Upgrade your parking: Student permit lottery is open
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 20, 2022) — University of Kentucky Transportation Services is taking proactive steps to utilize all student parking areas on campus as efficiently as possible. During the first few weeks of classes, parking utilization is closely monitored by staff, and adjustments are made to move interested students from the periphery (K) parking areas to more desirable areas with excess capacity.
These adjustments are accomplished through the student permit lottery. UK Transportation Services maintains a permit waitlist for eligible students who wish to park in specific areas but were unable to purchase a permit for that area during the summer permit sales cycle. Random drawings of students from permit waitlists are held throughout the year for any permits which become available. If selected through the lottery, students are notified via their UK email and typically and have a week or so to visit the Press Avenue customer service center to accept the upgrade and, if applicable, pay any price difference.
This process has been well underway for the past two weeks. During this period, Transportation Services has offered upgrade opportunities through the lottery to more than 527 students, including the following:
- 200 south campus student residents the opportunity to upgrade from periphery (K) parking to R10 Green Lot parking.
- 100 student residents the opportunity to upgrade to R2 Rose Street Garage Parking.
- 75 student residents the opportunity to upgrade to R7 Sports Center Garage Parking.
- 152 eligible commuters the opportunity to upgrade from periphery (K) parking to C5 Cornerstone Garage commuter parking.
In the coming weeks, Transportation Services will offer additional permit upgrade opportunities through the lottery for various permits. Interested and eligible students are encouraged to join their desired student permit lottery waitlist as soon as possible to give yourself the best chance to be selected.
Transportation Services has exhausted the C5 Cornerstone Garage lottery waitlist and still have available commuter parking. As a result, Transportation Services has expanded eligibility for the 2022-23 academic year to include commuter students with sophomore status (30 credit hours or more). Please note that overnight parking is not authorized for commuter permit holders without prior approval. Students residing at private housing developments adjacent to campus are not authorized to purchase commuter parking permits for residential parking.
How to join the parking permit lottery:
To request to be added to the lottery, simply log into the Customer Account Manager, which will allow you to add or edit a lottery request. Only the permits for which you are eligible will show in the selection list, and you may have only one active permit request at a time.
Periphery parking options:
The process outlined above has been gradually reducing the demand for parking in the periphery (K) parking areas. Transportation Services anticipate that this demand will continue to subside in the coming weeks, as more students are offered permit upgrades through the lottery. In the meantime, K permit holders are reminded that valid periphery lots include the Commonwealth Drive Lot, College Way lots, and Wildcat Court lots, in addition to the Kroger Field Red and Blue lots.
The Commonwealth Drive Lot is located near Greg Page Apartments. Individuals who park in that area can take a campus Green Route bus to the Blue Lot Bus Shelter at Kroger Field, where they can transfer to the Blue or White route buses.
Individuals who choose to park in the College Way lots can walk through the Green Lot to catch a bus at the stop located at the corner of Cooper and University drives. In addition to walking, students who park in the College Way lots can also choose to catch a Green Route bus at the Motor Pool bus stop for connection to the West Blue Lot bus shelter.
If you have questions about the student permit lottery or parking in the periphery lots, please email UK Transportation Services or call 859-257-5757. Follow Transportation Services on Twitter @UKParking and sign up for e-news.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.