Parking plan rolled out to regents

Updated 1:00 PM September 22, 2003

Parking plan rolled out to regents

By Diane Brown
Facilities and Operations

Two new structures, along with several additional transportation services and initiatives, will help address parking challenges on campus. Hank Baier, associate vice president for Facilities and Operations, and Pat Cunningham, director of Parking and Transportation Services, presented a long-range parking plan Sept. 18 to the Board of Regents.

Overall, the parking system will experience a net gain of 2,500 blue permit spaces since 1998.

Plans for a 500-space structure in the 1100 block of East Ann Street and a 440-space addition to the Thompson Street parking structure will be presented to the regents in the near future, Baier said. These new structures—along with previously approved projects, including the new Palmer Drive and Cardiovascular Center parking structures—will add 2,260 new parking spaces in the next four years. Overall, the parking system will experience a net gain of 2,500 blue permit spaces since 1998 and an additional 1,300 spaces that were added in parking areas in more remote locations.

"Our faculty and staff population has increased by 4,000 employees since 1998," Baier said. "As a result, our parking system, which has been challenged for many years, continues with a parking crunch. This plan summarizes initiatives our staff has been creating to continue to work through this crunch."

The parking plan development was overseen by Cunningham, who is retiring at the end of the month after 26 years of service with the University.

Several funding options to cover the costs of the new structures currently are under consideration, Baier said. Options include increasing the individual gold and blue permit fees and reviewing the amount the University contributes for employee permits.

To address some of the parking challenges, Baier highlighted several transportation services that recently have been added to reduce demand. For example:

• Two hundred new parking spaces were added this summer at the State Street Commuter Lot, providing a total of 635 spaces that usually turn over twice each day;

• A Blue Crunch parking lot and taxi service was created in 2000 to provide parking for faculty and staff who arrive after many of the Central Campus parking spaces are filled. A second Blue Crunch lot was added this month on North Campus for Medical Campus employees;

• U-M covers the costs for 17 van pools, reducing the demand for 100 parking spaces.

Longer-range ideas that have been identified in the plan include options for three additional structures in areas currently providing only surface parking—North Campus, South (athletics) Campus and the Wall Street area. A new Automated Vehicle Identification system will be implemented throughout the parking structures to reduce unauthorized access. Baier also noted a longer-range goal to create additional incentives to promote the use of alternative transportation, reducing the increasing parking demand on Central Campus.

Overall, the parking system will experience a net gain of 2,500 blue permit spaces since 1998.

Parking plan rolled out to regents

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