New signs to direct visitors to parking, destinations

by Skip Anderson

Twenty-seven signs designed to direct visitors to parking areas most convenient to their campus destinations were installed in the Vanderbilt vicinity earlier this month, according to University officials.

"These signs will allow visitors to take advantage of structures that otherwise might not be easily located," said Judson Newbern, associate vice chancellor for campus planning and construction, and environmental safety. "A first-time visitor is probably not going to know that the Terrace Place Garage offers parking for the Law School. It simply wasn't clear to visitors that this was an option."

Planning for the signs took place over several years, according to Newbern, and involved the Vanderbilt offices of traffic and parking, and campus planning and construction, as well as Nashville-based Gresham, Smith & Partners, and Metro Public Works.

"Most of the signs are on public right-of-ways, which is why it had to be coordinated with the Metro government," said Newbern.

According to Jim Kramka, manager of Vanderbilt Traffic and Parking, the new signs were designed to direct visitors away from the 7,943 spaces reserved for faculty, staff and students at the University and the 10,300 reserved spaces at the Medical Center, and into the 326 spaces designed for visitors at the University and 1,350 visitor parking spaces available at the Medical Center.

"This will help keep visitors out of the zone spaces," said Kramka. "Which will really help reduce irritation experienced by people with parking permits."

Names were assigned to various parts of the University to help the visitors find their way to appropriate parking areas as well as their way around campus.

"For the sake of the visitors, we decided to use names that were descriptive, rather than Zone A, Zone B, etc.," said Newbern, referring to the verbiage on the signs. "There were concerns that calling the northeastern-most portion of campus the 'Academic Area' might send the wrong signal given that academic pursuits abound throughout the campus, but everybody was very understanding and cooperative."

The signs direct visitors to areas such as "Peabody Campus," "Academic Areas," "Medical Center" and "Central Campus."

The signs were designed by Gresham, Smith & Partners, of Nashville, and manufactured and installed by Acorn Graphics, also based in Nashville, said Cliff Joyner, assistant director of the Vanderbilt Real Estate Office.

"We're 90 percent finished with the installations," he said. "A few of the signs are on hold until we can coordinate with Nashville Electric Service."

When the project is complete, more than 30 new signs will have been installed. However, the completion date is difficult to project because construction near the First Amendment Center and the installation of a new helipad at the Medical Center have delayed the installation of two signs.