Despite an influx of visitors during next week’s Summit, there will still be plenty of parking for faculty, staff, students and visitors – although the spots may not be as close as some students are accustomed too.

Lieutenant H.E. Jenkins of the ACU Police Department said the police were making no special plans to block off parking lots or regulate traffic flow like they do with other massive events like Sing Song.

“Traffic during Summit is not really a problem, because there are events all over campus in different places,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said there would be ample parking, even if it is not exactly conveniently located. There are around 4,500 parking spots on the ACU campus, and only about 2,700 vehicles with registered permits.

“We have plenty of spaces because students will be moving in and out during the day,” Jenkins said. “We would like students to plan ahead and think about their plans for the day so they can get places on time.”

While the ACU Police will still enforce parking violations, they will ease up on ticketing non-permitted vehicles and vehicles parked in the wrong lots, because of the volume of visitor traffic they expect. However, Jenkins stressed the ACU Police will still be heavily enforcing handicapped parking violations and maintaining clear fire-lanes.

Although traffic is not normally a problem during Summit, this year presents a unique challenge because of the various construction projects around campus.

ACU Police may be optimistic, but Brady Bryce, director of ministry events, is wisely preparing for the worst and encourages students to find alternatives to their cars.

“It’s a good week for students to walk,” said Bryce.

The Campus Events team will offer a shuttle service for visitors who choose to help alleviate traffic congestion by parking farther away or off campus.