University students, administration discuss parking issues on campus

All students at UNC, with the exception of undergraduate first-years, have the opportunity to apply for a student parking permit. 

Parking permits are distributed through a lottery system, with student representatives determining the number of parking spots available to each class. Registration for the 2024-25 Student Parking Lottery was held from July 3-14, with students being notified of the results on July 17. 

UNC Media Relations Manager Beth Lutz said in a statement to The Daily Tar Heel that there are 4,170 permits available annually for student parking on campus. 1,130 of these spaces are located in the Estes Drive off-campus lot for Carolina Housing students and the remainder are located on UNC's main campus in 20 parking areas.

If successful in the lottery, students are assigned virtual parking permits, meaning that no hang tags or physical permits are used. Instead, student’s license plates are registered in the permit system and serve as their parking credential. 

“Students notified of a permit assignment are directed to Online Services to pay for the permit, provide proof of insurance and license plate registration," Lutz wrote. "Any outstanding citation balances must also be cleared before purchasing a permit."

For the 2024-25 academic year, the cost of a student permit in the Estes Drive lot is $260, while a Zone Student Permit is $405. 

After the lottery process, parking permits are released via waitlist, with waitlist priority determined by students’ class status. Students who did not register for the parking lottery may join one of the waitlists on a first come, first serve basis using Online Services.

Gianna Lijoi, a rising sophomore, said she was hoping to obtain a parking permit because of a disability that limits her mobility. 

Lijoi said there was confusion surrounding the location of the different parking lots and the way students were notified about the results of the parking lottery. She said she did not receive a parking permit, and was told that she was placed on a waitlist.

Students are able to apply for Medical Mobility Accommodations through the Transportation and Parking Accommodations Committee. Depending on circumstances and availability, these accommodations may include a UNC-Disability permit parking space or campus, local and regional transportation. 

A July 5 post on the UNC Executive Branch Instagram account stated that if students did not receive parking through the lottery process, they could apply for hardship parking. This is described on the University's Transportation and Parking department's website as "a process for students with extenuating circumstances and transportation demands that cannot be met through student lottery registration and available commuting options."

The website also said that there were a limited number of hardship parking permits available to students, saying that applicants were not guaranteed a permit. Limited hardship parking permits are available to qualifying students, which were circumstances including family obligations, internship or clinical requirements and/or significant extracurricular involvement, according to information from the website.

Gabriel Duval, a rising junior at UNC, said he applied for the parking lottery and received a permit from the University.

“I live on campus, and I'm an out-of-state student, so I like to have my car here and need a place to park it,” Duval said. He said he is on the men’s rowing team, which practices off campus and early in the morning, before buses start their routes for the day. 

Duval said that he found the parking lottery application process to be straightforward, and when he had issues with confirming his permit in the parking portal, he was able to get assistance from UNC Transportation and Parking. However, he said he still feels there is a lot that needs to be improved about the on-campus parking process.

Duval said that the University should try to find a way to provide more parking spaces for students, saying that it is very frustrating for those who need to park on campus to not be able to find a spot. 

“I don't think it should cost as much as it does to park on the school campus that we've already paid to go to school,” Duval said.

@mreames13

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com