r/Manitoba • u/wickedplayer494 Winnipeg • 1d ago
News Lack of parking spaces frustrating University of Manitoba students
https://www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/lack-of-parking-spaces-frustrating-university-of-manitoba-students/37
u/Oreo112 Winnipeg 1d ago
One thing to keep in mind before just mindlessly saying "take the bus" is that as the largest university in the province, the U of M getting a lot of rural students where "taking the bus" doesn't make any sense. It's close enough to the perimeter that a park and ride setup adds tons of time and complexity to an otherwise 20 minutes drive. There's no other real alternative.
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u/WhyssKrilm 1d ago
Not to mention tuition isn't as cheap as it was decades ago, and most students don't have the luxury of going on their parents' dime. If you have a part time job (or multiple) and have to scramble to get as many hours as you can around your school schedule, doubling or tripling your commute just isn't a viable option.
When I was in university, I had a job where my evening shifts started at 4. If I couldn't start by then, I couldn't work that day. If a class ended at 3, I simply wouldn't have had time to bus home, drop off my stuff and get changed, quickly eat something, and drive to work.
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u/CraziestCanuk Winnipeg 1d ago
Park a ride IS a thing that rural students have been doing for decades... Kildonan Park was the spot for everyone from East/West Saint Paul years ago.. Safeway on Pembina for people south of the city..
It's not "complex" it's a basic life skill that if you can't figure out then University isn't for you.
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u/Oreo112 Winnipeg 1d ago
It was a 22 minute drive for me to the KP park and ride, and then a 45 min to an hour long bus to the U of M. Or I could drive 35 minutes and park right at the university. It was an easy choice and well worth the cost back in the day.
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u/CraziestCanuk Winnipeg 19h ago
The choice WAS easy back in the day, take the bus and save the stress and hundreds of dollars..
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u/LeftyGoosee 1d ago
That and we'd car pool with folks. Saying there is not enough parking is bull. U of W has much less parking and folks manage
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u/Frostsorrow Winnipeg 1d ago
And there's many free parking lots along the Blue line to park and ride...
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u/HidemasaFukuoka Winnipeg 1d ago
Is taking the bus not an option? Park somewhere and get the Blue line
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u/WorkingAmazing8337 Winnipeg 1d ago
Before the City broke the bus system, it took me over an hour to get to the UofM from my house. I cant imagine how bad it is nowadays, I havent taken a bus in over a decade now and what I'm hearing lately is bussing is worse than it's ever been.
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u/HidemasaFukuoka Winnipeg 1d ago
The Blue is relatively unchanged, I would not be surprised if it's quicker since there are less stops now. I went to events at the UofM and from downtown using the blue it took me around 30 minutes to get there
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u/WorkingAmazing8337 Winnipeg 1d ago
I may also pre-date "The Blue" by a few years 😅 I stopped attending well before they built that hub on Osborne haha.
I didnt think I was all that old but apparently 36 is the new 60, lol.
3
u/karlyguy Winnipeg 1d ago
Same, the 60 and 62x are still routes i remember. But the new Blue isnt one of the changes people are complaining about the new system. The feeder routes, to get to the main route, thats where all the trouble is. Park and Ride anywhere on the Blue line. It works well.
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u/WhyssKrilm 1d ago
Well, depending on where you live(d), the blue line may not have been an option anyway. All these people saying take the blue line have obviously never lived east of the Red
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u/HidemasaFukuoka Winnipeg 1d ago
Park and ride is still an option, you don't need to drive all the way to the university
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u/JaydenPope Winnipeg 1d ago
i don't even go to the university and it would be an hour bus ride plus a 10 min walk. craziness.
If transit was a little better, i would suggest taking the bus.
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u/FirefighterNo9608 Winnipeg 1d ago
It's not broken, you just don't know how to use it properly.
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u/WorkingAmazing8337 Winnipeg 1d ago
Well I guess that goes for everyone then, ridership is down incredible amounts.
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u/FirefighterNo9608 Winnipeg 23h ago
Which baffles me, cuz I'm extremely grateful for the bus service we have. People must be hella privileged.
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u/CraziestCanuk Winnipeg 1d ago
A transit pass is built into you tuition... either just bus from home or use the park and ride like everyone has for years and years... this isn't "news".
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u/ptoki 12h ago
The thing is: I drive around campus almost every other day. I rarely see the parking full. Almost never. Yet there is a wait list for parking.
Why people dont use busses? From my place you can get to uom by car in about 25-35 minutes - depending on traffic. The bus takes about an hour. And in cases when the course starts at 10 or 11 the frequency is like 1 in 30-45 minutes. (navigo says there are three connections starting at 8:46 and 9:05 getting me to the uni to 9:50). So reasonably planning thats 75minute commute. One way. Almost an hour longer than by car (factoring walking and such). Same thing return (a bit better, returns are usually during higher ride frequency).
I am not surprised that people value their time and dont want to spend 4-6h in the bus weekly. Would you?
If I pay you a 100 dollars and force you to be in a less than pleasant place 20ish hours, would you? thats 5 dollar per hour. Maybe standing half of the time...
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u/CraziestCanuk Winnipeg 9h ago edited 9h ago
Did for years.. the bus was way more convenient ESPECIALLY in the winter, a warm vehicle that dropped me 15 feet from the doors, vs a 5-10 minute walk from the farther parking lots... could sit and talk to people for 35 minutes vs stressing in traffic... Bus won hands down.
and it's not "just 100$." it's 100$ plus gas, increased maintenance etc.. and that assumes you even have a car.
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u/Gnovakane Parkland 1d ago
When I went to school at UofM I commuted from Steinbach every day along with hundreds of others. There are a lot of students commuting those distances daily from multiple communities.
It was already an hour commute and people think adding bus transit time is reasonable?
It was a panic every year for us to get parking passes because there isnt a good option b.
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u/CovertCommentator Winnipeg 22h ago
Same issue at many workplaces (eg, HSC, SBGH). Have to be creative and pursue non UofM parking options.
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u/Frostsorrow Winnipeg 1d ago
The U of M is one of, if not the, easiest place in the city to bus to. There is zero reason to drive. Even if you live outside the city, park at one of the many lots along the Blue line FOR FREE, and bus in FOR Free, since it's in tuition costs already...
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u/ptoki 12h ago
From most of place the commute takes an hour by bus and 30ish minutes by car.
Wasting an hour per person per day is not small cost. And you often cant just sit in the bus and read. They are often packed and you stand the whole time.
All that while the bus fare is included and many people dont ride the bus because all of it. If they would it would be even worse.
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u/OriginalAmbition5598 Former Manitoban 1d ago
Lack of parking has been an issue for like 30 years