Parking and Transportation are concerned about parking at WKU

Cameron Love & Parking and Transportation/HERALD

For the past decade, parking complaints were more of a problem of convenience than a problem of lack of space.  This year, however, has been the most difficult opening of school for everyone in the 10 years I have been here.

This year, we experienced a triple whammy.  We have more students living on campus, and a higher percentage of those students brought a car to campus.  Taking into account the residents of the new apartments, whom we were expecting, this has resulted in a net increase of roughly 250 residents parking on campus that we were not expecting. 

Because of the loss of parking inventory over the last two years, we did not have the capacity to absorb the increase in demand for housing parking.  As a result, during the first week of school we ran out of parking on the main campus.  

We have changed the zoning of the Creason lot. The Alumni Square Garage is open for the fall semester. We’ve increased enforcement to protect parking for permit holders. We’ve aggressively released waiting list names to fill parking on campus. WKU now has new transit routes with increased frequency and more off-campus stops. 

Long-term fixes are more difficult. Parking capacity is a priority issue for the Campus Master Plan Committee this year, and SGA and the Parking and Transportation Committee are actively engaged in this process. Unfortunately, expanding parking inventory is both a costly and time-consuming process.  

You might consider leaving your car at home and using the two Enterprise Car Share vehicles in the Barnes lot. We can buy back your housing permit. Parking at South Campus and busing in is also an option. Pay close attention to transit services and try to carpool.

We are here to help.  More information is available online. You can contact us directly at [email protected]