How come I can't park in a F/S space?

If you are a student, you must be wondering why you cannot park in a Faculty/Staff space when they are empty.

Well, those spaces have to remain available after hours for events on campus or even for your guests. When employees of the campus leave for the evening, there are many other uses for those spaces. This is why students must remain in their designated spaces.

Unregistered guests to campus may park in a Faculty/Staff space from 5pm-7am the next business day or in Torrey Lot until 9am.

How do I pick up my decal?

If you registered online for your student decal, you can stop by the Parking Office Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4pm to pick up your packet.

The decal will be charged to your general bill. We do *NOT* except any type of payment for your decal in the office.

If you did not register online, but would like to pick up your decal before the made dash season, please do stop by during business hours to fill out your paperwork. Withing minutes, your decal packet will be completed and you will be all set for the academic year.

What if my car is here only for 1/2 a year?

If you are a student and will not have your vehicle for the entire academic year and you don't know what to do about registering it, don't worry! This is what we suggest you do......

If your vehicle will be here in the Fall, but not the Spring-you must purchase a decal at full price. Before you leave at the end of the Fall semester of before 12/31, scrape off your decal and return it to the office. I know its sounds easier then done, but we need as much of the decal scraped off even if its in millions of little pieces. After you turn the decal in, you will receive a refund on your general bill that will reflect 1/2 of what you paid in the fall.

If your vehicle will be here in the Fall & J-Term, but not the Spring-you must still scrape off your decal before 12/31 and follow the same instructions as above. Then for J-Term, we will give you a paper pass for your dashboard to cover J-Term. There will be a fee associated with the temporary pass.

If your vehicle will be here in the Spring (starting in J-Term or Spring Semester)-stop by after the holiday break to apply for the decal. The cost will be half of the full year decal.

When can I pick-up my 08-09 decal?

Students-

Students may start to register for their 2008-2009 decal for the academic year after 7/1/2008. If you register on-line, you will receive a $15 discount. The cost of decals are-
Resident Student $125 (with discount $110)
Day Student $75 (with discount $60)
Equestrian Center $100 (with discount $85)

The discount will expire when classes start in the fall.

If your vehicle is registered out-of-state you will need to fill out an additional form to let the state know you are not living in MA, just attending school, to avoid paying excise tax. We will provide that link for you online.

Employees-

The round one year decals expire 6/30/2008. If your term here at the college has not expired, please stop by the office to renew your decal.

The square decal with the picture of the main gate is still in effect. Those decals expire 6/30/2009, so we can all relax for one more year. No worries for the mad dash to renew!

Can I keep my car on campus for the summer?

If you are a student and will be on campus this summer, you may park your vehicle in a student parking area without a decal. Its our gift to you, *FREE* summer parking! But, please keep in mind......you cannot park in a Faculty/Staff space even in the summer. Those spaces are for employees who are here during the warmer months.

If you are a student but leaving for the summer, you may *NOT* leave your vehicle on campus while you are away. This is to avoid any issues that may arise with your vehicle. You may be thinking, what can happen? Well, if a water main breaks where your car is parked, we have no way of moving the vehicle except for towing it off campus - expensive! Or if a tree falls on your car, and you live in California....well, that's just an unpleasant thought. These are just a couple of the reasons we do not allow vehicle to be left unattended on campus.

Thanks for the question Erin! Keep 'em coming!

They Kept Records That Far Back?

Since you waited so patiently for last Thursdays answer asking what year was the first Parking Rules & Regulations where recorded, here is the answer.

It was 1936!

The Archives & Special Collections department has records dating from 1936-1996 for Parking & Public Safety that include the rules & regulations, snow removal guidelines and student vehicle information.

Wow! I bet you never knew that vehicles were brought on campus in the 30's! Its hard to imagine it, but it must have occurred.

Do you know the answer?

Lets test your MHC parking knowlege-

Can you guess when the first documentation of parking rules & regulations were recorded on campus?

a. 1979

b. 1936

c. 1924

d. 1981

If you think you know the answer, leave a comment! Check back Monday for the answer!

Student Summer Parking

Summer is coming! I know, its hard to image with finals approaching quickly that summer is right around the corner, but it is!

So with this in mind, here is where you should park your vehicle during the summer-

I am a student and I will be here during the summer, where can I park?
You may park in the designated student parking spaces. Your decal will expire 5/31/2008, but you are still allowed to park in the student areas. Do NOT park in a Faculty/Staff space since students may never park in these spaces.

I am a student and I will NOT be here during the summer, where can I leave my car?
You may *NOT* leave your vehicle on campus while you are away from campus over the summer. If vehicles appear to be inactive, it will be removed at the owners expense from campus. Please use a local storage facility or bring your vehicle home while away for the summer.

Parking at the Equestrian Ctr

We hear a common question here at the Parking Office about the Equestrian Center parking lot. Well, I'm here to help out and answer a couple of those questions here. So, here we go......


I have a resident student decal, can I park at the Equ Ctr?
Yes, only in the student parking area along the hill. The resident student decal allows you to park in the designated student spaces at this location.
If I have an Equ Ctr Student Decal, where can I park?
You may park at the Equ Ctr student spaces *ONLY*. The decal is only good for this parking lot and a cheaper alternative to the all resident decal.

Please be aware that there is an employee parking lot at the bottom of the hill for the staff that work at this location. We would appreciate students remain out of these spaces and to help avoid a ticket since students may *NEVER* park in a faculty/staff parking space.

Handicap Permits

Around campus, there are several handicap parking spots, but sometimes there seems there isn't enough. This is why Public Safety enforces the rules & regulations so frequently in those spaces so those who require close parking to a building is able to achieve that goal. The fine on those tickets reflect the states fine of $100.

Please do not pull into these spaces & put your flashers on if you do not have a pass to park in a HP Space. Even though your are running in quickly into a building, you are still taking up a space that is intended for someone who has a permit to park there. You never know who will be driving by looking for a space while you are inside.

If I am a student, how do I obtain a temporary HP parking pass?
Since you are a student, you have access to the Health Center for any medical need. We require a letter from the H.C. that can verify you are in need of a temporary HP hang tag. On this letter it will have your name and a date range for the pass. Also, the vehicle you will be using for the HP hang tag needs to be registered with the Parking Office.

If I am an employee, how to I obtain temporary HP parking pass?
Please have your doctor's office fax (or you may bring one in) to the parking office verifying you are in need of a temporary HP hang tag. This letter must be on letter head with your name and date range for the pass. Also, the vehicle you will be using for the HP hang tag needs to be registered with the Parking Office.

What if I have a state placard and I am a student or employee?
If you have a state placard, you do not need to get a HP hang tag from the parking office. You must register with the parking office for a decal to follow regular parking regulations.

Don't Get Towed Away!

There is nothing worse then coming out of a building to find out that your car has been towed away because of tickets.

If you receive a ticket for parking on campus, please *DO NOT* ignore it. Contact the parking office to find out how to resolve your parking issues before it gets to the point that your vehicle may be towed away because of the amount of tickets you have for your vehicle.

If you are a visitor and have 3 or more tickets for your vehicle, you may be towed away. To avoid this situation, please contact the parking office to see how to remedy this situation.

Always remember, your host can obtain a *FREE* visitor pass to help avoid receiving tickets!

If you are a student and have received notification from the parking office that your vehicle has been banned from being able to park on campus, you may be towed away.

We don't like to ticket, so please park correctly so we don't have to issue any fines!

15 Min VS. 2 Hour Parking

What are the 15 minute spaces intended for?
There are a handful of 15 minute spaces spread around campus. These spaces are intended for brief parking that allows you to run into a building to collect your mail, obtain your one card, or apply for a parking decal.

These spaces are for students, faculty, staff and visitor vehicles.

What are the 2 hour visitor spaces intended for?

There are several 2 hour parking spaces around campus. These spaces are *ONLY* for visitors to the campus who need to conduct business in Skinner, who want to visit the Art Museum or walk the track at Kendall.

These spaces are *NOT* for students (including 5-College Students), faculty and staff vehicles.

These spaces are *ONLY* for visitors to the campus who will be here under 2 hours. If a visitor will be here longer then 2 hours, a visitor pass must be obtained at the parking office (its *FREE*).

All Bicycles need to be Registered!

If you have a bicycle on campus, it needs to be registered with the parking office. Its *FREE* and painless (well, as long as you provide all the information). After registration, you will receive a decal that is to be placed on the bike for identification purposes.

The reason we require all bikes to be registered is to help with tracking down your bike if it is missing (or misplaced) & identify that the bike belongs to someone on campus.

If you fail to register your bicycle, it may result in removal of the bike from campus. The college has limited bicycle storage & must remove unregistered bikes from campus.

If you purchased or obtained a bicycle from someone who has graduated, you must re-register the bike under your name & obtain a new decal.

The information we need in order to register is:
Serial Number off of the bike
Make
Model Color
Your CID# off of your one card

How to get off campus?

There is roughly 6 weeks left to the semester, but if you have already checked out and is ready to head home (or any other destination) after exams, here is some helpful tips as you plain to head off campus.

If I have a car, can I leave it on campus?
No. Vehicles cannot be stored/left on campus over the summer months. There are storage facilities in the area who do store vehicles for a fee. A recommended company is Community Self Storage Inc in South Hadley, MA (413-552-0300). If you would like other listings, here is a link to MA storage facilities - http://www.storagecentersusa.com/massachusettsselfstorage.htm

How do I get to the Airport or Train Station?
At this time, the college does not provide transportation to the airport or train station. You may try local transportation companies to get you there. We suggest Valley Transporter.

How do I get to the Bus Station?
Usually, Peter Pan adds extra shuttles towards the end of the semester to help transport you to your destination. Please check with Peter Pan to see if in fact they will continue to pick people up on Rt 116, near the Village Commons at the end of the semester.

Faculty/Staff Parking Areas

If you are driving through campus and notice an empty Faculty/Staff space near your dorm, please think twice before pulling in to park there while you run inside. If you do not have a permit to park there, you are not allowed to be there.

Here are some frequent questions regarding the F/S parking spaces-

I am a Faculty/Staff member, where can I park?
You must register with the Parking Office and you will then receive a parking permit for any Faculty/Staff space on campus.

I am a Student, can I park in a Faculty/Staff space?
No. Students must remain in their designated parking areas. This is for all times, no matter how tempting the empty Faculty/Staff space may be near your destination.

I am a Student, can I park in a Faculty/Staff space with my flashers on?
No. Students must remain in their designated parking areas. This is for all times, no matter how tempting the empty Faculty/Staff space may be near your destination.

I am a visitor, can I park in a Faculty/Staff space?
Unregistered vehicles (visitors) with the parking office may park in a Faculty/Staff space from 5pm during the week, until 7am (or in Torrey Lot until 9am) the next business day. Or on the weekends from Friday at 5pm until 7am (or in Torrey Lot until 9am) on Monday morning.

Visitor Parking

If your visitor is coming for a visit, great! Just keep in mind these simple rules to avoid a ticket.

What if my visitor is coming for the weekend?
Visitors may park during the weekend in a Faculty/Staff Space from 5pm on Friday until 7am on Monday or in Torrey Lot until 9am (that gives you a 1/2 an hour after the parking office opens to get them a *FREE* pass).

What if my guest shows up on a weeknight?
If your visitor is stopping by during the week after business hours, they may park from 5pm until 7am the next business day or in Torrey Lot until 9am (that gives you a 1/2 an hour after the parking office opens to get them a pass).

What if my visitor comes during a weekday?
If your visitor is stopping by during business hours (7am-5pm) they will need a *FREE* pass from the parking office to park on campus longer then 2 hours. If your guest will be here under 2 hours, there are visitor spaces all around campus for the 2 hour period. They may park in any of those spaces as long as they do not park longer then the 2 hour limit.

What if my guest only stops by for a couple of hours?
If your guest will be here under 2 hours, there are visitor spaces all around campus for the 2 hour period. They may park in any of those spaces as long as they do not park longer then the 2 hour limit.

What do I need for a visitor pass?
In order to apply for a *FREE* visitor pass, we will need the plate number, make and model of their vehicle. Your visitor does not have to be with you to obtain this pass. But, your visitor cannot get the pass without you. So, please remember to come by before they arrive, or with your visitor. The passes can be for one night or up to one month at a time. There is not limit to how many *FREE* visitor passes you may apply for.

Parking Questions?

Do you have a parking question?

Are you confused about a certain regulation?

If so, please email Charlyn at cpuza@mtholyoke.edu or leave a comment. We would like to address all of your parking concerns.