Date: October 28th, 2022

To: Dr. Le Van

From: Avery DeBernardi
Subject: Research Conducted on Parking Issues at USF

Research has been conducted on the University of South Florida’s parking issues experienced by
students. The following memo contains information on how various factors have contributed to
the lack of parking at USF and provides insight on how students are impacted by these struggles.

Background Information
Students are required to pay for parking permits at most universities however, at USF purchasing
a parking permit doesn’t guarantee a student a parking spot. Many students who live on campus
experience a difficult time trying to find parking near their dorms and students who commute
experience difficulties parking on time for their classes. USF charges 91 dollars per parking pass
for each semester totaling 182 dollars for the whole year. This can be expensive for many college
students, but it is a necessity. Parking and its effectiveness contribute massively to not only
campus life, but life in the outside community as well. Issues that happen on campus translate
into the surrounding areas and vice-versa. The research contained in this report shows how
important something as mundane as parking can be to students at USF and how this issue came
to be.

Explanation
The lack of parking at USF is a problem that continues to grow and can be understood by being
aware of these key points
 Most students live off campus.
 Many students must commute using a vehicle therefore requiring the use of a parking
space.
 USF freshman classes are growing larger adding more traffic.

Housing Factors
Transportation is an important factor in every student’s life at the University of South Florida.
Many students rely on a car for transportation in fact, according to USnews “At this school, 18%
of the students live in college-owned, -operated or -affiliated housing and 82% of students live
off campus (USnews)”. Given that 82% of students live off campus and there are no other
reliable methods of transportation for students at this time they are forced to commute to school
using a vehicle.

Influx of New residents in Florida

As the state of Florida grows, more students are applying to USF as it has seen an increase in the
number of new students this past year. The following data provided by USF states
“More than 65,000 prospective students applied to USF, which is approximately 15,000 more
than last year and the most ever at USF (30% increase) (USF)”. Given these circumstances the
demand for parking will continue to grow. With limited resources to build a new parking lot or
garage USF faces the issue of reaching its capacity for parking spaces leading to more stress on
the current student population.
Causes
There are many factors that have contributed to the parking crisis at USF including:
 Imbalanced student to parking space ratio
 Poor infrastructure of the state
 A lack of safe and reliable alternative options of transit for students

Lack in Quantity of Demand

USF currently has over 20,000 parking spots including four parking garages but given the
number of students who attend USF it is impossible for all students to simultaneously use their
paid parking permits. The university provides this data concerning enrollment this year “USF’s
overall enrollment remains steady at nearly 50,000 students (USF)”. When there are 50,000
students and just over 20,000 parking spaces the parking crisis can be easily understood.

Conclusion Regarding Student to Parking Ratio

In simple terms there are not enough parking spots for the number of students and faculty that
USF has. Over the past decade the number of students who are enrolled has dramatically
increased, this in combination with the lack of funding and space to add more parking has
contributed to the parking crisis.

Poor Infrastructure Remains a Leading Factor

Nathanial Sweet, a representative of the college of democrats at USF highlights another reason
students are forced to drive to school as he states “The fact that so many students live near USF
yet drive there every day doesn’t make sense. But it isn’t our fault. Our county’s infrastructure
compels us to drive because safe alternatives aren’t available (Sweet)”. Sweet brings up a valid
point that reminds us that USF isn’t the main culprit of this issue. One of the biggest causes of
the parking crisis stems from the poor infrastructure of Hillsborough County as it is known to be
one of the highest reported accident counties in the country.

Lack of Safe Alternatives

ABC action news of Tampa Bay published this information regarding Hillsborough County,
“Signal Four shows 42 walkers and bikers have died in traffic crashes in Hillsborough County
this year; another 111 were seriously injured (Williams)”. This data is extremely concerning and
sheds light on why students do not have other alternatives to commuting to USF. The data
supports that it is simply not safe to ride a bike or walk to school. There is a clear lack of safe
alternatives such as bike paths and sidewalks that students could take to avoid driving to campus.
If the county had chosen to intellectually plan their infrastructure around one of the best
universities in the state, the issue of parking might not be in the crisis it is today.

Conclusion Regarding Contributing Factors

All these factors together force students to drive to campus and given that USF is not physically
able to provide more parking at this time the issue seems to be something that students will have
to learn to live with until better alternatives become available.
Impacted Population
Students are unable to attend class on time as they scan the already filled parking lots across all
of campus fighting with their peers to find a spot. Many students are forced to attend school
much earlier than their class begins due to the fear of not being able to find a spot adding
unnecessary levels of stress to an already stressed-out college student. Other students must park
very far away from the classes they attend causing them to take up parking spots in lots where
other students attend class or even live in dorms. Not only is this an inconvenience to students
but a foundational component to any student’s life who attends classes on campus. Students are
highly affected as this issue can ruin not only their day, but potentially affect their academic
grades and personal lives on a deep level.

Survey Conducted Concluding Most Students are Affected by Parking Issues

A sample of 10 students were randomly selected from the USF student population to partake in a
survey created by an online tool known as Survey Monkey. The survey was conducted by USF
student Avery DeBernardi and questions regarding the following statements were asked.
 If students have had issues parking on campus
 If students live on or off campus
 The areas where parking issues occur most
 The day and times most parking issues take place

Analysis of Data Collected Figure 1: Where parking issues occur on

campus
The survey provided insight on how
students are the direct population that Parking Near Classes Parking Near Residential
is impacted by the lack of parking at Both No issues parking
USF. When asked if students have
10%
issues parking 9 out of 10 students
answered yes. When students were
asked if they lived on or off campus
the information discussed earlier in 30%
this report regarding the fact that 60%
80% of students live off campus was
supported by the data in the survey, 3
out of 10 lived on campus. As figure
1 to the right depicts, there is an
overwhelming majority of students that experience parking issues near classes (60%) and the
other 30% of students that live on campus report to having issues both near classes and near
residential areas. Only one student out of 10 reported to having no issues parking.

Conclusions drawn
Overall, there is clear evidence that students are directly impacted by the lack of parking at USF.
The objective data given by the survey is only a correlation to the parking issues as the real
impacts are experienced in the day to day lives of students. Many students have been deeply
affected including missing classes and having to walk long distances due to not being able to
park in desired areas. This causes students to miss important information from their professors
that could heavily impact their grade. Students experience unnecessary stress due to these issues
giving reason to advocate for solutions moving forward as the university continues to grow.
 References
DeBernardi, Avery. Questions About Parking on Campus for USF Students. Survey Monkey,
2022

Sweet, Nathaniel. “Tired of USF Parking?” Medium, The Blue Bull, 26 Feb. 2018,
https://medium.com/the-blue-bull/tired-of-usf-parking-5cc68c739260.

“University of South Florida - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best ...” U.S. News and
World Report, U.S News, 2022, https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-
south-florida-1537.

University of South Florida. “University of South Florida Welcomes the Largest and Highest-
Achieving First-Year Class in Its History.” University of South Florida Welcomes the
Largest and Highest-Achieving First-Year Class in Its History I USF News, 2022,
https://www.usf.edu/news/2022/university-of-south-florida-welcomes-the-largest-and-
highest-achieving-first-year-class-in-its-history.aspx#:~:text=A%20total%20of
%206%2C919%20students,strongest%20academically%20in%20USF%20history.

Williams, Jada. “Recent Traffic Crashes Highlight Calls for Better Pedestrian Safety in Tampa
Bay.” ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), 27
Aug. 2022, https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/recent-traffic-
crashes-highlight-calls-for-better-pedestrian-bid-safety-in-tampa-bay.