Many who drive to campus each day may not be aware of some parking options that aren't as congested as those closer to the heart of campus.

During the early days of November, Transit and Parking counted empty parking spaces within specific areas on campus that included some student lots, the commuter lot, and faculty and staff lots. The count revealed that of the more than 14,000 parking spaces on campus, more than 2,000 spaces are open during the busiest times.

Students may find many available spaces in Lot 56, while faculty and staff will find open parking in areas such as Lots 54, 78 and 78A.

Lot 99, with 1,100 parking spaces, also has many open spots on any given day. It is located south of the main part of campus and is open to any current parking permit holder.

Razorback Transit provides service to Lots 56 and 99, as well as several other parking areas on campus. You may see the campus parking map for details.

The recent count reminds us that the numbers don't exactly support the claim that there isn't enough parking at the university.

To determine a minimum number of available parking spaces, the count was done on Monday and Tuesday mornings (when the greatest number of classes meet and campus is most crowded). 

Obviously, more parking is available at other times, when fewer people are on campus.

Specifically, the vacant parking space count showed that 1,638 parking spaces were not being used in student parking and in commuter parking areas.

There were 438 faculty and staff parking spaces available during the same time (in the yellow lots on campus).

This means that during the busiest times, 35 percent of student and commuter parking and 24 percent of faculty and staff parking is vacant.

They completed the count during the mornings of Nov. 1, 2, 8 and 9. It included counted vacant spaces in Lots 1, 15, 15A, 36, 36B, 37, 38, 41, 42, 44, 45A, 45B, 45C, 46E, 47N, 47W, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 56D, 57, 57A, 58, 62, 62A, 69, 74, 75, 78, 78A, 78B, 80, 83 and 99. Vacant faculty and staff spaces were also counted in the Meadow Street Parking Garage. You may see these on the campus parking map.

Understandably, most of the open parking spaces are in parking areas farthest from the center of campus.

This does not mean that certain parking lots do not get full, because some of them do. It also does not mean that garage parking and reserved parking is never near capacity because they are (the count did not include major garages and reserved parking).

Those who park farther away often catch a ride on Razorback Transit buses that come to the lot. For more information, you may see the bus route schedule or use the Passio GO! app. 

Transit and Parking understands the unique logistical concerns that affect parking and the morning commute of thousands of people, and is always open to input from motorists on campus. Some slight modifications are made each year. The university regularly reviews parking availability, as well as ideas and suggestions, and if a change is warranted and feasible, it can be implemented.

For related information about campus parking matters, you may see Transit and Parking's frequently asked questions.