Parking Changes To Take Effect After Spring Break
Two changes in parking on campus, both designed to improve safety, will take place the Monday after spring break.
Beginning on March 14, the ticketing enforcement time for all Area 1 parking and metered parking lots will be extended to 5 p.m., instead of 4 p.m. as it is now. This will help avoid congestion around Area 1 lots and on roadways during the day, when the volume of traffic is high, yet still permit students to park on campus for night classes, says Ann Denny, director of parking services.
The second change involves a metered parking lot with 26 regular spaces and two handicap spaces between the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Storrs Hall. The lot will become an Area 1 lot on March 14.
Currently, says Denny, “students and visitors line up there waiting for spaces and stop traffic on Glenbrook Road. It creates a serious traffic hazard and blocks traffic coming into and out of Student Health Services, Wilbur Cross, and Storrs Hall.” The congestion also affects buses, which get stuck in traffic, delaying students trying to get to class.
The change is designed not only to reduce hazards on Glenbrook Road but also to help offset the loss of spaces on North Eagleville Road, where parking was eliminated recently due to concerns about pedestrians.
There are 121 people on the waiting list for Area 1 parking, Denny says. Because of the lot’s change in designation, Parking Services will run a lottery from this list, giving 26 additional people access to Area 1. Those individuals will be notified by March 9 of their change in status.
Denny notes that this year’s parking permits expire on May 31. Vehicle information will be mailed to employees on March 1. Employees are encouraged to mail renewals back to Parking Services. Parking permits will be signed for, along with paychecks, by departmental representatives on April 28.
The changes were approved by the Parking Advisory Committee and the University administration on Feb. 9.
