In an ongoing effort to ease traffic congestion on Main Campus, electronic counters have been installed in the two parking ramps.
The devices count vehicles as they enter and exit the parking areas and display the number of available spaces on an LED signboard for drivers’ to see.
“A computer panel calculates how many spaces there are at any given time based on real-time traffic flow,” said Yarko Kuk, administrative services and business manager in the UT Police Department.
The west ramp signboard is located at the garage entrance off parking lot 13. The sign for the east ramp is at the entrance to lot 2 off Bancroft Street and indicates how many spots are available in both the lot and the ramp.
The number of available spaces is displayed as drivers pass. When there are no spaces available, the signs read “Full.”
“Parking is in great demand at UT, as it is on many college campuses,” Kuk added. “The counting system isn’t going to create new spaces, but, hopefully, it will alleviate some driver frustration. We’re trying to give people the information they need so they can make their own decisions about pursuing a parking space.”
The counters cost approximately $45,000 and were installed last week. According to Kuk, the west ramp contains 749 parking spaces, while the east ramp and lot 2 have 1,053 spaces.
A second sign has been installed at the east ramp entrance in the event drivers miss the lot 2 signage. A simple message — “Full” — is shown when the electronic counter indicates no available spaces.
Similar secondary signage is planned for the west side of the west ramp and should be completed in mid-January at a cost of $5,000. The goal, according to Kuk, is to alert drivers about parking availability before they turn into lot 13.
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