Is it faster to walk or drive to the University of Tennessee? What our experiment showed

New school year, same old parking. But is there really a parking problem at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, or are too many students driving to campus when they could get to class faster by walking?

We decided to test it.

Knox News sent us, higher education reporter Keenan Thomas and reporting intern Daniel Dassow, to conduct the experiment. We both recently graduated from UT and experienced these transportation issues ourselves, making us the perfect testers.

Maybe getting around campus feels more challenging for some because there are more than 36,000 students on campus this semester, a record number in UT's 229-year history.

In total, 23,735 parking permits were sold to students and faculty. There are 19,883 campus parking spaces, according to UT Parking. You do the math.

Students who live off campus, especially, face stiff competition for parking spots. UT sold 13,493 student commuter passes, or about 1.85 passes for every parking spot reserved for those who live away from campus.

That's below max capacity, UT says, but most commuter garages are full or nearly full by 10 a.m., leaving off-campus students scrambling to find a spot.

On Sept. 7, we set out to compare whether it was easier to walk or drive from three locations: the north border of the Fort Sanders neighborhood, the UT Culinary Institute on the western edge of campus and the 303 Flats apartment building in South Knoxville across the river.

Keenan drove and Daniel walked.

There were three rules:

• The driver could park only in designated commuter spaces or at meters.

• The pedestrian could not jog or run.

• The first to step on the seal outside of Hodges Library wins. Not bad luck, since we're both graduates.

Route 1: Fort Sanders to the Hodges Library seal

• Start point: The Commons at Knoxville (1640 Grand Ave.)

• Distance: 0.7 miles

• Start time: 8:15 a.m.

• Which was faster? Driving took 11 minutes, 33 seconds (with one big caveat!)

• Which was slower? Walking took 13 minutes

• Conclusion: Driving from the Fort is barely faster, if it's early and you get lucky.*

*Editor's note: In his haste to win, Keenan realized later the lot he parked in had been converted to noncommuter since he graduated, thus breaking one of the rules of the challenge. It's fair to say it would have taken Keenan longer to find a commuter parking spot than it took Daniel to walk. We appreciate his honesty exemplifying the true spirit of a Volunteer.

Daniel: Ah, to be a student again, walking down 16th Street towards the Strip and Hodges Library. It almost felt like I was about to turn in a paper or give a presentation. I walked this way almost every morning during the COVID-19 pandemic as a sophomore living in Laurel Hall and as a junior in a rundown Victorian mansion on Clinch Avenue.

To make this whole experience more authentic, I was wearing my backpack and listening to a playlist I made when I was a student, complete with Phoebe Bridgers and Hippo Campus. I would never have thought to drive to campus from the Fort, but I guess people do it.

Keenan: With my college-accurate breakfast of nothing with a side of Monster energy drink, I began my journey to park on campus.

The only harrowing turn was from Grand Avenue onto 17th Street. It helped that traffic was light this early in the morning. I drove down past the Strip, bypassing it completely to find the Terrace Avenue parking lot behind the garage. It was one of my most frequented parking lots during my last semester.

Fortunately for me, there was one open spot left. Unfortunately for students, that parking lot will soon be gone to make way for a new dormitory.

Daniel: I think it's important to mention that the earliest classes on Thursdays begin at 8:10 a.m., so we would have been late. But only a handful of undergraduates are up and running at this hour, and most commuter lots and garages still have available spots.

Keenan: Hopping out of my car, I took a little shortcut to get to Melrose Avenue near Hodges Library. Stepping on the seal, I beat Daniel by about a minute and a half.

Daniel: At the library, we made sure to pick up the latest print edition of The Daily Beacon, the independent student newspaper where Keenan and I both worked. The cover story was about the parking shortage. Imagine that.

Keenan: Even though I was faster (and had to walk considerably less), it was only quicker because it was early in the morning. Any later than that and I more than likely would have been driving to a different lot or even parking in the Terrace Avenue garage.

Final thoughts: You can walk to campus in about 15 minutes from the Fort, and if you leave at the right time you can freshen up before class. There are several hills and you might be winded, but the time difference between walking and driving is so marginal that it doesn’t make any sense to drive.

Route 2: Culinary Institute to the Hodges Library seal

• Starting point: UT Culinary Institute (2712 Neyland Drive)

• Distance: 1.2 miles

• Start time: 8:47 a.m.

• Which was faster? Driving took 18 minutes, 39 seconds

• Which was slower? Walking took 25 minutes, 40 seconds

• Conclusion: It takes a lot to walk up the entire Strip to the center of campus, so take a bus or park somewhere else.

Daniel: We started the second race at the UT Culinary Institute and Creamery, where the university is now offering economy parking passes to commuters for $99. Students can walk or take a shuttle from the lot. The T Bus travels to this lot, so students who park here can ride over. This is also the western border of campus, and many students live in the Sorority Village across the street and in the nearby Tradition Knoxville apartments on Kingston Pike. I see them walking out here frequently.

Keenan: Starting close to 8:45 a.m., the real test began. Traffic began picking up, along with the rush to find a spot.

There were two routes I could have taken: through the Strip or around the outskirts. I skipped the Strip because it's probably not the route a student would take.

Neyland Drive had spurts of traffic due to its lack of dedicated left turn lanes along the path. However, it’s a nice little drive on the outskirts of campus that moves quickly enough so you don't feel stuck.

Daniel: For me, this was the most unpleasant experience of the three. It was already humid and the walk up Cumberland Avenue was pretty hot. The Strip is undergoing $233.3 million of construction to build towering new student apartment complexes, so the sights and smells are even more ... industrial than usual. I also had to wait for a train to cross the road, which added quite a bit of time.

Keenan: Arriving at the turn near Thompson-Boling Arena, the line of cars was forming. It was clear we all had the same thought: I must get to G10.

One of the more popular garages on campus, G10 is located next to Neyland Stadium. It’s on the edge of campus, but it’s not a bad location to park your car. I used to park there frequently for its proximity to the communications building and The Daily Beacon office. It made walking back to my car after a long day easier.

Daniel: If I were still a student and I lived too far away to walk, I would consider buying an economy parking pass. But don't count on seeing me walking up the entire length of the Strip. I'd be on that T Bus, especially on my way home on a hot afternoon.

Keenan: Luckily, I found a spot immediately and began my trek toward my goal. I could have attempted to find a parking space closer to my final destination, but I wanted to challenge myself by parking farther away. I walked past construction, Neyland Stadium and a student who was wearing a cowboy hat and riding a unicycle, went up a hill next to the Student Union and finally got onto the pedestrian walkway. I stepped on the seal and secured my victory by a full seven minutes.

Final thoughts: The perfect time to drive and park on campus is before 9 a.m., even 30 minutes more could be fine if you know where to look. However, walking the Strip is less than preferable, so taking a bus would be best.

Route 3: South Knoxville apartment to the Hodges Library seal

• Starting point: 303 Flats (303 W. Blount Ave.)

• Distance: 1.3 miles

• Start time: 9:43 a.m.

• Which was faster? Walking took 21 minutes

• Which was slower? Driving took 38 minutes, 59 seconds

• Conclusion: Good luck trying to find a place to park after 10 a.m.

Daniel: I had a feeling I could win this final race, because I checked the Tennessee Life app and saw the commuter garages were nearing full by 9:30 a.m. Add to that the hundreds of students clogging every crosswalk, and I knew Keenan would be stuck driving around for parking. For my part, the walk across the Henley Street Bridge offered nice views of campus and downtown, and a quick rain had left a nice breeze. I passed the Church Street United Methodist Church, another spot where students with economy passes can now park.

Keenan: This felt like the parking experience most students talk about as being horrible.

It didn’t take long to get to campus from 303 Flats – about six minutes – and I lucked out with not running into pedestrian traffic. But finding a spot proved difficult. I skipped G10, which sealed my fate. Even though the sign said there were about 100 parking spaces open, there was another small sign that said the garage was full.

Daniel: So I got to the seal after only 21 minutes, and Keenan was not there. I waited a few victorious minutes. Then an old professor of mine rode by on his bike (smart man) and we had enough time to talk about my experience so far interning with Knox News. He rode off, but still no Keenan. At this point, I called to make sure he wasn't on the side of the road. I got no reply.

Keenan: I checked another garage nearby off of Volunteer Boulevard. No dice. I kept driving, this time toward where I began the day at Terrace Avenue. There were a couple of commuter spaces on the street along Volunteer Boulevard, but I decided to let actual students take them. When I arrived at the first parking lot, it was filled to the brim. If there were a spot open, I could’ve beaten Daniel. Unfortunately for me, that wasn't the case.

Daniel: The lesson here is that it's definitely not worth it to drive even from across the river if it's already nearing 10 a.m. This is good news for the city and the university as they work together on an ambitious project to build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge from campus to South Knoxville. I'd use the bridge rather than drive if I lived over there.

Keenan: I drove through all of the Terrace Avenue garage to no avail despite the sign stating there were open spaces. I only lucked out with my final time of just under 39 minutes because there was a metered spot outside of the garage.

Final thoughts: If you're a student planning to drive on campus after 9:30 a.m., you'd have better luck either trying to find a spot in a parking lot instead of a garage, in the Fort if there's street parking, or even in one of the downtown parking garages. If you're dead set on parking on campus, our advice is not to spend too much time inside of a parking garage and to check various lots around campus. Otherwise, be on campus and looking before 9 a.m.

Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. Twitter @specialk2real.

Daniel Dassow is a reporting intern focusing on trending and business news. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee parking: Is it faster to drive or walk?