Parking continues to be a struggle for students in several areas of campus even though there are not currently a higher number of cars with student permits than there were last year.
Clara Wells, director of Student Accounts, explained that 1,086 student parking permits have been registered so far this year, but that the number is expected to go up throughout the year as more students register for parking permits.
“Last year was 1,325 for the whole year,” Wells said. “We’re pretty close.”
Wells also explained that there is an ample number of parking spaces for the number of permits issued.
“There’s parking, but there’s not a lot of convenient parking,” said Pete Perez, assistant chief of TUPD.
For those who have a hard time parking close to their residence halls, Perez encourages utilizing other areas on campus to park.
“It’s not guaranteed that you’ll have parking by where you live,” Perez said. “When a lot is full, a lot is full. Please don’t park in fire lanes or block anybody in.”
Students should also not park on the side of Shook Avenue that is across from the sophomore residence halls, except on Sundays.
“That’s the city,” Perez said. “We have no control over that.”
Junior Ashley Eads lives in City Vista, and shared her thoughts about parking at Trinity.
“Finding a spot on upper campus is usually fine, it just might not be quite where I want it,” Eads wrote in an email. “The hardest place to find parking is the lot in front of [Dicke Art and Smith Music Building], but Alamo Stadium is an OK alternative when it’s open. The lots under and behind Laurie usually always have spots open, but they aren’t the most convenient.”
Sophomore Hayley Schlueter lives in Dick and Peggy Prassel Hall and has not experienced any difficulties with parking this year.
“Sometimes I would like to drive to upper campus in the morning to avoid the stairs, but my friends say that there is never any parking, which is understandable,” Schlueter wrote in an email. “Parking is about the same this year. I haven’t had any difficulties because I usually don’t feel like walking to my car anyways.”
Students who have trouble finding parking near where they are going at night are encouraged to call TUPD and get a ride from the Tiger Tracks safety escort program. Students can request a TUPD escort in evening hours by calling TUPD at their non-emergency number, 210-999-7070.
