The Learning Must Go On
Credit Bloomberg Photos by Adam Glanzman
Universities haven’t shuttered their doors. Certainly not virtually. Distance learning programs for the fall are purported to be more robust (and certainly more well planned) than their spring counterparts were. But many students are still headed back to campus. Universities are often offering a mix of in-person, distance, and hybrid learning models. So what happens to resources like campus parking lots? How can schools maximize them and how can they use them to improve the student experience? Watch our live case study with leading parking managers and find out!
Campus Parking Lots- Changed Needs
On many campuses, shuttles and buses that were usually packed with students will instead either not be operating or will operate at decreased capacity. For students who can no longer rely on these means of transportation, driving may become more common. Campus parking lots will certainly still be in demand for students who drove to school in the past as well as to this new demographic. How can universities improve the student experience for these new students that will be using campus parking? What are their plans to keep parking lots safe and useful?
Parking Permits
Parking PermitsMany universities sell parking permits to students to use for campus parking lots. With the many changes of the Fall 2020 semester, some may offer reduced rate permits to offset the cost for students who wouldn’t normally need to use campus parking. In addition, they will likely offer different types of permits. They may offer morning or afternoon permits. Or they may issue permits by day of week to accommodate students who will be on campus less and won’t need full time parking passes. Hear from parking managers at TX Universities how they plan to address this issue this semester.
Analyzing Need
Matt Penney, the Director of Parking at Baylor University, says that they plan to use OpenSpace to easily determine parking needs based on usage statistics. When they see when parking is needed most, they can adjust permit sales based on actual usage. In addition, students and faculty can see OpenSpace data in real time to help them park faster and get into class on time. Pablo Aguilar, Director of Parking at University of Texas, says they will also use OpenSpace stats to assess permit need as well. He noted that the system gives them amazing accuracy that they know they can rely on. They plan to continue to use it to help guide students and faculty into safe, open parking spots.
