From the Archives: 'Parking in campus G lots no longer free during evening, weekend hours'

[ Editor's note: At the end of the decade, Western Today is publishing articles from the past 10 years of FAST, the campus faculty/staff newsletter. This is one of those articles. Publication of FAST officially ended in the summer of 2009. It was replaced by Western Today. ]

This article first appeared in FAST on Nov. 21, 2001

Beginning Monday, Western began charging 50 cents an hour for parking in general campus (G) lots during evenings and weekends. The maximum charge will be $4 for four or more hours. Fees will go toward construction of a campus parking garage.

The after-hours parking fee will not apply to students, staff, faculty or visitors who display a valid parking permit for any lot, who display a Viking Xpress bus pass on their dashboards, or who park in lots C or 12A at the southern edge of the campus.

Machines that accept cash, coins or credit/debit cards and dispense a dated, time-stamped ticket are located in G lots. The tickets are to be placed on the car’s dashboard.

Visitors coming to campus for major events, such as athletic contests, the Performing Arts Center Series or Distinguished Lecture Series presentations can park in reserved lots or use shuttle buses from south campus lots provided by event sponsors.

Parking information for specific activities is available by checking the University’s events calendar at www.calendar.wwu.edu or by calling the sponsoring campus department or organization. Enforcement will be delayed for a short period while students, staff, faculty and visitors grow accustomed to the new system, said James E. Shaw, Western’s public safety director. He said his staff would be “very liberal” about issuing warnings rather than tickets during the informational phase of the project.

Noting that state funds cannot be used for parking garage construction, Shaw said revenue must be generated that can pay off construction bonds or loans, adding that it is hoped construction can begin in three to five years. Students, faculty and staff can purchase a $15 per quarter Viking Xpress pass that enables them to park at Civic Field and take a shuttle to and from campus. The pass also may be used to ride any WTA bus, and it also will now function as an evening and weekend parking pass.

The University pays WTA a $230,000 annual subsidy to support the Viking Xpress as a means of reducing on-campus parking demand. In addition, the University pays the City of Bellingham $25,000 for administration of the Residential Parking Zone program to discourage nonresident parking in neighborhoods adjacent to campus.

Short-term metered parking spaces at various campus locations, which cost $1.25 an hour, will continue to be enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some G lots, such as those adjacent to Old Main or the Performing Arts Center, have special hours of availability or other restrictions that are prominently posted, Shaw said.

R lots remain restricted at all times only to students who have permits because they live in nearby university residences.

Questions about parking fees, exemptions and restrictions as well as disability accommodation as it relates to parking may be addressed to the parking office, X/2945, or via the Web at www.park.wwu.edu.