What happens when you cram a mass of people into a McMaster Parking & Transit Services van?

According to the Alternative Commuting & Transportation (ACT) office, you get a clear message about McMaster's parking situation.

“We are stretched to the limits in terms of parking supply,” says Daryl Bender, ACT co-ordinator. “We don't have a lot of green space left to pave over.”

He hopes the Van Cram, which highlights Earth Day celebrations at McMaster Tuesday, April 22, will raise awareness of alternative modes of transportation that people can take to class or work.

The van will be located in Zone 2 parking, across from the McMaster University Student Centre. There will also be a barbecue and rides around campus on a Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) bus. A tent will be set up, and there will be booths staffed by HSR and MacCycle, who will be on hand to answer questions about cycling and bike repairs.

To further encourage the use of alternative transportation, free HSR bus tickets will be distributed at the Compass Information Desk in the McMaster University Student Centre and at the security desk at the downtown centre. Tickets will be available Thursday and Monday. An ACT carpooling initiative will also kick off, encouraging people to register to McMaster's new web-based ride-matching system.

Earth Day celebrations will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The barbecue will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a hamburger and pop can be purchased for $2.

“The focus of Earth Day is to revive awareness about the array of alternative transportation and get people to think about it more often,” Bender says.

Then there is the whole other issue of air quality, he adds. “As we head into the summer we have to become more aware of this issue again. The more people chose these alternative modes of transportation, the less fossil fuels we burn, the less we contribute to global warning and the list goes on.”