Dalhousie University is grappling with a parking problem. CBC

Dalhousie University says it won't oversell as many parking passes as it usually does as it tries to ease the parking squeeze facing students and staff.

The school in Halifax's south end has 2,000 parking spaces for 17,000 students and 3,000 employees.

Last year, the university oversold general parking passes by 65 per cent. This meant for every 100 pass holders who found a spot, 65 went without.

Ken Burt, vice-president of finance and administration, said there will be fewer passes available this fall.

"Overselling it just creates an expectation of parking that doesn't exist and it frustrates our faculty, our staff and our students," he said.

He said the university will continue to oversell general parking passes, but that will drop down to between 20 and 30 per cent.

The university also plans to turn one of its largest lots into a reserved parking area for about 200 drivers. The cost of a permit will be two or three times more than a general pass.

Dalhousie is also installing more than 100 new bike racks.

Burt said the university is working on a long-term solution that includes more bike racks, staff bus passes and a large parking garage.