UK parking accessibility: As numbers rise, so do complaints

With yet another record-breaking incoming freshman class, issues surrounding parking are becoming pertinent for some UK students, making it difficult to find nearby parking to desired dorms and buildings.

Both on- and off-campus students have multiple options to choose from when it comes to parking their vehicle on campus property, some such as Cornerstone Garage, Memorial Coliseum Lot and Kroger Field, according to the UK Transportation Services website.

Sophomore Jude Holder said he lives off-campus around a mile away and makes the drive to class despite his often struggle with finding parking.

“My freshman year I was right on campus and didn’t have to worry about driving and finding a spot to get to classes on time, now I have to plan to leave home far earlier than I thought I would need to just in case I can’t find a spot,” Holder said in an email to the Kernel.

While not an off-campus resident, sophomore Alex Billings lives in Donovan Hall and said he also faces difficulties with parking during the academic year.

“Limited availability, intense ticketing, and unclear guidelines online make for a poor combination,” Billings said in an email to the Kernel. 

The UK Transportation Services website said students are responsible for purchasing their parking permits online on set dates over the summer depending upon their status of being an incoming or returning student.

Sophomore marketing major Avery Strause found the online parking portal to be unhelpful and confusing, landing her in K-Lot a mile from where she lives in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house. 

“Both years I ordered off the UKY transportation website. The site is pretty unclear of what lot is what and I heard mixed reviews of what day each of the lots open,” Strause said. “I picked the K-Lot because it was what I knew. I would have liked being in the library lot or the Rose Street parking garage, neither of which were made very clear if I even had the option of getting,” Strause said.

While availability of parking spots may be a common difficulty among commuters, freshman Josh Smith said he believes the pricing is unfair.

“Parking passes should not be a separate charge. A pass should come with the price of admission, especially since most lower income families are already driven broke or into debt by the expense,” Smith said to the Kernel in an email.

According to the University of Kentucky’s Department of Transportation Services website, the cheapest parking pass option for students is set at $136 per semester for a spot in Kroger Field or $272 for an annual pass. 

Another option is a residential permit totaling $504 for the academic year, according to a UKNOW article.

“Students who choose to purchase a residential (R) permit are required to park within their designated residential area,” the UKNOW article said. “They may also choose to park in the residential periphery (RK) area at Kroger Field.”