Assignment 7A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

The Opportunity: The parking system in Gainsville is unable to accommodate for all the students and residents living here who commute by car. There needs to be a better parking system that is more accessible and convenient to the public and inhabitants of the city.
The who: Residents in Gainesville, Florida, particularly students at the University of Florida.
The what: There is very limited parking in many parts of Gainesville for people in cars.
The why: This is due to all the restricted parking zones and the sheer number of people using transportation in the city.

I believe that in order to improve the system, restricted parking zones for certain decals should be made into parking meters during certain times of the day. This is simply due to the number of open spots that are available but not being used throughout the day. It would also allow for these companies to take advantage and make more money off the parking while also providing more convenience to residents of the city. I also believe that areas with concentrated parking needs such as midtown and downtown should have parking that is built upwards to maximize the amount of spots that can be made from a given amount of space.

Testing the who: There are many others who have this need. Not everyone in my who would have this need, only people who commute via automobile.

Testing the what: The boundaries of this need are that many people commute by scooter or by bike and do not have a need for better parking. Further, some more rural areas near university has adequate parking that does not need improvement, although this is a small portion of the city.

Testing the why: It may not only be due to the amount of people in the city. or because of restricted parking zones. It could be because of the cost constraints of building more parking or parking garages, or it could be because certain areas have parking that is only available for their customers or students.

Interview 1:
My first interview was with a friend with a scooter. He uses it to get around to campus for his classes everyday but he says that it sometimes is an issue even with his scooter. Although there is a lot more available scooter parking there, there is still a shortage due to the incredible amount of people who commute by scooter. He even expresses more concern with car parking. He claims that it is the number one problem in Gainesville compared to most other places. He feels the struggle every time he is with a friend in a car.

Interview 2:
My second interview is with someone who commutes by bus or by carpooling everyday and who doesn't have a car or a scooter. Even so, she claims that she is frustrated by the parking situation on campus. She claims that every time she gets a ride from a friend to campus, she has to park very far and the whole process always takes very long because of how inaccessible parking is around campus. She says that she would not get a car here even if she had the option to because of how bad it is.

Interview 3:
My classmate tells me that she used to have a car here but left it back home because of how inconvenient it was. She claims that she barely got to use it and lost so much time and has missed so many classes by relying on parking. She is clearly a pro typical customer and she definitely believes that Gainesville has an opportunity to improve its parking system drastically.

Interview 4
My neighbor who I happen to be friends with shares the pain of how much trouble parking is, both in my apartment complex, and on campus. He tells me that he has to wake up 10 minutes earlier every day just so he can walk to his car, which he says is a half mile and two flights of stairs away. He believes that there are so many areas that can be converted into parking spaces, especially around our community right off campus. He says that if he had the option to, he would've gotten an electric bike or scooter instead because of how inconvenient cars are in the city.

Interview 5
My fifth interview is with my coworker who lives in college park apartments, right next to campus. Although he has a parking spot for his little community, he expresses to me that it can sometimes be very annoying to park anywhere aside from his complex. He says that since he's very close to campus and a lot of areas either way, he will simply walk to avoid the hassle that comes along with using a car and finding parking.

Summary
After conducting all these interviews, I have found out something quite interesting about my opportunity. That is, even people without a car or scooter have taken notice to the need for an improved parking system in the city. It has affected people one way or another and after talking to five people in dissimilar situations, it is quite clear that the issue is there, and as such, so is the opportunity.