Lot 34 sits on West Nedderman Drive in front of the West Campus Parking Garage.
Cars circle the campus parking lots like metallic vultures, waiting for a spot. Minutes tick by, the clock pushing drivers closer to anger and being late to their classes.
Every semester, frustration emerges around parking on campus. Many students are tired of the difficulty of finding a spot and want more parking.
While more parking can be seen as the easy fix, the solution may not be as simple as students think.
UTA is a known commuter school, with students traveling from around Dallas-Fort Worth daily to attend classes.
Larry Cummings, UTA parking communications manager, said in an email that 20,670 parking permits had been sold for the fall 2026 semester as of Tuesday.
The first roadblock to adding parking is the societal impact.
Parking consumes a disproportionate amount of space when looking at city mobility, often taking away from green spaces, housing or more healthy, sustainable modes of transportation such as biking, according to a 2026 study in Transportation Research Part A, a journal that focuses on policies and practices related to transit systems.
“Surface parking is less expensive but requires much more land,” Cummings said.
Parking lots also have an environmental impact. Due to the high surface area they cover, parking lots can cause the heat index to rise, creating a heat island, according to a 2024 article by Craig Richmond Landscape Architects, a residential and commercial architecture firm dedicated to incorporating the environment into its designs.
UTA students have already seen just how difficult the heat can make a simple walk to class as temperatures continue to reach the high 90s.
The material used in parking lots is also usually impermeable, causing water to pool and run off. After collecting pollutants like oil and heavy metals, the water flows into natural streams and water sources.
One way the architecture firm suggests combating these issues is to add more natural elements to parking lots.
This can include trees, which limit direct sunlight on lots’ surfaces and help remove pollutants from the air, according to the firm.
Shade from trees can also help reduce heat strain for students walking to and from class, making a longer walk from parking less deterring.
But building parking lots or garages comes with other difficulties, as well.
“Adding parking involves more than identifying available land,” Cummings said.
When considering parking needs, Cummings said, the university looks at campus population, permits sold, lot use, campus development and locations those on campus need the most access to.
“UTA must consider current and future demand, location, construction and maintenance costs, traffic flow, pedestrian safety, drainage, accessibility, and how the space fits within the university’s Campus Master Plan,” he said.
The Campus Master Plan is a blueprint for how the campus should develop over the next 10 to 20 years, according to the office of the president.
More parking garages are being discussed as part of the plan, with the locations and timelines depending on the university’s planning process, priorities and available resources, Cummings said.
While parking garages can help minimize some of the environmental footprint, some issues, such as added costs, still arise.
“Garages are significantly more expensive to build and maintain than surface lots,” Cummings said.
Parking permit prices already rose for fall 2026. An annual permit for the 2026-27 school year is $306, compared to $282 for 2025-26, according to an archived Parking and Transportation Services webpage.
While more parking could be beneficial to students, the solutions surrounding the addition of more parking require more logistical thinking and planning than students may realize.
“Plan ahead, especially during peak class times, and become familiar with more than one parking option within your permit area,” Cummings said. “Students can also use UTA’s transportation resources and contact PATS if they need help identifying parking options that work best for their schedule.”
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