Parking and Transportation Services will be sponsoring an information session called “Pizza with Parking” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the University Center. Parking Customer Service Manager Eric Holamon will be the primary speaker at the event.
Parking and Transportation Services is the department that handles the parking lots and garages on campus, as well as coordinating with Connect by Hertz, updating the parking maps, and others.
“Pizza with Parking is an information session to share the programs and services,” Holamon said. “We’re trying to provide information and do the planning now that will help us with the future.”
According to a press release, those who plan to attend the information session should register online at www.uh.edu/parking to guarantee a spot.
“Pizza with Parking will be a chance for the campus to learn about their transportation options,” Holamon said in a press release. “As the campus continues to grow, parking will remain a challenge. By proactively utilizing the tools and programs available through Parking and Transportation Services, commuters should be able to overcome this challenge.”
Many of the services will be discussed at the information session.
“I want to attend Pizza with Parking mainly for the free food, and the programs I’ve been hearing about interest me,” electrical engineering junior Cesar Figueroa said.
Connect by Hertz is a car sharing program that allows those on campus to rent cars at a rate of $8 an hour. This program is design to free up cars on the roads and promote carpooling and vanpooling to school.
“It allows those who live on campus to run and buy groceries with the car (provided by Connect by Hertz) without having their own car; commuters have the freedom to leave midday to run errands, whether they take the Metro or carpool to campus,” Holamon said. “It’s a program we just started this year, close to 100 students have signed up so far; Hertz estimates one Hertz car replaces 14 cars on the road.
“Every time we do something to promote it we usually have an increase in number; compared to projections by Hertz, we are exceeding our numbers, which is very positive.”
Attendees will be able to register for Metro Q-Cards, which is a reloadable card Metro uses instead of cash. Students can get a half off discount on the bus fair when they use the cards; they can also register for the cards at the Welcome Center.
The NextBus software will also be featured at the information session. This allows bus riders to get real-time predictions for the next bus to arrive by going online or by texting.
“It’s really beneficial when it’s raining to know when the buses are coming, so students can stay inside,” Holamon said. “And students with night classes can stay inside the buildings and wait for their buses”
However, students and other commuters can already help themselves by using the parking availability maps and using the Energy Research Park lot, which is located east of campus, then using the Cougar Line.
“The parking availability maps are a great idea, but since I use the parking garage, I don’t really use them,” Figueroa said. “The parking garages make me feel that my car is safe.”
When they begin the construction of the stadium garage in the near future, Parking and Transportation Services will open three temporary lots between Cullen and Elgin off of Leek Street.
“Pizza with Parking” will be the first information session of its kind. Parking and Transportation Services plan to adjust depending on attendance. “Attendees should expect to get more options on what they can do to make their commute easier, and get information and services regardless of their situation — we have options that can really benefit everybody.”
