What's Bugging Jerry?

**tigershoops31** · 02-19-2008, 12:37 PM

In today's What's Bugging Jerry? segment, I discuss my hatred of the game-day parking situation that has occurred repeatedly this season.

Juice blogs » The Cyclones

What’s Bugging Jerry? by Jerry Hales
:: February 19th, 2008 :: 12:35 pm

While I get frustrated as heck with the lack of student turnout at games and Iowa weather makes me blue during the winter, what has really chapped my butt this season has had nothing to do with either. One of the most frustrating things in the world to me is how the Iowa State University scheduling system works. It has happened repeatedly this year that a men’s basketball game coincides with a concert or performance at Stephens Auditorium. Who in the heck is in charge of this and what possesses them to schedule two things at the same time like this?

When I showed up for the game on Saturday, we were plenty early and I was ready to get parked and get in to start cheering for the Clones. I was met by row after row of packed vocal-concert-goers’ vehicles in a snow covered lot. There were also tons of buses filling in the lot, which left little room for the sold-out capacity crowd heading to Hilton. After taking a shot at finding a parking spot, we ended up settling for a spot on one of the side roads. While irate about parking situation, I was satisfied that I had at least found a spot until I came back out and had a ticket on my car.

I just can’t fathom how you could have your 100 Year Celebration where you know there is going to be a full house, and schedule something at the same time that is going to eat up a huge chunk of your parking lot. Even worse was that they got over at about the same time, so there was one row of traffic leaving the parking lot rather than 2 from every side. To top it off when we’ve gotten snow and it’s cold outside it’s pretty hard on the elderly people and folks like myself who have a 9 month old son to bring in with them when they have to walk several blocks to get to the game. Crappy job by the students who didn’t bother showing up, but crappier job out of the scheduling people who should have seen this cluster of a traffic jam coming a mile away and changed the times by an hour or 2.

-Next up for the Cyclones will be the Bob-Knightless Red Raiders down in Lubbock on Saturday. More on that to come later this week.

**clones_jer** · 02-19-2008, 12:45 PM

yeah, that did suck I was 25 mins early and had to park forever away on a side road.

what concert was that? looked like HS or MS kids ... not ISU students anyway

**cybsball20** · 02-19-2008, 12:47 PM

I don't get why it is so hard for cars to park NEXT TO the car next to them, why do they have to park behind, ahead, sideways, etc. I understand that the lines were covered up but the lots Saturday were insane!

**cyclon** · 02-19-2008, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by clones_jer

what concert was that? looked like HS or MS kids ... not ISU students anyway

It was a State Speech Competition and I agree it sucked. Especially when you would turn into an aisle just to find out you couldn't get through because cars were closing off the exit.

**hiltonisheaven** · 02-19-2008, 12:54 PM

Maybe by some outlandish desire to turn a profit, ISU scheduled the concert at the time they felt would get the best turnout. Unbelievable. It is also unconscionable that the police would dare give you a ticket for parking illegally.

**tigershoops31** · 02-19-2008, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by hiltonisheaven

Maybe by some outlandish desire to turn a profit, ISU scheduled the concert at the time they felt would get the best turnout. Unbelievable. It is also unconscionable that the police would dare give you a ticket for parking illegally.

I'm sure they're turning a huge profit on that speech contest dude

Also, I didn't think I was parked illegally when I read the sign and there were 4-5 other people there. Sometimes the wording is crappy on those: "NO PARKING 4 AM-6AM and TUES/THURS/SAT"

**balken** · 02-19-2008, 01:10 PM

When I saw the thread, I was hoping it was going to be "What's Bugging Jerry Cluver?" Alas, my hopes have been dashed.

**hiltonisheaven** · 02-19-2008, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by tigershoops31

I'm sure they're turning a huge profit on that speech contest dude

Also, I didn't think I was parked illegally when I read the sign and there were 4-5 other people there. Sometimes the wording is crappy on those: "NO PARKING 4 AM-6AM and TUES/THURS/SAT"

Haha, yeah I didn't know it was a speech contest. I've been there before w/ those parking signs. My favorite part is that each time I get one I swear the fine has increased since my last one. Aren't they $12 now?

**drmwevr08** · 02-19-2008, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by cybsball20

I don't get why it is so hard for cars to park NEXT TO the car next to them, why do they have to park behind, ahead, sideways, etc. I understand that the lines were covered up but the lots Saturday were insane!

Because people are stupid...

**htownclone** · 02-19-2008, 01:19 PM

[QUOTE=hiltonisheaven;371057]Maybe by some outlandish desire to turn a profit, ISU scheduled the concert at the time they felt would get the best turnout. Unbelievable.QUOTE]

I doubt scheduling events simultaneously would ever turn a profit, or at least more than having them at separate times. Cause I know if I wasn't at the bball games I would definitely been at the speech event

.

**tigershoops31** · 02-19-2008, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by hiltonisheaven

Haha, yeah I didn't know it was a speech contest. I've been there before w/ those parking signs. My favorite part is that each time I get one I swear the fine has increased since my last one. Aren't they $12 now?

My wife looked at it and said $10...it was probably really $12 and she didn't want me to blow up and run over a pedestrian

**4VR4CY** · 02-19-2008, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by tigershoops31

My wife looked at it and said $10...it was probably really $12 and she didn't want me to blow up and run over a pedestrian

I think "rounding down" is ingrained in all women!

**tigershoops31** · 02-19-2008, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by 4VR4CY

I think "rounding down" is ingrained in all women!

Yeah it's weird, she seems to always do that when she goes shopping and reports her "deals" too...weird coincidence

**Celeron** · 02-19-2008, 01:34 PM

Needless to say I wasn't surprised when they announced that some cars needed to move immediately during the game. People were all over the place, especially in the west side lots. In A2 and B2 alone there were at least 25-30 cars that were trapped in by other cars, I couldn't quite figure out why anybody would do that OR why one of the many parking attendants wouldn't point that out. They're probably to busy turning people away from an empty lot right before tip-off.