Good news! We have our first Transfer Orientation this Friday! If you are signed up, we are happy to have you on campus. Remember that check-in begins between 8 and ends at 8:20am in Cole Field House. You want to make sure to park in Lot 1 only. If you park anywhere else, be ready to get a $75 ticket. You can get your temporary Orientation parking pass here.
Speaking of tickets, that is the topic of today's post.
Every lot on campus is assigned some sort of designated letter, number and/or symbol. You'll drive around and see lots like Lot Q, Lot K, Lot Z, Lot 1, Lot 11, etc. You will also see lots like Lot Z* or Lot Q*. They each have their own special meaning and it is important to know where to park. When you register for a parking permit at the Department of Transportation Services website here, you will be assigned a parking lot based on the number of credits you have. The more you have, the better lot you will be in. The "Holy Grail" of spots is in Lot 1. But for the first semester you may get Lot 6, 9 or 11 which are on the outskirts of campus, but still within walking distance to all classes and the campus shuttles drive by often.
There has been a lot of chatter around campus about making the signs more user-friendly. You can read an article here. We'll see what the administration decides to do in the future and I'll keep you updated. But for now, make sure you read your parking permit and also the signs in the lots. If not, you will get a whopping $75 ticket. Never fear! If it's your first time on campus or you just made an honest mistake, you can appeal the ticket at the same website for the Department of Transportation Services. But don't abuse the appeal process because they will only let you off so many times.
Good luck with parking on campus and remember to check the permit and check the signs.
What other ways are you getting to campus besides driving?
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Hey! My name is Kaisha Baker, and I am a Sophomore Double Major in Communication and Philosophy here at the University of Maryland.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of ways to get to the University of Maryland besides driving. There is a Metro station within walking distance to the campus, and the university provides a bus that runs from the student union to the metro station every 10 minutes. There are about 19 different commuter shuttles that run form 6:30AM to 10:00PM to transport Maryland students on and off campus. The routes for these shuttles can be found at transportation.umd.edu. There are also Metro buses that run daily on campus that students have the option of taking if the Maryland buses are not traveling where they want to go.
When students are traveling home for the breaks. Maryland still does their best to provide transportation to the student body. There are shuttles that run from campus to nearby airports such as Dullus and BWI. There is also a Maryland bus offered during the breaks to take students home. The bus stops in Metro Park, New Jersey and in New York.
The location of Maryland also makes it very easy for students to travel home by way of the Amtrak train or the Greyhound bus. Students can get to Amtrak station and Greyhound bus by taking the Metro.
I hope this helps!
Hi, my name is Nicole Leonard and I am a senior English major training to be an orientation advisor this summer. I currently live on campus, but I have my car here so like commuter students, I often deal with the Department of Transportation. Last August when I first registered for a parking spot, I was shocked at the cost: over $400 for one year of parking? Just for a single parking spot? Outrageous! For months, I groaned about how much I had paid for parking.
ReplyDeleteJust last month, while training for orientation this summer, I discovered the many services which DOTs offers but doesn’t do a great job advertising. Included in your parking fees is Motorist Assistance, a service offered only to those students and faculty members who hold a campus parking permit. If you are ever on campus and need your doors unlocked, your engine jumpstarted, your tires inflated, or gas brought to your car, you are in luck! Just call up 301-314-4CAR (4227) and they will come to your aid. Keep in mind that this service is only available on campus and only performs the listed services (and they won’t unlock your doors on a regular basis, so try not to lose your keys too often!). Save the number in your phone and remember them next time you have a problem with your car; knowing that this service is available definitely makes the parking fees much more reasonable!