The hustle and bustle of the crowd during UH Mānoa football games heighten the excitement as kick-off approaches, but the large turnout also leads to traffic congestion and common parking challenges.
Maya Engel, a second-year UHM student, found it impossible to find parking on campus during a recent game.
“I gave up and had to park near the university high school,” Engel said.
Other students echo her sentiments, as the increase of attendees leads to a crowded influx of vehicles.
To combat these challenges, the University of Hawaiʻi Commuter Services has provided various resources to assist student, faculty and staff attendees. Including email advisories with tips before games.
Until noon on game day, Zone 20 permit holders are able park in any unreserved stall on upper campus or use Zone 22, according to the Commuter Services. While individuals who need to be on campus can park in any unreserved stall in Zone 5.
In addition, Commuter Services have been using a new system that allows them to track parking occupancy, providing real-time updates to help facilitate when more spots are available.
“We have been utilizing this data-driven management system that includes the latest technology called Park Hub,” said Marc Arakaki, spokesperson for the UHM Office of Communications.“Ideally once a car leaves we are going to funnel more people in to fill that spot, utilizing that technology to alleviate the extra congestion.”
Nonetheless for game day, aside from UHM students, other attendees also faced their share of parking challenges.
“The parking at UHM during games gets very difficult to find; it’s the lack of ways to navigate the area,” Conner Smallwood, a junior at UNLV, said. “You have people waiting for spots to open up, which can get annoying.”
The Commuter Services also outlined in their email advisories that the lower campus parking structure and upper parking lots open at 1pm. Pre-purchased lower campus parking structure tickets start off at $25, while upper parking lots are $15. Tickets must be ready to be validated to help expedite the influx of attendees parking.
“I’ve attended three UHM football games; they aren’t as crowded as mainland college games, but they can still generate heavy traffic.” Smallwood added.
For more campus parking resources and tips visit https://manoa.hawaii.edu/commuter/