OXFORD, Miss. – A growing number of vehicles on campus this fall means the University of Mississippi’s newly formed Department of Parking and Transportation Services is offering multiple options for students and employees who park on campus, including a new express shuttle service operating from two Park and Ride lots.
Isaac Astill, director of the department, said commuters, faculty and staff who take advantage of the shuttle service will find its benefits include a reduced parking decal fee, timely transportation into the heart of campus and ease of parking – a commodity that may be harder than ever to find on the interior of campus this year, with increased enrollment and the construction of three new residence halls located on Rebel Drive.“I’d like to encourage people to try the new services and to just be patient,” Astill said. “Give us the opportunity to show that these Park and Ride lots do work, and they’re going to benefit everyone. Commuter spots are being reallocated to the exterior of campus, but we do have the spots to accommodate everyone.”
While the number of faculty and staff spots on campus has not decreased, some of the spots have been reallocated. All of the parking spaces in the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium lot are now faculty and staff parking, and spots are available in other areas such as along Magnolia Drive. Other parking changes include reallocated spots for commuting students, with 2,540 commuter-only spots located around campus in addition to the more than 1,400 spots in the Park and Ride lots. (Click here to view a parking map.)
The UM Department of Parking and Transportation Services was established in July to plan and oversee all parking and transportation needs on the Oxford campus. The department will evaluate and suggest changes to parking operations, and it will work with the city of Oxford and the Oxford University Transit, or OUT, board on bus routes, issues related to bikes and bike storage, special-event shuttle services and other alternative modes of transportation. The parking department already is working with Physical Plant to install signage to mark clearly which lots are designated for which decals, Astill said.
Clay Jones, assistant vice chancellor and director of human resources and contractual services, said relocating parking to the edge of campus is the direction in which parking on the Ole Miss campus is moving. This year’s changes will be the first of many to address the decades-old campus issue.
“The parking and transportation department is going to be a central place of contact for all parking and transportation needs and issues,” Jones said. “While we have had a parking department within the University Police Department in the past, it only dealt with parking issues. The new department will handle all transportation issues. For example, the new director is now on the OUT board and will work closely with city officials on bus routes and needs. Also, we eventually plan to have the new department heavily involved in issues related to bikes, Zipcars, shuttle services and anything else related to parking or transportation.”
Individuals who purchase a $20 Park and Ride decal instead of the standard $85 faculty/staff or commuter decal will have access to the 942-spot South Lot on Old Taylor Road and the nearly 500-spot Jackson Avenue Center lot. Express shuttles will transport commuters into campus with drop-off and pickup locations at Guyton Hall and Paris-Yates Chapel for those shuttling in from the Jackson Avenue Center lot and at Kennon Observatory for the South Lot shuttles. Individuals with the $85 decal also will have access to these lots, but priority will be given to those with Park and Ride decals should the lots fill up.
The shuttles are operated by OUT and will run to and from the Park and Ride lots every 5 to 7 minutes from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and every 10 to 15 minutes from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. It is recommended that commuters planning to remain on campus after 6 p.m. move their vehicles to a more central lot after 5 p.m.
The South Lot has existed as a Park and Ride lot since 2009, with no more than 60 vehicles parking in the 942 spots at one time. In previous years the shuttle from that lot ran every 30 minutes. This will be the first year the South Lot has express shuttle service.
“When you experience the kind of growth that we have had over the past five years, parking is going to be an issue,” Jones said. “Additionally, our master plan calls for more parking to be moved to the edge of campus with a central core closed to day-to-day vehicular traffic. We realize it is frustrating for some individuals who are used to having parking near their office building, but our growth path will cause the continued push of parking to the outside edge of campus.”
Astill, who began at the university on July 2, said he will spend his first months as UM’s first parking and transportation director assessing and identifying priority parking needs on campus and creating an overall parking plan. He plans to create several committees with representatives from the student body, faculty, staff and administration to come up with a plan that fits everyone’s needs.
“At first it will be slow progress, but the parking and transportation department is here as a resource,” Astill said. “There’s a lot of frustration out there, but we want feedback, and we want to treat people fairly. Just be patient with us, and understand that we’ve identified the issues and we know other parking issues will come up, but we want to work with everyone to make it better.”
Astill comes to UM from the University of Utah, where he worked for nearly 12 years as operations manager within the commuter services department overseeing shuttle services, visitor parking and special events for the campus with an enrollment of more than 28,000 students.
Current parking permits expire on Aug. 15. To register for a new decal and view a complete list of parking changes or the 2012-13 campus parking map, visit olemiss.edu/parking. For questions, comments or feedback, email parking@olemiss.edu.