The City of Hamilton continues its negotiations with the union representing workers at HSR, the organization that operates the city’s transit service. The earliest possible strike date is Thursday April 9.

If there is a strike, students, faculty and staff should expect:

• Significant increases in traffic levels across the city
• Much longer commute times getting to and from campus
• Increased traffic congestion as you enter and leave campus

Everyone is encouraged to:

• Give themselves more time for their commutes in order to get to campus on time
• Consider alternative transportation methods such as walking and cycling http://www.mcmaster.ca/sustainability/at_cycling.html
• Wherever possible arrange for shared rides and car pooling http://www.mcmaster.ca/sustainability/at_carpool.html
• Consider community car sharing http://www.mcmaster.ca/sustainability/at_carshare.html
• For those wishing to purchase parking on the upper campus, reloadable 10-visit flex parking passes are available http://parking.mcmaster.ca/flexpass.html

Should there be a strike, the University will enact the following plan to help students and employees and to ease congestion:

• Parking will be free in LOT M (off Cootes Drive) upon presentation of a current HSR transit pass (as parking capacity permits). Gate attendants will be located at the LOT M entry points to facilitate this process. Parking map: http://parking.mcmaster.ca/images/Parking-Map-2011.jpg
• Additional shuttle buses will be running between Lot M and the upper campus.
• Special drop off zones will be located in LOT D in front of the Ivor Wynne Centre and in front of the Institute for Applied Health Sciences (IAHS) for vehicles dropping off passengers and then immediately leaving campus
• Additional parking and security staff will be positioned on campus to help with traffic flow

The community is encouraged to monitor local Hamilton media for updates about the City and union negotiations.