Is it just me, or have you noticed that your commute to work has gotten a little longer lately? The start of a new school year surely has something to do with this. If you think your commute is bad, just imagine the congestion at Long Beach State.

As the Beach continues to climb up the rankings, its student population continues to outpace the school’s existing infrastructure. In a school where 40,000 students and faculty commute to or live on campus, traffic congestion and parking shortages are just two of the challenges facing the Beach. That the student population at Long Beach State is outgrowing its infrastructure is as obvious as Homer Simpson’s love of donuts.

In an effort to curb some of these challenges, school officials last week unveiled a new program in partnership with Zipcar that makes self-service cars available on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Describing the benefits of this new program, CSULB President F. King Alexander said, “Zipcar is a key new addition to our efforts to reduce congestion and parking demand on campus.” What exactly does this program do? It provides users access to a vehicle when they need it.

Five vehicles have already been parked in designated areas throughout the campus. The cars can be reserved online for a $35 annual fee and as little as $8 an hour, which includes gas and insurance. That’s right. Students and faculty can use a car for a fraction of the cost of owning one.

Although this program is new to Long Beach State, Zipcar has been marketing this concept since 2002 and has already partnered with more than 120 other colleges across the country.

It will be interesting to see what impact this program will have on congestion and parking demand on CSULB’s campus. If it works, it may be something worth considering for certain neighborhoods in Long Beach, especially those most parking-impacted. Similar concepts have already been adopted in places like New York, for instance.

Would this work in Long Beach? Let’s hope it works at Long Beach State first!