Can your car park improve your student experience? With increasing student fees and a focus being placed firmly on what student life should be like, it is important that universities and other educational sites are doing all they can to promote a high-quality student experience. They need to prove that their institution worth the cost, and that choosing to study on their campus will have real tangible benefits. That experience covers more than just lecture theatres and classrooms; the whole student experience should reflect the university or college. Your car park can play a hugely significant role in this. Home / Latest Blogs / Car Parking & Management / Can your car park improve your student experience? Explore more Give students what they want Student life involves so much more than lectures and coursework, especially in a university setting. From year group to year group what matters to students is going to change. Previous focus on the environment for example now has practical solutions in the form of EV charging, allowing you to demonstrate to students that not only is your establishment taking steps to align with their beliefs but also providing services that move alongside changing requirements and legislation. The cost of studying is rising, and many students choose to commute instead of staying on-site. This means parking is crucial, nobody wants to park miles away and run the risk of being late to a lecture or exam. Staff and students want to be able to park easily and get to their lessons without any additional stress, this is why reducing abuse on your site is so important. Powerful and flexible services Depending on term times and different timetables for different semesters means that students will need to access car parks in varying quantities and at various times. Having the means to manage flexible parking, such as permits, allows students to park during specific parts of the year and can be a way to control the traffic flow around campus by providing parking on specific sites. Permits allow you to manage the capacity on your site, meaning staff and students are not fighting for parking spaces and have access to reliable parking. These can even be assigned based on specific requirements, such as needing an accessible bay or potentially access to EV charging. Accessibility matters Accessible spaces are essential on any site, but within the education sector, they are incredibly prevalent as poor accessibility can equate to difficulty accessing vital services or even teaching areas. This can have a serious impact on your reputation and potentially deter others from choosing to study at your institution. If space is at a premium on your car parks, you might find that your blue badge and other accessible bays are subject to abuse. This restricts access, generates complaints, and can damage your student experience. Bay Enforcement works to protect your dedicated spaces. ANPR can cover an entire car park, allowing a site to access powerful tools such as permits or accurate payment options. ANPR can also be used to protect specific parking spaces through our management bollard. Our Monitoring Bollard helps to keep the dedicated bays on your site free from abuse and ensure those spaces are more readily available for drivers who need them. This helps show students, visitors, and employees that their requirements are at the forefront of your parking management, which can be a fantastic way to enhance and underpin the experience you are offering. Embracing the future of motoring Motoring is currently in a state of flux. The UK has plans in place to stop the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, with the intent being for motorists to move over to alternative fuels, such as electric vehicles. For the shift to EV to work, there needs to be a significant increase in infrastructure. Chargers are not restricted to petrol stations, meaning they can be situated in areas that are much more convenient to drivers. Car parks are a prime location to allow them to recharge their battery while they work or in the case of colleges, universities, etc, while they study. Your EV charging infrastructure, much like accessible spaces, needs to be protected. It’s there for a specific reason and to cater to those who need it. If your charging spaces are being misused by non-electric vehicles, then the charger may as well not be there. The right EV charging solution can provide your car park with fast and reliable charging that your students and staff will appreciate, whilst also protecting itself from abuse. Embracing EV also allows your site to access an unrealised revenue stream as drivers pay for charging. This extra revenue could then be reinvested back into facilities and services that provide additional benefits for students and even your staff. Helping you to create the right impression Your car park makes an impression on anyone that uses it, whether that’s the first impression on someone who arrives on your site for the first time or a continued impression on a regular user. Issues on a car park can damage the perception of your site, while a positive experience can enhance how staff, students, and the public view your institution. At Parkingeye, we’ve work with hundreds of sites across the education sector. Taking the time to understand their specific requirements and issues. We then use this understanding, coupled with our experience and insight to create solutions tailored to individual car parks to help them perform better and provide the perfect parking environment for their users. To find out more about how we can help your campus car parks adapt to better support your staff and students, get in touch using the form. First name *Last name *Email *Telephone NumberCompany *Postcode *MessageBy submitting this form, you are confirming that you have read and accept the Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions and consent to your data being processed and used for the purpose of reviewing and responding to this enquiry.Keep me updated with information from Parkingeye relating to my enquiry.YesNo SubmitPlease do not fill in this field.
