2012 PARKING FORECAST
Parking and
Transportation Services is advising
all new and returning students,
faculty and staff members to prepare
for a challenging year.
Enrollment forecasts indicate the
University of Houston is on track to
exceed last year�s record
enrollment. This increased
enrollment, combined with the amount
of construction on campus, including
the new stadium garage and its
impact on parking availability, will
create a significant strain on the
existing parking infrastructure.
PTS is forecasting that the parking
lots on campus will be at maximum
occupancy by 9am on most mornings,
and will not have spaces available
until after 3pm. Students arriving
to campus after 9am should not
expect to find a space readily
available on the main campus. These
students are urged to proceed
directly to the parking lots at
Energy Research Park (ERP) and
utilize the campus shuttles as part
of their parking plan.
When possible, PTS also encourages
the use of METRO or carpools.
Students with a student Q-Card
receive a 50% discount on METRO
fares. For $1.20/day, students can
use local METRO service instead of
their own vehicle, saving money on
gas and a parking permit, and
avoiding the search for a parking
space. Students commuting in from
suburban areas can also save 50% on
METRO Park and Ride services.
Additionally, carpools allow
multiple students to share the cost
of gas and a permit, and reduce the
demand for parking spaces on campus.
Residents on campus can become
members of the Connect by Hertz car
sharing program for free and take
advantage of $8/hour car rentals.
Connect cars, available on campus at
residence halls, provide students
with the freedom of having their own
car, without the financial burden of
having a car on campus. And the
affordable rates include gas and
insurance.
PTS is working on both short-term
and long-term solutions to increase
the supply of, and decrease the
demand for, parking on campus. To
help accommodate the additional
demand created by expected record
enrollment and the loss of spaces
due to construction, PTS has added 7
temporary lots for the 2012 academic
year. The new lots are located at
the intramural fields near lot 16D,
along Leek Street between Anita and
Dennis, and near Bayou Oaks. Two
shuttle lots will be available at
TSU for UH students with valid UH
permits. These 7 lots will add over
1,000 additional student parking
spaces. Construction is also
underway on the next parking garage.
Opening in summer 2012, the new
stadium garage will provide over
2,300 additional parking spaces at
Cullen/Holman.
Prior to the start of classes, PTS
encourages all students to develop a
parking plan for the upcoming
academic year. Students should plan
to arrive to campus no less than 1
hour prior to the scheduled start of
classes, and be prepared to utilize
shuttle lots. PTS maintains a link
on the parking website to the
UH
Parking Lot Availability Map (PLAM).
This map, updated by UHDPS, provides
real time parking lot statistics for
each lot on campus, allowing users
to determine what lots do have
availability. Using this tool, along
with the Cougar Line shuttle
service, provides students with the
best solution for finding a parking
space and arriving to class on time.
All students are required to display
a valid UH parking permit when
parked on campus. Students are urged
to register early so that they will
receive their permit prior to the
August 22 start of classes. In order
to ensure that students with a valid
permit have the widest selection of
available spaces, all students will
need to display a permit beginning
on the first day of classes.
For more information on permits,
parking and alternative
transportation options, visit
www.uh.edu/parking.
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