<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1bcZf1_14oak22K00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1bcZf1_14oak22K00" width="800" height="260" ></figure>Every year, students return to campus, and like clockwork, the same script gets passed around: “There’s nowhere to park on campus.” Students drive around the overcrowded lots, complain about the far walks and convince themselves that ACU has failed them. But the reality is parking on campus isn’t broken – it’s actually more than decent.Scott Duncan, director of facilities planning and finance, points out that ACU has 3,581 total spaces available in its lots and side streets on the main campus. Furthermore, it has an additional 154 public street spaces in the vicinity of campus. And with so-called remote lots, such as Smith-Adams and the Duncum Center, that adds 289 more spaces. The total exceeds the 3,675 students who are on campus for classes at ACU.And the permits? This school year, ACU issued 2,298 student permits and 928 faculty/staff permits, totaling 3,226 permits given in total. That number is 798 fewer than the total number of spots on campus. Kevin Campbell, senior vice president for operations, said that he had gotten the same complaint from students for the past 10 consecutive years. In other words, early birds get the closest worm.Some of this year’s added “crunch” is the growth. ACU added approximately 110 more students than last year, so that’s potentially up to 110 additional cars, though unlikely. Plus, throw in the record sophomore and junior return rate, and, naturally, the lots closest to the dorms are crowded. But again, the numbers tell us there is room, as there are an excess of 400 spots on any given day, according to the university.Even on the busiest days like Opening Chapel and Sing Song, the university still retains nearly 200 open spaces on average.Game days at Wildcat Stadium, on the other hand, bring a whole lot more people to campus. But ACU has chosen to prioritize affordability and day-to-day student life over building empty lots that would sit unused for most of the year.Something students have frequently mentioned is the fantasy of a garage. And we would love to endorse it, but the price is lethal.ACU’s passes cost students $65 a year, compared to the $100 to $700 average elsewhere.A number to catch you off guard: Commuter students at UT Arlington opting for the Maverick Garage Premium pass pay $1,304 per year.Not local enough? At West Texas rival Tarleton State, student Caitlyn Pearson said it is nice having a garage near the stadiums, but it comes with a cost that might not be worth it.“We pay $200 per semester to park,” Pearson said.Campbell explained why: A garage near ACU’s library would cost about $30,000 per stall. One building alone would run about $18 million, forcing ACU to raise parking passes to $450–$500 per year to repay the cost over 30 years.Suddenly, that $65 “overcrowded” pass doesn’t look so bad; you could fund a lot of late-night Whataburger runs with that difference.And no, ACU is not evil. It has experimented with some ways to incentivize further parking.A few years back, ACU collaborated with the Student Government Association to place electric scooters in those less popular parking spots. That program did not hit as expected. Still, the willingness to experiment earns an A-plus.And the work continues. Engineers working with ACU are investigating how to pave and stripe dirt lots to make them more efficient. Land already owned by ACU could one day be used for new parking, as seen across the street from Wessel and Mabee halls, where a lot was completed about two years ago.The bottom line is that parking will always be the easiest complaint on any college campus, but the numbers show that ACU’s situation is more than passable, if you are willing to walk an extra few minutes on this “huge” campus.If you ask the 10-year vets in this whole parking question, that being Campbell and his colleagues, they joke that, “We don’t have a parking problem at ACU, we have a walking problem.”</div></body>

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Every year, students return to campus, and like clockwork, the same script gets passed around: “There’s nowhere to park on campus.” Students drive around the overcrowded lots, complain about the far walks and convince themselves that ACU has failed them. But the reality is parking on campus isn’t broken – it’s actually more than decent.

On-campus parking: Not as bad as you think

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Every year, students return to campus, and like clockwork, the same script gets passed around: “There’s nowhere to park on campus.” Students drive around t

On-campus parking: Not as bad as you think

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