Evening semester permits help reduce delays onto campus

When classes begin this September, students with semester parking passes will likely make it to class a lot faster than those without.
Because of a reconfiguration of Sterling Street, McMaster's Parking and Transit Services encourages students who attend night class to purchase semester passes rather than nightly passes, so that the entry time into campus is reduced.
This summer, the City of Hamilton reconfigured Sterling Street to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety and encourage more people to ride a bike or use roller blades to get to campus. With the reconfiguration there is now one incoming lane into campus from Sterling Street.
“Because of the reconfiguration of Sterling Street to improve safety, the University anticipates longer line-up delays getting onto campus,” says John Abraham, manager of Parking and Transit Services. “But one way to overcome this is for students to buy a semester evening permit rather than a nightly pass.”
He says this will reduce the amount of vehicles stopping at the kiosk to purchase a nightly pass and will subsequently increase the flow of traffic on the right side of the entranceway.
“By having a permit, you will be able to drive straight onto campus without having to stop at a kiosk. This will reduce your time in line and the delay in getting to your class.”
An off-duty police officer will also be on duty for the first couple of weeks of classes to help ease congestion and improve safety. As well, there will be free parking after 4 p.m. in Zones 6 and 7, with regular bus shuttles onto campus until 11 p.m. These parking lots can be accessed off of Cootes Drive.
Permits can be purchased at the parking office in the E.T. Clarke Centre or online at http://parking.mcmaster.ca/