The UTD Parking & Transportation Office has made changes to parking availability and pricing because of ongoing construction over the years, with the most recent restriping and price hikes creating issues for its 77% commuter student body.
Without much free space on campus to expand or develop, recent construction has begun to encroach onto parking spaces. Several lots designated purple and orange, like Lots G, E and Q, have closed as of summer 2024. Other parking spaces have been restructured to compensate by eliminating green parking spots.
UTD’s parking permits create tiers based off flexibility and building proximity, with the cheapest green spots, priced at $194 for fall 2024,, located furthest from buildings, the $348 gold spots located closer, the $537 orange spots even nearer and the $829 purple spots for faculty — the most expensive — lined alongside building entrances and sidewalks. Before fall 2023, top floors of parking lots had green parking spots. That semester, UTD Parking expanded the gold parking zone to the parking structure roofs. During summer 2024, it restriped to add orange and purple at the cost of gold and green parking.
While the number of gold and green parking spots decreases steadily, the cost of parking passes has been consistently increasing. Current and former commuters have mapped out the price changes over the past few years. In fall 2012, a green parking permit cost $93 for a full-year pass, or $129.54 adjusted for inflation in 2025. 10 years later, it rose to $150, then to $169 in 2023, and to $194 dollars for the most recent academic year. Every other permit also rose in price over the same timeframe. The UTD parking office does not make parking costs for previous years publicly available. The changes in cost and availability upset a large fraction of the student and faculty population, giving rise to a petition last fall with signatures from nearly 1,600 UTD commuters asking for affordable parking.
Healthcare studies senior Derin Barzani has been a commuter at UTD for four years. Barzani said she believes this year was “by far the worst” for her commutes. She has noticed plenty of changes she said are contributing to the decline of parking at UTD, such as restriping in Lot H and near Green Hall eliminating multiple green and gold spots.
Construction-related restriping isn’t the only challenge those with cheaper parking passes face. Neuroscience sophomore Adib Ahsan has used a green pass for the last two years and said even before the most recent bout of construction, the cheaper passes would pose significant inconveniences. Walking from his car in Lot B to his lab on the second floor of the SLC takes about 15 minutes. According to the fall 2024 petition, the long walks necessitated by the cheaper passes can endanger students during severe weather conditions or when walking alone late at night. With a $635 purple pass, the walk could be as short as two minutes.
“For someone who lives 15 minutes away from campus, it’s kind of sad that I have to leave 45 minutes prior to my class,” Ahsan said.
Construction of the new Student Union Student Success Center complex is set to continue until 2026, and if construction at the lots on east campus is the cause for the most recent shifts in parking, then noteworthy improvements, like additional parking spots or more favorable restriping, are unlikely to happen before most current commuters graduate. The Retrograde reached out to UTD Parking administration for more information on parking restriping and changes in parking availability over the years and has not received a response as of publication.
“I’m glad to finally graduate and not have to deal with commuting,” Barzani said.
To improve the parking experience, the petition recommends restriping underutilized spots for cheaper passes’ use, building more lots and decreasing the demand for parking spots by expanding the Comet Cruiser shuttle service and alternative transport methods like bike sharing.
Ahsan said if the campus administration continues to reduce available parking through campus construction projects and restriping continues to add purple spots at the cost of green, then many commuters could be dissuaded from purchasing parking permits entirely.
“It’s come to a point where [commuters would rather] bite the bullet and eat a few [parking] tickets instead of paying the premium for orange parking,” Ahsan said.