Seniority plays factor in
‘C’ spot availability
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
Students who want to park in garage "C" spaces
next fall will need to apply for permits next week.
This new application system will be based on seniority.
Graduate students can apply for "C" garage permits Monday, seniors and
juniors can apply Tuesday and sophomores and freshmen can apply Wednesday.
The garage "C" permit costs $72 and is garage specific.
To apply, students need to go to Parking Facilities, which is in the
Visitor Information Center on Northwestern Avenue, between 7 a.m. and
5 p.m. on their designated day.
There are approximately 1,400 garage "C" spots
on campus — 525 in the Wood Street Parking Garage, 175 in the Marsteller
Street Parking Garage, 250 in the University Street Parking Garage and
450 in the Northwestern Parking Garage.
Mike Jasper, parking facilities manager, said that
contrary to the past, garage "C" spots are now considered premium spaces.
When they apply, students will find out immediately
if there are available spaces in the garage they apply for. Jasper said
if there aren't spaces left, students will be put on a waiting list
and will be notified later if spaces open.
Jasper also said the "C" spaces would not be as
oversold last year. People from Parking Facilities will monitor the
garages during the beginning of the semester to make sure the spots
are efficiently used. "We shoot for 90 percent occupancy during peak
times," said Jasper.
Permits can be picked up and paid for after Aug.
1. When students pick them up they'll need to show proof of residency
and a valid driver's license; all outstanding fines must be paid before
the permit is issued.
If students cannot find a spot in their permit's
garage, they can park in a remote surface "C" lot, such as the stadium.
"C" surface lot permits, which cost $30 a year, will go on sale Aug.
1. There will be approximately 3,100 remote "C" surface spots next year.
Also, a new remote surface 500-space lot may be built southwest of campus.
Jasper said that in the future there will be a
shift to parking spaces away from campus.
CityBus will still run shuttle services from these
lots to campus. Marty Sennett, CityBus general manager, said next year's
routes would probably stay the same as this year's. He said the shuttle
service has been successful.
"We've seen a 145 percent increase in the number
of riders since the program started," he said. "I think there's no reason
to believe that for the next two to three years it won't continue to
grow because more and more students are aware of the buses and how easy
they are to ride."
Next year "A" and "B" permits will not be able
to park in "C" spots. There will be no "B" spots in the garages, the
current ones will be divided into "A" and "C" spots.
|
