Parking Permit Confusion / Classes / Commuting

<p>I will be a commuter and own my own car. I was planning on just driving between classes, but from what I understand, this is not possible? I will have one class on Busch campus, and then a class starting just 20 minutes later on Livingston campus. Will I be late to the next class you think? The first class is in William Levine Hall on Busch and the second is in Tillett Hall on Livingston.</p>

<p>It seems very odd of why I cannot just drive in between classes, as I own my own car. I am only assigned one spot to stay in and not move my car anywhere else on campus, and have to pay for it on top of that sounds a bit ridiculous.</p>

<p>Is there anyway I can be able to park on multiple campuses?</p>

<p>As a commuter, you buy a permit which allows you to park on ONE campus during the day. This is because there are many commuter students, but a limited number number of parking spots. You don’t have a specific spot in a lot either; you are allowed to park anywhere in the lot that your permit assigns you to. You cannot buy multiple permits to allow you to park on multiple campuses during the day unless you can demonstrate a need because of physical limitations. After 6pm, your commuter permit then allows you to park on any campus (certain lots only) since there is much less demand for parking at that time.</p>

<p>During the day, you need to use the campus bus system to get to classes just like the rest of the students. The bus system is pretty solid, especially if you are going between Busch and Livingston since there is never any traffic. The B bus runs this route. You should become well acquainted with it. The 20 minutes in between Busch/Livingston classes is definitely tight, but you can do it. Going between Pharmacy Hall and Tillet is pretty much the farthest possible trip, but it’s still doable. Everyone has to deal with the tight schedule, and professors understand this as well.</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply, sounds good. I still think it is kind of ridiculous to have to pay to park on the campus. I mean, you do not pay to park at a lot in the supermarket. Don’t we pay for enough already at Rutgers.</p>

<p>It’s really not ridiculous
Think of it like you were living on campus, your dorm would only be on one campus and you would have to travel to other campuses depending on your courses.
That’s what the free bus system is for.
Park in your lot, use the Rutgers app and find the bus you need and where to hop on.</p>

<p>You have to pay for a permit because it ensures that the people who actually need to park on campus can do so. Say that a permit was free. Then someone like me, who has no “need” to park on campus outside of maybe 3 times a year, would apply for a permit anyway (heck, it’s free!) and possibly get one. That’s one less permit that can be offered to an actual commuter student who needs it. There are thousands of students just like me who would do the same thing and screw over the system for the commuters who actually need them. So by raising the price of a permit, it deters people who don’t really need a permit from getting one and leaves them for the actual commuter students.</p>

<p>Parking permits are now available for purchase online.</p>

<p>I was planning on parking on Busch campus in West Stadium Lot because it seems that is the only place to park legally with a Zone B permit ( I am not doing night classes). My first class is on Busch campus in Levine Hall Pharmacy Building. Looking at google maps this looks like a 16 minute walk. Am I doing something wrong? I have to walk 16 minutes to my class!?</p>

<p>You are correct about the Stadium being the only place to park during the day with a Zone B permit. Now if you were to walk directly from there to Pharmacy, it would be that long since you are walking across the entirety of Busch Campus, which is fairly big. The better option is to take the C bus to the ARC bus stop and then walk from there. The C is the commuter bus which runs from the Stadium to ARC, making stops at Werblin (the gym) and Hill Center. You can also catch an A bus from the Stadium and get off at the Science Buildings stop (right across from ARC). So after you park, take whichever bus comes first. Helpful tip, if you can take some time to learn the bus routes by looking at the Rutgers DOTS website or even ride a few just to become accustomed to the routes, it will make your life a LOT easier. Even as a commuter, it’s a great idea to know the buses, because you will need them.</p>

<p>Regarding walking 16 minutes to get to class: this isn’t uncommon for even residents on campus. For example, I lived in Barr Hall as a freshman and had a class in the Pharmacy building. If you look that up on google maps, it’s like a 20 minute walk. It’s just a reality given the size of the Rutgers campuses.</p>

<p>Good Idea. I found a PDF file of the bus routes. Regarding having to walk, I suppose it is good exercise as it is recommended to walk at least a couple miles a day by health professionals!</p>