Today@Sam Article

It Only Hurts When I Try To Find A Parking Space On Campus - Part Two

July 16, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Julia May

Cars in the SHSU garage
As SHSU grows, so does the campus parking problem. University officials understand the frustration many are feeling and know that decisions being made this year are not going to be popular. However, the Parking and Transportation Office is offering several new ways and suggestions to make parking issues less uncomfortable.

Please note: This is the second in a two-part series about parking changes at SHSU. See part one here.

In addition to changes beginning this fall, plans for fall 2016 include:

Electronic Permits

Hold on to your old decals and hangtag permits as a keepsake because you will no longer need them.  Moving forward, the Parking and Transportation Office will use the license plate number of your vehicle to validate parking on campus.  Specially equipped vehicles and tablets will assist in validating whether or not vehicles are legally parked based on an electronic permit issued to your account.

Electronic Registration

All of your parking needs will be managed via Internet through smartphone application or web browser.  This will help if you need to park on short notice.

Snapshot Occupancy

Do you want to see what parking is available prior to coming to campus?  As the Parking and Transportation staff travel through parking areas, they will update occupancy information for viewing within the Sam Houston Parking application. 

Pay-by-Phone Parking

Hourly and daily parking will be available to parkers who do not have a term-based permit or would like to park closer to their destination.  Vehicle registration and selection of permit will take place within a smartphone application.

New Zoning Structure

Parking areas will be reclassified regarding the proximity to main campus.  Waiting lists will provide a means of controlling permit sales within a controlled ratio and will be prioritized based on classification of faculty/staff or student.  Parking and Transportation expects to be able to make better predictions of parking saturation and underutilization as trending information becomes available on an hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly basis. 

 

Options Under Consideration:

RideSharing Application - Think of this application as Uber for universities.  It allows the carpooling community to have a quick and safe method of identifying individuals who are interested in carpooling on campus by tracking similar requirements, arrival and destination matching, and desired or unwanted behaviors such as smoking or types of music listened to while in the car.

Carpooling Program - Carpooling saves all parties money in the long run.  A program created to provide priority parking for those willing to carpool helps reduce the amount of vehicles on campus and is environmentally friendly.

On-Campus Shuttle System - A shuttle program to assist university community members in reaching their destination in and around the perimeter of main campus without the need to have a vehicle on campus.  This program requires a strong ridership and funding base in order to be sustainable. 

Bike-Friendly Campus - Follow and begin planning the model to meet the standards of becoming a Bike-Friendly Campus.  This includes education of four-wheel vehicle drivers and two-wheel vehicle drivers, identification of shared lane areas, dedicated bike lanes, and a bike share program.  Bike Shares provide a way for community bicycles to be locked and secured for use by participating members of the community without owning a personal bicycle.  For more information on Bike Friendly Campuses, go to bikeleague.org/university.

Future Land Acquisition/Reclassification of Areas for Parking - The university is constantly evaluating areas that can be utilized for parking and other university purposes.  To view the SHSU Campus Master Plan, please visit SHSU Campus Plan.

The parking “pain” is real, and the necessary “treatment” is not going to be pleasant—at least for the short-term.  But the steps that the university is taking now will eventually result in a safer and more efficient parking situation on the Sam Houston State University campus. 

 

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