The start of the semester is a high-traffic time for campus and the surrounding area.
Parking can be a challenge in the first weeks of the semester. The Office of Parking and Transit Services has put together some tips and reminders for parking on campus.
- Peak times for parking on campus are 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All commuters are encouraged to come to campus early and take advantage of the T bus to get to points around campus.
- The Lake Avenue garage is now all non-commuter (N-6), but more commuter spaces have been added to the White Avenue garage (G-12). The number of residential (non-commuter) spaces was reduced in the White Avenue garage to get more commuters closer to the buildings near the Hill. White Avenue is also the best garage to use when going to Hodges Library during the day or in the evening hours.
- Additional on-street commuter spots were added to Pat Summitt Street next to the Lindsey Nelson Baseball Stadium.
- The Poplar Street Lot (C-18) provides 100 spaces for commuters on most weekdays. Another 150 spaces are available in the adjoining Church Street United Methodist lot (C-26) on weekdays and are particularly helpful when the Poplar Street Lot is closed to meet the city’s needs.
- Students can track all of the T buses live through TransLoc by downloading UT’s mobile app.
- An extra bus was added this week to the Neyland Express route, which runs from the Bus Plaza beside Neyland Stadium’s Gate 21 to the Ag Campus and Sorority Village, to handle the increased demand.
The first week of classes has ended and full parking enforcement has begun to help ensure that all students, faculty, and staff are parking only in the lots and garages that have been assigned to them.
Permits are still available and can be purchased from both Parking and Transit Services Office locations in the UC Down Under or Stephenson Drive building. Permits can also be purchased on the Parking and Transit Services website.
“We are monitoring the lots throughout the day, every day, so that we can have a full understanding of demand and usage,” said Mark Hairr, director of Parking and Transit Services. “We are also always actively searching for ways to add more spaces on or near our campus for commuter and residential students.”
If you do not plan to purchase a parking permit, there are more than 1,000 on-street parking spaces on and around campus that are city-owned, and those spaces do not require a parking permit. UT Parking and Transit Services does recommend that everyone register their vehicles with the office so that owners can be contacted in the event of an accident or an emergency.
For more information about changes or general questions, visit Parking and Transit Services or call 865-974-6031.
Follow @UTKParking for parking and transit news and updates.