Alex PattersonParking passes for any of the major lots usually run around $800 for the year. It gets worse if you elect to pay daily as any lot such as Windsor, HUB, or Stadium car park, as well as any parking meter on campus can rack up a bill of anywhere from $15-$30 a day. A common mistake made is thinking that university parking meters are free after 6 p.m., when in reality they are monitored 24 hours a day. For those risk takers, there’s about a 90 per cent success rate parking anytime between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., but heads up, it’s a $50 ticket.
So for students who would rather save roughly $500 a year and still have access to their vehicle before and after school, here are some hacks to try at your own risk.
1. LRT Station
Park at an LRT station, literally anywhere. Popular choices include McKernan/Belgravia, Stadium, and Century Park for those who live Deep South. Driving in tandem with taking the LRT is by far the fastest alternative to get to school for most students outside of the campus area.
2. Garneau
If you can find a spot in the Garneau area close to Leva, you’ll find some two hour parking spots in the residential streets. If you park at 9, and then go back to your car on your lunch break, you might notice a white chalk mark on your tire. That’s how they keep track of how long you’ve been parked. If you go wipe the chalk mark off your tire around lunch, you can park all day and no one will know how long you’ve been there.
3. Ticket Dispensers
Sometimes kind souls will leave parking passes they’ve purchased in the ticket dispensers if they haven’t parked their full time. It’s not a sure thing though. So, start the karma train. If you haven’t used your paid amount of time when leaving the parking lot, leave your ticket for someone else to use.
