The University of Alabama at Birmingham will have a shortage of 3,500 parking spaces in five years if it doesn't look at its transit system differently, a recent study found.

The urban campus, with little open space to grow, is now attempting to do just that.

UAB has unveiled a five-year plan for improvements to its transportation and parking network as the student population continues to grow.

The university saw record student enrollment last fall of 20,902. The fall 2017 semester was also the first time the university encouraged all its incoming freshmen to live on campus and 80 percent did so.

"We're excited about the growth of our campus, the projected growth of our campus, and this plan allows us to continue to not just grow but actually improve our on-campus transportation system," said James Fowler, director of planning design and construction. "And it helps us continue to move away from being a commuter campus and makes us a part of an urban, vibrant community."

Through a two-year study the university learned that students and employees are excited about UAB moving away from being a commuter campus, he said.

That is going to take a continued investment in other options, including growing the transit system and investing in bicycle infrastructure, Fowler said.

The five-year plan includes managing demand for and improving parking, enhancing transit services and encouraging pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

No freshman parking

As part of this plan, UAB is looking over the next five years to possibly prohibit freshmen from bringing a vehicle on campus. Fowler said this move could save about 700 parking spaces and encourage students to stay on campus.

"We are definitely trying to adjust the culture away from being a commuter campus, so this plan does help reinforce that, he said.

To aid this effort, the university is continuing to invest in its transit system including the Blazer Express buses and partnering with the city to build bicycle lanes, enhanced crosswalks and making on-street parking easier.

Improvements to the Blazer Express transit system will include the number and length of routes, efficiency and reliability.

According to UAB, changes in parking lot assignments and transit routes were made in early 2017 to save time for employees who park in Express Lots or perimeter lots.

These transit enhancements are designed to encourage students to use express parking lots on the outskirts of campus rather than waste time looking for parking in the core of campus, Fowler said.

Parking decks

UAB is studying the feasibility of building two parking decks: one for students and one in the medical district, Fowler said.

The first parking deck will contain about 1,100 parking spaces for students and will be located at the corner of 12th Street South and 11th Avenue. This could replace an approximate 200-space surface parking lot.

Another parking deck could be built near Kirklin Clinic at the corner of 5th Avenue South and Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard.

In two years, UAB will then evaluate whether there is a need to build two additional parking decks.

Parking decks are necessary as well as the campus continues to grow, add new facilities, and reduce surface parking lots in the core of campus.

Stephen Foster, vice president of Five Points South Neighborhood Association, said a student parking deck in the area of 11th Avenue South is amazing news for the neighborhood.

"If you drive around UAB around 11th, 14th and Collum streets, you start to see a number of cars parking on the streets," he said, adding that many residents can't park in front of their homes now because students are parking there.

A parking deck is "going to drastically" reduce that occurrence, Foster said.

Fowler said UAB is interested in working with the city of Birmingham to create an on-street parking permitting system to further address this issue.

City Council President Valerie Abbott is leading the effort at the city. She said council staff is researching best practices in other cities.

Foster said the neighborhood is also partnering with UAB to come up with new ideas to deal with parking issues. One idea is having UAB police ticket students parking on residential streets and requiring students to pay off their tickets in order to graduate.

Partnership with Birmingham

UAB has applied for a grant with the city of Birmingham to build bike lanes on 13th Street from 10th Avenue South to 1st Avenue South.

Fowler said this project will connect UAB with Regions Field and Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham.

This year bike lanes will also open along 10 blocks of 10th Avenue South.

Other improvements

UAB is implementing a three-year plan to convert all decks to LED lighting, which is brighter, more environmentally sound and offers greater security, Parking and Transportation Services Director Andre Davis.

Bicycle lockers have been installed to provide protection from theft, vandalism and inclement weather.

Three electric car-charging stations were installed in 2017 and more will open this spring in select employee lots.

UAB has promoted employee participation in CommuteSmart, which rewards those who carpool, walk, bike or travel by bus.

Car-sharing program ZipCar launched

BlazeRide, a van service for employees with limited mobility, has also launched

UAB updated its policy last year to permit employees or students who work in non-patient care buildings to park their bicycles in private offices.

To help pay for campus-wide transportation improvements, Fowler said UAB plans to raise the price of student and employee parking permits, which hasn't happened in a number of years.

Student parking permits haven't gone up in price since 2012, according to the university. Employee parking permits haven't gone up in 10 years.