"The parking at UNCC is ridiculous," someone Tweeted just before 11 a.m., the first Monday after Spring break. It's very likely that student was looking for a space in or near Union, West or East parking decks and all were full, just like any other weekday morning when classes are most densely scheduled. The competition for close-to-class parking, made worse by those who stubbornly circle full decks and lots instead of moving on, makes her Tweet ring true.
But it doesn't have to be that way. There's plenty of parking available in other areas.
Space counts, which are taken regularly, show that UNC Charlotte has sufficient parking for visitors, faculty, staff, and students. Students are the population who most heavily use parking and for whom most of the parking is designated.
Student parking at a glance
| Location | Total Available | Unoccupied 10:00 AM | Unoccupied 12:00 PM | Unoccupied 2:00 PM | Unoccupied 4:00 PM | Unoccupied 6:00 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 26 (at FM/Police Bldg) | 86 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 32 | 70 |
| North Deck | 1171 | 730 | 673 | 697 | 724 | 785 |
| Lot 25 (across from Witherspoon) | 497 | 125 | 151 | 138 | 43 | 60 |
| Lot 19 (by Union Deck) | 261 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 49 |
| Lot 18 (by Union Deck) | 94 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 31 | 55 |
| Union Deck | 682 | 107 | 9 | 93 | 216 | 354 |
| CRI Deck 1 | 1343 | 319 | 302 | 297 | 319 | 393 |
| CRI Lot 2 | 128 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 107 |
| Lot 23 (CRI by stadium) | 174 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 65 |
| Lot 14 (by Tennis complex) | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| West Deck | 760 | 30 | 28 | 45 | 189 | 452 |
| Lot 7A (Memorial Hall) | 37 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 31 |
| Lot 7 (behind Cone Deck) | 123 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Lot 101 Foundation Bldg. | 60 | 25 | 33 | 41 | 39 | 49 |
| South Village Deck | 1101 | 386 | 377 | 402 | 457 | 477 |
| Lot 8 (adjacent to South Village Deck) | 238 | 23 | 33 | 26 | 57 | 43 |
| Lot 8A | 60 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Lot 16 (Oak, Pine, Maple, Elm) | 233 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| Lot 20 (behind Witherspoon) | 105 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Lot 21 (next to Witherspoon) | 134 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Lot 12 (NE corner Mary Alex & Cameron) | 84 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 42 |
| Lot 13 (Hawthorn) | 140 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 12 |
| Greek Village | 324 | 123 | 127 | 139 | 141 | 158 |
| Lot 6 (off Martin Village Rd.) | 565 | 314 | 182 | 323 | 330 | 416 |
| Lot 5 (Van Landingham Rd.) | 582 | 21 | 50 | 95 | 209 | 374 |
| Lot 5A (Van Landingham) | 257 | 90 | 47 | 94 | 149 | 212 |
| Lot 4A (Van Landingham at John Kirk) | 128 | 12 | 17 | 31 | 56 | 103 |
| East Deck 3 | 804 | 83 | 104 | 196 | 374 | 571 |
| East Deck 2 | 539 | 6 | 21 | 41 | 80 | 157 |
| TOTAL | 9,690** | 2,408 | 2,173 | 2,671 | 3,777 | 5254 |
Main points for Commuters:
- Everyone wants to park as close as they can to their class and most classes are scheduled from about 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Therefore, more students are trying to park in the same places at the same time. Your competition is stiff.
- Take a look at the Commuter parking areas in bold. They are generally the least crowded and every one of them has a shuttle stop.
- For just one day, try parking in Lot 6, North Deck or South Village Deck. The Red Line runs three buses from Lot 6 through the center of campus via the Student Union and out to the CRI campus Monday through Thursday (two buses on Friday). You can catch the Green Line from North Deck and both the Yellow and Green Lines from South Village Deck.
- Download the UNCCNextRide app or access the NextRide mobile web site you view where the shuttle is and when it will get to your stop.
- It feels counterintuitive to park farther away from where you're going but just try it ONCE. You will likely find it doesn't take much longer and that it's less stressful to easily find parking in a lower-demand area and take the shuttle or walk to class. Once you've tried an alternative parking area, it won't feel as annoying to park there on days when your preferred parking is full.
- There's NO REASON to park illegally in a full lot or deck and risk getting a citation and there's NO REASON to circle a deck until you miss class.
Here's your incentive to try parking at one of the least-used areas
The first ten permit-holding Commuters who park in one of the bold areas and Tweet a selfie of their car parked there, mention @unccparking and/or use hashtag #parkedfar, will get a deck voucher for one day of free visitor parking at a Visitor deck. (Visitor deck areas are at Cone, East 1, Union, CRI 1 and South Village). That might be really nice to have for that day when you're running late.
*Counts taken over a two week period of normal class schedule (no holiday/break).
** Student parking space total. Does not include Faculty/Staff gated access, reserved, ADA/van accessible/handicapped, motorcycle, metered, visitor or discount remote parking. (Campus total 13,970.)
Learn more: The Truth About UNC Charlotte Parking
Questions? Email unccpats@uncc.edu or Tweet @unccparking or call 704-687-0161. The PaTS Call Center line is open 24/5 weekdays, 5 a.m. Monday through 10 p.m. Friday.