Resident Preferred Parking Plan Changing Commuter Habits

The Resident Preferred Parking (RPP) plan has not only freed up hundreds of parking spaces for residents living near the UW-Milwaukee campus, it's also altering the daily habits of thousands of campus commuters.

In fact, in just the first couple of weeks after the plan was put in place last year, UWM reported that 15,000 students had already picked up tuition-funded bus passes for the semester, an increase of nearly 10% from the previous semester.

The reduced traffic circulation (students and commuters no longer circling the neighborhood looking for parking spots) means safer streets, less air pollution and enables commuters to use their time more efficiently.

The RPP—in effect since September 2007—allows vehicles with RPP permits to park on one side of an RPP-designated street from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents of RPP-designated blocks are allowed to receive two permits per household to use for parking on their block and their street only. Each RPP street and block has signs posted clearly identifying the RPP-designated side of the street. The RPP area stretches from N. Shepard Ave. on the east to N. Newhall St. on the west, and from E. Edgewood Ave. on the north to E. Locust St. on the south.

UWM has also reported a major increase in usage of the Klotsche Pavilion parking structure, which in the past has been underutilized as commuters opted instead for spaces on nearby streets. For instance, prior to the RPP the Klotsche parking structure would have 200 to 300 empty parking spaces on an average busy school day. Now the structure is filling up to near full capacity every day.

According to the Department of Public Works, more than 743 RPP permits have been entered into the system so far.