An aerial view from July shows a portion of KU's West Campus and the new large Park and Ride parking lot at the bottom of the frame, located just north of Clinton Parkway. The lot provides much- needed parking for the entire campus.

It’s not full now, but Kansas University staff say the $9 million Park and Ride lot will be filling up soon.

“It’s already having a significant impact on campus,” said Danny Kaiser, assistant director for parking and transit. “In a year or two, it should be at maximum use.”

KU last summer opened the 1,500-space lot northwest of Iowa Street and Clinton Parkway in an effort to relieve congestion and parking woes on the main campus.

Buses run from KU’s west campus across Iowa Street on Irving Hill Road to Sunnyside Avenue. They run up Sunflower Road and west on Jayhawk Boulevard to Naismith Drive and then turn west on 15th Street and south on Burdick Drive before cutting back to Irving Hill Road. In peak times during the semester, the bus runs at 6- to 8-minute intervals.

In its inaugural semester, about 900 students and employees purchased the $205 permits for the lot. The permits are good for a year.

Though KU didn’t fill up the 1,500-space lot, parking staff say that day is coming.

The park and ride lot was the only choice for incoming freshmen who live off campus. And those users made up the bulk of the park and ride permit holders, Kaiser said.

He said he anticipates many of these riders to buy the permits again next year. And the repeat users will gradually increase overall numbers.

At the same time, KU plans to keep the park and ride permit rates steady or reduce the rates, even as the cost for permits in other zones undoubtedly increases. Parking officials think the lower costs will attract more users.

“The goal is that it will be the cheapest parking,” Kaiser said.

Some riders who take the bus said it’s a convenient way to get around campus.

Gail Schaplowsky, a project manager in information technology at KU, uses the bus to get to meetings.

“For me, to get to a meeting across campus in a reasonable amount of time, it’s the only option,” she said.

Schaplowsky said it’s helpful getting up the hill, but she doesn’t use it to go from on top of the hill to the bottom, because that route would require going to and from West Campus.

Jeremy Martin, assistant professor of mathematics, rides his bicycle to the park and ride lot and from there takes the bus to his office in Snow Hall.

“This way I can both get some exercise and avoid buying a parking permit,” he said. “For me, it’s perfect.”