Students commuting to campus this school year have expressed frustration over a lack of parking spots in commuter lots near the academic buildings on the east side of campus.

“I struggle on a daily basis to find parking before class,” said Nick Foster, a junior pre-med student. “Sometimes I have to park in places I’m not permitted to because I have to get to class on time.”

Carson Pate, a junior business student, said he sometimes leaves his house nearly an hour before class to ensure he finds parking and makes it to class on time.

“I walk over a mile from my house to class every day because parking is so difficult to find,” said Andrew Tisdale, a junior history major. “I have driven to class once this semester so far.”

While many students share these sentiments, TCU Police Department Coordinator of Parking and Transportation DeAnn Jones explains that there is sufficient commuter parking on campus.

Students just may have to go a little further away than they would like.

“Lots three and four on the northwest side of campus are underutilized and provide shuttles to the east side of campus,” Jones said.

The only commuter lot on campus that has closed recently was the 174-space lot behind the Harrison (Brite) building at the corner of Princeton and Greene Avenues.

A new 208-space parking lot opened further east on the corner of West Lowden Street and Merida Avenue to make up for that loss. Another lot on Merida Avenue is on the way, too.

“The construction of an additional commuter lot is underway and should be open soon,” Jones said. “It will provide 166 spaces.”

It is not uncommon to see cars parked illegally and parking tickets pinned to windshields when walking around campus, but the 692 parking citations issued over the first two weeks of the semester is in line with previous years.

Students can use this map to help them navigate their way around TCU’s commuter lots.