The University of Oklahoma parking department opened new commuter parking spots at the beginning of the school year to alleviate overcrowding, but students have still had trouble finding spots.

OU Parking and Transportation Services tweeted Aug. 24 to inform students that another level of the Jenkins Avenue Parking Garage had opened for commuters. The university has seen a net increase of 1100 parking spots this year, said Kris Glenn, OU Parking and Transportation Services director. Five hundred of these spots are commuter spaces on levels two and three of the Jenkins garage, Glenn said. This is the best year for parking so far, Glenn said.

“Even at peak times right now, there’s available parking on level three of the Jenkins garage,” Glenn said.

But the new level of Jenkins commuter parking is not substantial compared to the three new levels of housing parking that also opened this year, said Gabrielle Hosek, graduate public administration student.

“As someone that’s invested a lot of money and time at OU, it’s really frustrating to spend $274 on a parking pass, not be able to find somewhere to park and not be able to utilize the on-campus resources and locations that my tuition and fees go to pay for,” Hosek said.

Individual commuter parking pass sales have increased from 5964 to 6098 from 2017 – 18, according to a parking office document. But this is probably not to blame for any parking troubles, Glenn said.

Commuter students should check the university parking Twitter account and the OU Innovate app to see where spots are available, Glenn said.