For the first time in more than a decade, employee parking rates in some locations will increase beginning Jan. 1, 2019, and UAB employees no longer will be able to park in student lots.
Full-time deck rates are increasing to $58.34 per month from $50, and full-time perimeter lots to $14 per month from $11. Full-time lot prices will remain the same. Part-time deck and lot prices are increasing to $36.68 and $33.34, respectively, from $25, and part-time perimeter lot rates will go to $14 per month from $11. Adjunct deck, lot and perimeter prices also will increase.
Rate increases were determined using the comprehensive parking and transportation study, conducted in 2016, which helped UAB develop a five-year plan to manage existing and future demand, create a more fiscally sustainable transportation system and improve customer service for the entire enterprise.
“UAB has gone many years without increasing parking rates for our employees, but as our campus continues to grow, both physically and in student and employee populations, it was time to reevaluate our system,” said André Davis, director of UAB Transportation. “We plan to use the extra revenue generated to continue upkeep on our current parking decks and lots and also invest in more transportation solutions on campus.”
Additionally, as UAB’s growth continues, permitting employee parking in student lots is not sustainable, Davis continued.
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“Employees who purchase parking permits are counted as using a space in an employee lot,” he said. “When that employee uses a space in a student lot, they essentially are taking up two parking spaces instead of one, which reduces availability for others on campus and falsely inflates waitlists. Overall, it makes managing our parking system more difficult and increases the cost of effectively providing parking.”
UAB’s part- and full-time employee parking rates are on par or lower than those at comparable higher-education institutions: The University of Cincinnati’s rates range from $48-111, and Vanderbilt University charges $40-90 on a salary-based scale. Virginia Commonwealth University charges $53.50- $98 per month.
Campus enhancements
UAB Transportation is implementing recommended improvements in phases through 2021. The department already has implemented a new Transportation Demand Management program (TDM) to encourage alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles. Manager Brian Atkinson is focused on safety and security improvements in existing parking facilities, better services from Blazer Express and a renewed effort to help Birmingham develop a world-class, comprehensive transportation network.
Physical improvements also are underway, including enhancements to deck security and lighting, increasing the number of bicycle facilities, improving crosswalks to promote pedestrian activity and building additional parking decks.
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“UAB is a leader in innovation and created the first dedicated employer-based, transportation demand-management program in the state,” Atkinson said. “If we can be successful in changing the culture at UAB, the impact will radiate across the entire area and beyond.”
Travel smarter, not harder
Want to reduce spending on parking? Consider parking in UAB’s Express lots and riding one of the Blazer Express bus service’s seven weekday bus routes that operate 5:20 a.m.-midnight. Download the TransLoc Rider app for iPhone and Android to track where buses are in real time.
UAB’s Blazer Home initiative is making it easier for employees to buy or renovate homes in Five Points, Glen Iris and North and South Titusville, perfect for walking or biking to work. And remember that employees who work in non-patient care buildings can park their bikes in private offices or in one of the hundreds of bike racks on campus. Cyclists who register their bikes with UAB Transportation receive a free helmet and U-lock.
Whichever alternate commute you pursue, CommuteSmart can help you earn as much as $70 in the first 90 days and $25 per quarter afterward for logging your alternative commutes by carpool, bike, bus, walking or teleworking.