Parking changes will take place for the 2014-15 school year.
OXFORD, Miss. – Unprecedented enrollment growth and ongoing construction at the University of Mississippi mean parking spots will be limited for campus residents and commuters for the 2014-2015 academic year. Officials encourage students to sign up Aug. 6 for first-come, first-served parking passes.
Last year, about 3,999 campus residents bought parking passes. Enrollment is projected to grow again this fall and create a larger need for parking, but fewer spaces are available due to construction. About 3,460 residential parking passes will be sold this year because of the decreased space. Some 821 fewer commuter parking permits are being sold this year. Any students who are unable to purchase the campus parking permits will have an option to purchase permits for the Park-and-Ride lots.
The changes are the most effective way to manage the available spaces while adding flexibility for students, said Mike Harris, UM director of parking and transportation.
“Our job is to manage what we have to get the most out of it and give options to everyone so they can make the decision that’s best for them,” Harris said.
University officials encourage both commuters and students who live on campus to sign up online for a parking pass as quickly as possible Aug. 6, when registration opens at 8 a.m. Once all residential and commuter parking permits are sold, the remaining students will need to purchase Park-and-Ride permits to use one of the designated off-campus lots and take shuttle buses to and from campus.
Residential permits cost $145 per year and commuter parking permits cost $125 annually, while a Park-and-Ride permit is $40 per year. Harris expects some people will voluntarily use Park-and-Ride to save money.
The Park-and-Ride lots are at the Jackson Avenue Center, which is adjacent to Oxford Mall, and the South Lot, which is on the north side of the intersection of Mississippi 6 and Old Taylor Road.
New, expanded brown-route buses will serve the residential area with a stop at the corner of Cross Street and Union Avenue. This will provide service to the Park-and-Ride lots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. On-call service will be provided from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays.
Parking restrictions are in place 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, which means anyone with a permit must park in the correct designated area during those hours. During the hours of 5 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. weekdays and all day on weekends permits are not required to park on campus. However, individuals cannot park illegally, in restricted areas such as fire lines or in handicap spots without handicap designation.
Once the more-than-820-space parking garage is completed near Vaught Hemingway Stadium, more parking options will be available. Some 500 spaces there will be designated as timed parking, but anyone will have the option of parking there for $2 for the first hour and $1 for each additional hour, with a 24-hour period costing no more than $10. Credit card payments will be required at the parking garage.
Visitor parking will also continue to be available in the Lyceum Circle for $2 per day. A monthly visitor permit also will be available for $20, and an annual visitor permit will be sold for $150.
Metered parking is also expected to be installed near the Manning Athletics Performance Center, where spaces will cost $1 per hour. Coins and credit cards will be accepted at those meters.
Faculty and staff who purchased a reserved spot last year will be contacted in early August about renewing the reserved space. Employees who did not purchase a reserved spot last year can add themselves to the reserved waiting list during the registration process beginning Aug. 6 by contacting the parking and transportation office.
More information about parking changes will come as the online registration date approaches. Harris urges students to check their Ole Miss accounts for a series of informative emails on the changes, which will go out starting July 1.