Traffic and Parking Planning Assumption

Pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be given priority on campus. Roadside parking will be minimized and eliminated when possible. Future, large scale parking areas shall conform to the standards of the University and compliment adjacent facilities and the natural landscape of the area.

While adequate and convenient parking on campus is a necessity, future parking areas shall be developed in such a way as to enhance the overall appearance of campus. Plans should be made to develop and encourage the use of walking paths, bicycle paths, and designated bicycle parking areas. Given the limited campus space for parking, the construction of one or more parking structures is inevitable. When considering future parking areas on campus, several fundamental principles should be followed:

1. Parking structure designs should be subjected to similar architectural reviews as other facilities on campus.
2. Parking structures should blend in with and enhance the overall landscape of the area.
3. When considering locations for parking structures or lots, proper orientation should be considered to ensure that traffic flow on the central areas of campus is not increased.
4. Future parking structures or lots should provide walking ingress and egress that blends well with the natural surrounding of the facility. These areas shall be landscaped to the same standards as other campus facilities.
5. Any future hard surface lots should be in keeping with the original design intent for campus. The original Wake Forest plan integrated well-proportioned car courtyards with pedestrian courtyards. Future lots should be small and neatly tucked within hidden areas of the campus.
6. Parking considerations should not take priority in making campus-planning decisions, but should be coordinated to support other, more programmatic goals.
7. As parking becomes further removed from destinations, safety becomes an important issue.

Proposal

1. Priority must be clearly given to pedestrian traffic. This can be accomplished physically and symbolically by reversing the present walkway/roadway relationship. All future parking sites shall be thoroughly reviewed with the University landscape consultants early in the development process.
2. Planning of a parking structure located in Lot Q should begin immediately. As other construction projects develop that migrate into existing surface parking lots, construction of the structure should be completed.

This sketch shows two possible sites for parking structures. The site adjacent to Scales Fine Arts has been addressed earlier in this revision and should be developed initially. A parking structure on this site has potential parking capacity of approximately 2000 cars. While this structure could provide much needed parking for daily activities of campus, it would also provide parking for events at the adjacent Scales Fine Arts Center. The committee recommends that the design of this structure incorporate improved access to the northern side of Scales Fine Arts. 

To meet its stated goal of being among the most beautiful campuses in the nation, large parking lots at the University must become a less significant feature of the campus. On-street parking shall be limited and eliminated whenever possible. The University landscaping consultants have proposed significant modifications to Gulley Drive. These modifications are illustrated in the landscaping section.