching from the long-established permitted parking restrictions to metered or free parking in key, primarily non-residential, areas around the University, including M Health Fairview on West Bank, the University’s Law School, Mondale Hall and East Bank’s Stadium Village. 

However, many of the residential areas surrounding the University still face severe parking congestion. Third-year student at the University, Megan Olson said her main concerns were price, safety and distance from her residence. 

Olson has lived in the Dinkytown area for two years and has found herself parking elsewhere due to the prices charged for apartment parking, which can be upward of $250. She said she chose to park at the University’s parking ramps due to lower prices. 

“I just happened to be on my phone last year when the email for parking came out, so I was lucky,” Olson said. “Fourth Street will run out of spots in a couple hours to a day.” 

This year, Olson said she had to park in the Maroon Lot, behind Huntington Bank stadium, as she missed the email for parking when it first released and didn’t get parking close to her apartment, near Fourth Street. The Maroon Lot was around a mile away from her apartment, and she would often have to walk the mile when it was dark out and cold in the winter.

Another community member, Zoe Turan, said one of her issues with the parking in the Dinkytown area is the lack of space for vehicles. She added she is struggling to find parking for living in Marcy Holmes next year. 

“My main issue with parking in this area is that there is quite frankly, not enough of it,” Turan said. 

Turan said she was lucky enough to have secured a spot at her apartment complex despite the higher prices. 

“It’s $250 a month, which is a decent amount,” Turan said. “I feel like here (the apartment complex) in terms of parking, that’s one struggle.” 

Next year, Turan will be living in a house with 6 other people in a Go Gopher Rental, which has provided them one parking spot for the 7 of them. Turan said she was left to find her own parking and ended up having to get creative to find a place to put her car. 

“I am having to park on fraternity parking, like in their lot for their house,” Turan said. “The commute will be like a five-block walk. In terms of work, I will have early hours, such as 4 in the morning. So I am a little bit nervous to be walking by myself at like 3:30 in the morning.”

Both Olson and Turan said they feel parking is an issue the city should focus on. 

“It would be really nice to have a parking ramp in that area that is accessible for us students to park at, I guess, and I think that’s a big thing for a lot of students,” Olson said.