As part of the first phase of The University of Mississippi’s new parking plan, approximately 100 reserved parking spots for faculty and staff have been sold since becoming available.
The limited reserved parking spaces for faculty and staff cost $600 for one year and have been available online since midnight, July 1. The spots are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis and were made available in the middle of the night due to the expected competition in some locations according to Linda Christian, manager of Parking Services.
“It was determined that the procedure for reserved parking would be first-come, first-serve, and we could expect it to be somewhat competitive in some offered locations,” Christian said. “So it was decided to allow people to go online as soon as possible on the start-up date, July 1.”
Parking director Isaac Astill said the first-come, first-serve system was a success.
“The only issue was that a few (employees) weren’t able to get their lot because it was already taken,” Astill said.
According to Astill, the funds from the reserved parking will pay for additional services for everyone.
The reserved parking is part of a plan implemented by Ole Miss after re-evaluating the parking shortages caused by the university’s rapid growth.
The Traffic and Parking Committee, which made these changes effective July 1, said the three-stage plan will help “improve parking infrastructure for the long term, expand the on-campus shuttle system and add transportation options.”
Another major change to be implemented is the transition from a decal to a hangtag, which will allow tags to be moved to other vehicles. The hangtags will be registered to the individual rather than the vehicle so if a vehicle is ticketed, the individual to whom the tag is registered will have to pay the fee. After handing out 29,651 citations this last spring, the university is hoping the use of hangtags will reduce the amount of parking citations written.
The cost of parking hangtags will also steadily increase, and the university said the increased prices will help raise funds for future parking solutions. According to the Ole Miss Department of Parking and Transportation, commuter and resident hangtags will increase by $10 per year for the next three years, beginning at $95 for 2013-14. Regular staff and faculty hangtags will increase by $15 over the same period. Hangtags must be purchased online, as the university looks to avoid the chaos of last year’s line during which some sat for hours waiting to buy their decal.
Oxford-University Transit (O.U.T.) and Park and Ride Express shuttle buses are making changes too, extending their hours this fall. O.U.T. as well as Park and Ride Express plan to run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, two hours later than last year.
Retired faculty or staff have the option of purchasing a yearly hangtag or paying the visitor parking rate of $1 per day. Those visiting the campus will also have to pay $1 per day and park in the designated visitor lots.
For additional information regarding parking hangtag rate increases, visit http://olemiss.edu/parking/changes.
