This page is a living document. PTS will add more questions and answers as demand grows. When we find a common question is being asked by multiple community members, we add it here.
Please consider putting a contract parking entrance to the East River Road Garage near Yudof Hall.
PTS will not be adding a contract reader to the East River Road Garage entrance at Delaware Street. It's a safety concern for conflicts with the pedestrian crossing between Comstock Hall and Coffman Memorial Union. The original garage design allowed for a public parking entrance to provide convenient access for those unfamiliar with campus, but it was never intended to handle a heavy flow of both public and contract parkers. Since there is such a short distance between the crosswalk and the intersection, it could lead to traffic backing up to the intersection, waiting for pedestrians to cross at busy times.
Our staff will work with the City of Minneapolis to see if any improvements can be made to the East River Parkway and Delaware traffic signal with the hope that drivers can experience less of a delay when coming off the Washington Avenue Bridge with the left turn onto East River Parkway. ~ Jan. 2014
Who at Fairview should be contacted for parking questions?
Call 612-273-PARK (7275).
Why does parking cost so much?
Parking and Transportation Services is a self-supporting department. We do contribute to the larger University through Internal Revenue Sharing, but we receive no central funding from the institution. Consequently, the majority of parking dollars support the services of the department (like the University Paratransit Service for those with disabilities and the intercampus shuttle buses) and the operation and maintenance of our facilities. We balance our budget in the same manner as a private company does - income offsets expenses.
A significant amount surface parking on the Twin Cities campus has been lost over the years due to construction. To replace surface lots using limited land, the department had to build both ramps and garages, which are ten to 20 times more costly than surface lots.
Additionally, structural repair costs have increased significantly in recent years. Despite limited resources and increasing debt payments, the department is determined to keep rate increases to a minimum to ease the burden on students, staff, and faculty.
I'm a student and I don't want to pay special event rates! What can I do?
Special events such as concerts and athletic games often occur on campus, and several parking facilities do charge a higher special event rate. Event rates go into effect three to four hours prior to the event.
To avoid paying event parking rates in the future, the first step is to consult our online special events calendar. That will tell you if there is a special event that evening.
Students can use the East River Road Garage or Nineteenth Avenue Ramp, which do not charge special event rates. For these facilities, the off-peak parking rate would apply.