Even though students continue to complain about the lack of parking on campus, the University of Mississippi Department of Parking and Transportation says it is working on ways to make students’ commutes to class smoother.
For students to park in any lot on campus, they must purchase a parking pass or pay for metered parking from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Parking passes are sold at a 2-to-1 ratio of two parking passes per designated student parking spot.
Even with a parking pass, some students are struggling to find a spot among the 11,584 available spots available on campus.
Avery Landry, a sophomore law studies major, has a Commuter Red parking pass which enables her to park in 3,699 spots spread across 12 locations.
“I have a Commuter Red parking pass,” Landry said. “Not only is there barely any parking, but if you’re able to find a spot, it’s a far walk. I stopped using my parking pass and started taking the bus because it takes me over 30 minutes to find a parking spot, then an additional 20 to walk to campus. For as much money as I pay, this should not be as big of a problem as it is.”
Many, like junior finance major Reid Miller, echoed Landry’s sentiments.
“As a result (of the far away parking), on campus parking is almost entirely pointless for me. I take the bus, which does take around 30 minutes to get to school from my apartment and almost an hour to get back, but that’s better than walking two miles a day.”
Director of Parking and Transportation Sam Patterson said that there is ample space available to students, but these spaces are not being utilized.
“There is not a lack of spaces available but a lack of preferential parking near academic buildings or residence halls,” Patterson said. “There are still some lots on the campus perimeter with ample parking availability.”
Patterson also described some of the university’s efforts to remedy the problems regarding distance and mobility. One of those changes has already occurred this year.
“We’ve made one change from Commuter Red to Commuter Blue, and that’s the lot on Jeannette Phillips Drive,” Patterson said. “This lot has historically been Commuter Blue, and the change allows for more Commuter Blue spaces near the core of campus.”
There are also plans for expansions of the bus system and other methods of transportation.
“Plans are in place to maximize parking options including commuter lots and increasing bus routes from perimeter lots to the interior of campus,” Patterson said. “We are negotiating a supplemental transportation service to provide golf cart-type ride options to fill some gaps in bus transportation. Other potential solutions are mobile apps that display real-time parking availability as well as bolstering walking paths and bicycle lanes.”
Another concern among students involves the Jackson Avenue Center, which is included in the Commuter Red pass.
“My classes are at the Jackson Avenue Center, and never in my four years have I ever seen parking so messed up,” Robert Neal, a senior criminal justice major, said.
The Department of Parking and Transportation has acknowledged these problems with the growing traffic at the Jackson Avenue center and encourages students to use university-provided public transportation.
“This semester, we are seeing an increase in traffic at the Jackson Avenue Center both as commuters and residential overflow,” Patterson said. “We are still seeing available spaces at the South Lot. We are also encouraging students to use alternative transportation methods such as the free Oxford University Transit bus system and the new Bird e-bikes. In the long term, we are also looking forward to a new parking garage located near the existing residential parking garage. This will bring more than 1,300 parking spaces to campus and is scheduled to open fall ’26.”
Patterson noted that the early weeks of each semester tend to be more hectic and encouraged students to be patient during their frustrations.
“The first few weeks of each semester typically see higher parking demand as students adjust to their new schedules, however, this tends to settle down as the semester progresses,” Patterson said.
