Correction: Steve Mouras is Tech's director of transportation and campus services. The Collegiate Times regrets this error.
As the Virginia Tech community expands, steps will be taken to allow for more vehicles on its roadways. According to the Virginia Tech Master Plan, over the next decade many changes will be made to the parking scenery, including garages and the construction of buildings on top of current surface lots.Transportation and Campus Services is in charge of several of these projects.
"Our job is to provide quality service to the Virginia Tech community. This includes printing, mail and records management," said Steve Mouras, director of TCS. "We manage the BT contract, bikeways and pathways."
In 2002, when Tech's parking plan was created, a ratio was identified for how the campus would maintain a certain number of spaces per customer group. This was based upon demand that was measured by the number of permits that were requested, and then from that demand, a certain percentage of spaces were generated. Relative to the number of permits sold, there are about 85 percent of spots for faculty and staff, 45 percent for commuter graduates and 90 percent for residents; in other words, if 100 students apply for a resident pass, 90 spaces are constructed.
"When we did the master plan, we also did a duration analysis and determined that the average student only spends about four hours in parking every day," Mouras said. "People often buy permits and don't even bring their vehicle to campus. This is a good thing for us. We have 15,000 spaces with around 19,000 permits sold a year."
Soon, construction will begin on a new garage located north of Cowgill and Whittemore halls. With the project costing about $25 million, permits will likely see a substantial cost increase.
"The earliest that construction will start will be December, with the latest being in May or June, all contingent upon factors outside of our control," Mouras said. "We have selected a design-build team and they are well into the design phase."
The two primary sources of revenue are permit sales and ticket collection. Compared to peer universities, Tech has the second lowest cost in parking permits, but one of the highest costs for parking tickets. At $30, Tech outstrips other schools, whose tickets range between $15 and $20 per incident.
Some have raised questions of whether new parking facilities are actually necessary.
"The data that we're getting from this year so far, although only a third complete, is that for the first time in a long time is that there has been a substantial and measureable decline in the number of permits we're selling," Mouras said. "We usually sell somewhere between 11,000 and 12,000 to commuter graduates, and there is a decline this year."
The reason for this could be that more people are biking, scootering and walking.
"Folks are very conscious about issues with sustainability, a lot more than they were five years ago," Mouras said. "The cost of fuel six months ago was also a problem. There is more of an interest in sustainability options now than there were 13 years ago, that's for sure."
Also, into the future, many lots will be in structures such as garages and on the perimeter of campus. With 95 current lots, with some as few as six spots, Mouras claims that there is always a parking spot available, somewhere on campus.
"When folks say we don't have enough parking, what they're really saying is we don't have enough parking for my individual need at this point in time," Mouras said. "What they're not saying is that I drove around for 40 minutes on campus, and couldn't find an open parking spot."
TCS doesn't only deal with parking, however. The roundabout located on West Campus drive was the first roundabout constructed on a college campus and in southwest Virginia."It's more than just being the first, it's highly effective," Mouras said. "It created an opportunity for people who had never used one. It's much safer for pedestrians, cars and bicyclists as well."
Other future projects include parking spaces in the Chicken Hill parking lot, just past Lane Stadium. When the garage is built, there must be an alternative site where these cars may be moved. Contrary to popular belief, that lot won't solely be for football patrons.
Part of the school's master plan also includes putting buildings on existing surface areas. The freshman parking lot, known as The Cage, will soon see structures on top of it. The land west of the cage that is currently a corn field may turn into a new surface lot.
"Those two locations are some of the last two surface areas that are buildable as far as buildings go," Mouras said. "The university's master plan envisions six garages being built over the next 20 years."
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