It's a roasting, barren land enshrouded by the sun's violent rays 300 days of the year. In the hub of the desert, its nomads roam across the hot, black surface, blinded by brilliant reflections, and searching for a ride out.
This isn't a scene from "The Mummy." This is Arizona State University's Lot 59.
Lot 59 is the bane of ASU parking. It stretches from Wells Fargo Arena to the east side of Rural Road, and from Sixth Street to the north side of Rio Salado Parkway.
Anyone who's had to make that trek in the 100-degree August heat - or on those few days when Arizona actually soaks up a little rain - knows the agony and envy we hold for the parking structure elite. But it doesn't have to be that way.
ASU is growing in size and population. There are now four campuses around the Valley with an ASU/Scottsdale Center for New Technology and Innovation on the way.
And while one of the reasons for outward expansion is proximity for residents of farther Phoenix suburbs, another is the lack of spare Tempe real estate.
But there's actually some primo land on campus that could be used to house more offices, classrooms and lecture halls, which would bring in more students and more tuition.
Turn Lot 59 Main into one or two parking structures. In place of Lot 59 North and Lot 59 East, build dorms, fast food restaurants, classrooms and offices.
The parking spaces lost there would be stacked onto the newly built parking structures.
The school's budget is probably a deciding factor in that case, as is probably also true for why the price of parking rates at ASU increased by 100 percent to 225 percent from the 2005-06 school year, according to the Parking and Transit Service's Web site.
With the accessions of the Rio Salado Parkway and Rural Road classrooms, dorms and lecture halls, ASU would bring in more students and be able to house and educate them, all the while collecting their beautiful tuition checks.
What's more, ASU is not expected to be able to break even for the prices of the parking structures immediately. It may take a couple years of charging more students than there are parking spots (kind of like carpooling for stationary vehicles; why waste the asphalt?), and, as much as I hate to say it, more generously doling out parking tickets.
In the College Prowler book, "Arizona State University - Off the Record," students anonymously commented on the parking at ASU.
One student said, "No! Don't make me talk about parking; I hate parking on campus. There should be more structures, and they should make the passes more readily attainable. I had to park in Lot 59 the whole time I was at ASU, except the last semester when I treated myself to paid visitor parking (also not always available)."
ASU students often complain about the lack of parking and the cost of parking on campus.
More parking structures and classrooms will even out the bill for these additions, and the only complaints will be the traffic backup during their construction.
Plus, I don't think anyone is looking forward to using Park-N-Ride structures to attend classes.
Kirsten Keane is a journalism sophomore. Contact her at Kirsten.Keane@asu.edu.
