<p>hi.. I just got my license today and won a lottery parking spot. I was wondering how difficult the driving is around Ann Arbor? I would only be driving to the grocery store and stuff like that. </p>
<p>I especially want to know about the driving conditions in winter. good snow plowing? icy roads?</p>
<p>It’s not hard at all. Just don’t run over any pedestrians and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>You do need to be careful when the roads are icy, but you learn what not to do pretty quickly. Downtown is where the driving will be the hardest, because it’s busy and students will literally run out into the street without looking first and expect you not to hit them.</p>
<p>How difficult it is to drive anywhere is going to vary greatly by the type of driving the driver is used to, and the number of years they have been driving. So this is just my two cents based on my two years of suburban driving experience…</p>
<p>I find it to be very difficult to concentrate on figuring out my way around AND on not hitting anyone. And the traffic is at times so heavy that it can be difficult if you are not a fairly aggressive driver, I am incapable of making left turns in Ann Arbor, I am too timid. It is very stressful if you are not used to driving in more urban areas. If you are, I am sure it’s no problem, but I am from the suburbs and driving in Ann Arbor is a little much for me. The pedestrians do not wait for traffic, you wait for them and they run out all the time. I’ve had my license for two years and am still not comfortable driving there. And the grocery store is one of the few places you’ll even have a parking lot to park in, it’s mostly either VERY small lots, parallel parking, or paying to park in city structures and then walking. Given that the bus is included in your tuition and MUCH simpler in most cases, that’s probably what you’re going to use most often. I am not even bothering to bring a car because the occasion when it is more convenient than the public transit is too rare to make it worth the price for a parking spot. </p>
<p>In the winter it is going to be icy. Wayne county last year, not part of Ann Arbor but nearby, cut overtime for plow and salt trucks out of their budget and so we had no plows or salt trucks unless the weather was seriously awful-- and I mean DEADLY. I mean when it’s THAT bad you just don’t drive anywhere, but sometimes you have to brave the bad weather to get to where you need to be. Washtenaw county (where ann arbor is) was better but not hugely so, but I was more in the Ypsilanti area. The roads do usually get plowed and salted most years, but sometimes not until the morning-afternoon after the storm. So if you’re not at all experienced in driving in wintery conditions, you will be soon. :P</p>
<p>I think it will be a real challenge for a brand new driver–which you are if you just got your license. I was a college freshman when I got mine and drove to work and school every day, and it was pretty easy but I was in the suburbs. I don’t think it isn’t doable, but if you aren’t comfortable having your driving skills seriously challenged I might consider passing up on the parking spot this year-- it will only be convenient for drives home anyway. I know I’d be ready to kill myself if anything happened to my car, so at least until I know the area better so I can take that variable out, I am not bringing a car.</p>
<p>Driving around ann arbor sucks. You will be incredibly frustrated. However, if you live on North campus, getting around there is pretty easy. But on Central, South, and Downtown, it’s not fun.</p>
<p>lol driving in ann arbor is a piece of cake compared to these 2 months driving on the ever congested highways in houston…talk about a culture shock lol… </p>
<p>oh and people here love to watch car chases on the news… and the news channels love to broadcast those police chases… the funny thing is the entire trade floor stops working and just stare at the TV when there’s one…</p>
<p>Thanks bearcats. I was laughing at some of these responses. Ann Arbor is a pretty easy city to get around, once you know the area of course.</p>
<p>Students cross the street without looking, so drivers MUST drive slowly and always keep an eye on the pavement to make sure a student isn’t about to cross. </p>
<p>Furthermore, at intersections that do not have lights (like the one on State Street and South University Street), pedestrians have the right of way. </p>
<p>Like NYC, most streets in Ann Arbor was one-way, so you need to familiarise yourself with the city.</p>
<p>Other than that, driving in Ann Arbor is easy.</p>
<p>except for parking.</p>
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<p>Parking isn’t really that bad. It’s annoying on campus and in the immediate downtown area. Everywhere else parking is no problem. Even ther, there’s a ton of parking structures and it’s usually possible to find a place on side streets nearby.</p>
<p>no… the parking is pretty bad. As a tourist you’ll be happy with a parking spot but if your a student trying to park on central with a less than blue parking and little money, your either going to have to pay a lot at the structures, use parking only after 5, or just not park at all.</p>
<p>I currently park in the commuter lots because parking in the city can be terrible. I ride the city bus (#36) and walk from my bus stop to my campus job (another way to keep my body in shape! ;)) If you are in any way parked incorrectly on a neighborhood street or parking meter, the city will tow your car and ticket you for illegal parking. </p>
<p>If you have a parking permit (Orange, Yellow, Blue), park in the designated campus lots and ride the blue bus to wherever you need to go on campus. The bottom line is you want to use your car less frequently and utilize alternative means (bus, carpool, walk, bike) to get around the city/school. </p>
<p>As Alexandre pointed out, many streets have older one-way street patterns (especially near campus and downtown Ann Arbor). Learn the geography of the city (locations of stores, restaurants, etc.) and watch out for pedestrians who cross the streets at non-intersections. Since you’re a first-time driver, be extremely cautious. </p>
<p>For winter driving, I highly recommend all-season tires. The road conditions can be very icy and full of snow (some residential streets are simply not plowed at all). Brake gradually if you see black ice on the ground. Do not drive fast on icy roads. Make sure you carry a snow remover/ice scraper in your car.</p>
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<p>How bout no? I’m a student, I’ve had a car for 3 years at UMich. I’ve always lived on Central, always had a reserved parking spot on North. Never, ever had a problem finding free parking on the side streets immediately adjacent to central. So no, you don’t have to pay if you’re willing to walk 5 feet.</p>
<p>That said, I’m not sure why anyone would have such a big problem. If you have a car at school, you’ll probably be using it after class. It’s pointless to attempt to car commute to class, unless you’re living at home as an actual commuter student.</p>
<p>All of the one way streets now nearest campus are two ways for a few years already. This includes State, Liberty, and Maynard. North of campus there are one way streets, but who goes this way that often? Also a few one way streets around the downtown core. No big deal at all!</p>
<p>I suggest using bikes and the free shuttle bus to get around for most businesses. Parking and driving is a pain in the ass in Ann arbor</p>
<p>I should also mention that I live in MI and am used to the snow and icy roads… however, I’ve never had any personal experience driving on them. so that may be a problem.</p>
<p>Also I am living in North Campus. I’m not going to drive to classes but only to a CVS or something.</p>
<p>If you are living on North and your car is up there then the chaos down on Central shouldn’t be a problem for you, just be wary that you have to drive very carefully if you end up there. Do NOT overestimate your abilities in the snow until you’ve gotten some experience driving in it-- that got me into an accident my first year. I wasn’t driving super slow because I didn’t see any ice and figured if there was any I was driving slow enough, because I didn’t know any better, and I ended up sliding into the car in front of me at the intersection. Not a bad accident at all, but had the other car called the police like they should have it would have been enough to tarnish my driving record and extend my probation period. (In Michigan, an accident will keep you from getting your level 3 license when you are supposed to. If you already have your level 3, you are automatically on probation for several years. Either 2 or 3, I forget. I got my level 2 JUST before I turned 18 so I still had to wait a year to get level 3.) A clean record is very important to maintain as long as possible, because when something inevitably happens the judge will take notice of that. So be careful, drive as slow as it takes in bad weather to maintain control of your car, and when the roads aren’t clear drive VERY slow-- especially around corners and with a stop sign or intersection in sight. And when in doubt, don’t drive. As much of a pain in the ass it might be, no matter how good of a driver you are there are days when the conditions are just too bad and it’s unwise to drive. A trip to CVS can wait, or you can find alternative means of transportation. As a new driver it is very important that you make good choices, so you and everyone else on the road with you can stay safe. As long as you’re careful and stay aware of your limitations I’m sure you’ll be fine. The trouble is when you assume you pretty much know what you’re doing like I did. :P</p>
<p>tetrahedrom, where do you park? Cause I’ve lived in Ann Arbor for more than 5 years and have had trouble finding this free parking your talking about. Is there something Im missing?</p>
<p>^^There is street parking, although not easy to find, north of Huron and south of Hill. You just can’t count on getting a spot easily. So I don’t recommend relying on that.</p>
<p>If you’re just gonna use it once a week or what ever to go to a grocery store, I wouldn’t even bring a car. It would just be an extra worry.</p>