ASUNM is asking students to take a survey in an effort to improve UNM's parking and transportation.
However, many students doubt Parking and Transportation Services will listen to their complaints.
In a survey conducted from Sept. 8 to Sept. 12, most students said parking is the No. 1 problem they face every day, said Zoe Riebli, chairwoman of the ASUNM Outreach and Appointments Committee.
As a result, ASUNM collaborated with UNM's PATS to develop a second survey, which focuses solely on parking, she said.
The current survey began Oct. 7 and asks students how frequently they use city buses and how convenient on-campus parking is, ASUNM senator Spencer Moya said.
It also asks questions about bicycling on campus and the possibility of sharing parking permits for carpooling, he said.
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However, not everyone is as excited about it as ASUNM, senior Kristen Bowers said.
"I think that it is a good gesture with good intentions, but I don't know how practical it is," she said. "It just seems like UNM has had parking problems since the first day I came here, and I still haven't seen any changes."
Bowers, who has commuted to campus all four years of her college career, said she has trouble finding a place to park near UNM every day.
Sophomore Alana Cox, who went to New Mexico State University before coming to UNM, said she has seen the parking programs at other large universities and that the University could do better.
She said she is skeptical of how influential the ASUNM survey will be.
"You know, the survey hits some valid points, but as far as change goes, I'll believe it when I see it," Cox said.
Cynthia Martin, program planning manager for PATS, worked in conjunction with ASUNM to create the survey.
She said the survey is a great way to get feedback from students, and she also hopes it will get students thinking about different ways to get to and from school.
"We want to help familiarize students with the various options out there for them and want feedback on what is working and what isn't," she said. "We are committed to agility and being responsive to students' needs, and we are working on it all the time, but it's hard because there are many obstacles like funding and getting past the bureaucracy of it all."
The survey is available until Wednesday. It takes about five minutes to complete and is being conducted online and by members of ASUNM canvassing campus.
Take the survey at
