The Parking and Transportation Services Department is taking a look at long term parking needs for the university; the first comprehensive study of the combined long-term needs of the north, south and main campus areas.
Two representatives from Walker Parking Consultants conducted a series of public forums in April, and are now in the process of compiling results from the online parking survey.
The consultants say they already know some things, and one of them is that UNM has more than 19-thousand parking spaces, and doesn't immediately need more. They say the problem is not the number of spaces; it is where they are located, and how people access them conveniently. It also appears the most difficult parking problems are on the north portion of the campus near the Health Sciences Center, since parking places in this area are used all day and much of the evening.
The consultants say campus research is telling them it is important to allow resident students to park near the residence halls, and it is important to have visitor parking available on the main campus. There are currently 5-thousand parking places on the main campus, and demand for about twice that number.
Part of the problem that the parking study will examine is a way to better balance damand with supply. For example, the parking survey is showing that 93 percent of the people who come to UNM are driving from home and 79 percent of them are driving along. One way to ease the parking demand might be to set up a carpooling system.
Parking and Transportation Services planners say they are looking for any way possible to ease the problem. University projections show the fall 2004 freshman class registration may again top 3-thousand. Results and recommendations from this study will be made public in late August, just about the time the campus community is likely to have parking problems uppermost in mind.
Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627
Posted by kwentworth at April 23, 2004 02:30 PM