Cincinnati State expands free parking initiative

September 2, 2010

Spurred by a greater than expected surge in enrollment and a change in construction plans involving its Ludlow Avenue Gateway construction project, Cincinnati State officials today announced plans to expand a free offsite parking program for students when the Early Fall Term begins on Sept. 7.

The original plan anticipated leasing 200 parking spaces during the day and 100 in the evening, with the ability to add more if needed, at a lot in Northside about 1.8 miles from campus. The revised plan calls for leasing at least 475 spaces during the day and 375 in the evening at the Greater Bethlehem Temple Church lot at 4781 Hamilton Avenue in Northside (45223), near the intersection with Ashtree Drive.

Shuttle buses will run to and from campus – a distance of approximately 1.8 miles – between 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Security will be provided.

College officials said the expansion of the free parking program was prompted chiefly by two considerations:

• Preliminary data suggest that enrollment for Early Fall Term could reach the 11,000 mark. As of Sept. 1 enrollment stood at 10,800, a 17 percent increase over the same period a year ago.
• Unforeseen complications have forced a change in construction plans involving the Ludlow Avenue Gateway. The original plans called for rebuilding Cincinnati State's 550-space surface parking lot at Ludlow Avenue and Central Parkway in three phases and maintaining limited parking in some sections during construction. The revised program calls for closing the lot entirely to allow the contractor to bring in specialized heavy equipment to grind the existing asphalt and incorporate it into the base for the new parking surface. The construction project will also require the relocation of sewer pipes on the site, and this could temporarily affect traffic flow during Early Fall Term.

The Ludlow Avenue Gateway project will allow Cincinnati State to establish what its master plan envisions as the main entrance to the College. The project will improve access to and from Ludlow Avenue and the two campus parking garages. It will also provide a safety feature long sought by Cincinnati State officials: the ability to make a left turn from campus using a dedicated traffic signal.

A task force has been studying long-range and immediate measures to address parking needs at the main campus. Construction of a third parking garage is one of the long-term options under study, but College officials said there are no immediate plans for such a move.

Meanwhile, the College is negotiating with Metro to offer students a discounted bus pass program. Cincinnati State officials said they plan to have program in place by Late Fall term, and hope to be able to phase it in earlier.

Cincinnati State students who do not take advantage of the free parking plan will still have the option of parking on campus this year. But, College officials noted, a parking pass does not guarantee a parking space, especially during peak instructional periods.

Other changes for the 2010 Early Fall Term are designed to maximize the availability of parking for those who purchase passes:

• The Central Parkway Garage will be the only cash parking facility on campus. The Ludlow Garage and Lot G (a surface lot of the west side of Central Parkway) will require a Surge Card with an embedded parking permit.
• The Central Parkway Ministries/Church of God lot at 3220 Central Parkway near Hopple Street will be reserved for faculty and staff overflow parking, and for students who are taking classes at that site. Shuttle transportation to and from campus will be provided.

Extra traffic management personnel will be on hand during the first weeks of Early Fall Term in an effort to help reduce parking problems on campus.