The Department of Parking and Transportation is planning for an expansion of the Physical Plant faculty parking lot.

The expansion of the faculty parking lot is scheduled to begin soon, Kristi Bryant, director of parking and transportation, said.

“We hope to have it done by the end of the semester,” Bryant said.

The lot, located behind the Physical Plant on Plant Drive, is currently at capacity, Bryant said.

Multiple contractors will be used for the plan, which includes close to 100 additional parking spaces, Bryant said.

While the new lot will be reserved for faculty, there are no current plans for student lots, Bryant said.

“There have always been talks of building a parking deck. We want to hold off on that as long as we absolutely, positively can to hold costs down for students. Right now our parking rates are one hundred and fifty dollars for commuters, and if we built a parking deck those prices would at least triple,” Bryant said. “It would be probably eighteen to twenty million to build that parking structure.”

The renovations of Lakeside and Landrum will cause the two dining halls to be relocated to a temporary building in the parking lot of Centennial Place. Approximately 135 spots will be lost due to the building, Bryant said.

“We do have a surplus of availability at the parking lot of Eagle Village on Harvey Drive, and we also have the parking lot adjacent to Kennedy Hall that can accommodate the overflow of those students,” Bryant said.

According to the 2011 parking lot inventory, there are a total of 11,713 parking spaces on the Georgia Southern University campus. Of those spaces, about 2,800 are designated for student commuters. The commuter permits, which are lot-specific, cost $150. This system was implemented in 2003.

“The parking system in place was through the University Police,” Joanie Greenlees, supervisor of parking and transportation, said.

Parking and transportation was not a separate department until 1991, Greenlees said.

“[When I was a student] you either had a residence hall permit for your residence hall or you had a commuter permit, and that commuter permit would allow you to park in any lot,” Bryant said.

“What you would find during class change times would just become a congested mess with people trying to fight for a parking spot, and then they would be running late for class and they would have to park in a visitor’s spot or something like that. Then, they would get a ticket,” Bryant said.

“They were writing over 40,000 tickets a year until fines were increased in the nineties. The number of tickets dropped drastically in the next year,” Greenlees said.

In 2011, there were 33,761 citations written on campus, which was a decrease from the 38,000 in 2010, said Greenlees.

“You have to think about how many kids are on campus. A lot of people will park anywhere and just hope they won’t get a ticket,” Carson Weaver, senior accounting major, said. “I know a lot of people just park to park.”

“While we have an inadequate amount of parking in the core of campus, we have ample parking, it’s just not where people want to park,” Bryant said. “The majority of our parking is at the stadium and the RAC, which are not desirable locations.”

Students with any valid GSU permit may park at the RAC any time during the day, and stadium parking is free. There are over 400 available paved spaces at the stadium along with over 1,700 grass spots. Students who park at the stadium then ride the bus or bike onto campus.

With the help of the inter-campus transit system, student needs are being met, Greenlees said.

Hunter Joyce, sophomore multimedia communication major, said, “I appreciate that the school offers a place to park for free, however, I feel that the bus system is inadequate for the number of students who use it.”