<p>are parking permits available for students. if yes, where can we get them from? If not, is there a way around it?</p>
<p>Check the UW website. The forever infamous lot 60, on the far west end of campus is the usual place available for students. Do not count on finding any parking close to any campus buildings- parking is at a premium on and around campus. Avoid having a car if you can help it, you won't be using it on a daily basis- certainly not for getting to classes unless you are a commuter and use lot 60. People in campus area apts often pay at least $100 per month for parking spots, sometimes blocks from their apt. Do not count on street parking near campus. Expect to walk, bike, moped or use the campus bus to get around campus. You are most likely to want to stay on campus weekends, using parent transportation for the few breaks works for most. You do get a city bus pass so you will have a way to get places off campus in Madison- most places of interest are within walking distance of campus.</p>
<p>I got curious and checked the UW website, student life, transportation- they use capital letters to say DON'T BRING A CAR TO CAMPUS. It seems as though not everyone eligible for a student parking permit gets one- eligibility criteria listed includes living more than a mile from a Madison bus route. Forget having a car in Madison unless you want to spend a lot of money to let it sit for weeks/months at a time off campus.</p>
<p>Or you can get a private parking space located right across from Ogg/Witte/Sellery. </p>
<p>Costly? For some. Depends on perspective and where you're coming from. </p>
<p>$150/month downtown covered parking = cheap for people from Chicago/Atlanta/Detroit/Minneapolis/NYC/LA/Boston. The list goes on. :) Look into your options -- CHT Apartments, Steve Brown Apartments, and smaller landlords all offer parking options, many of which are within a block of your dorm or private residence (closer than if you DID get a UW permit).</p>
<p>Well already got an apt (with underground parking) on Park st. 7 - 8 min drive to campus. Since all my classes are around the engineering area, I park at the covered parking which is there. Costs me $5 - $8 daily, depending on the time I park/leave.</p>
<p>Your choices as to how to spend your money.</p>
<p>Seriously, glithchy. If you have parking that close to campus you should utilize the free bus pass and bus in every morning and commute home. It's a huge pain in the ass but there are just so many buses during rush hour that it shouldn't be a problem. There's a free bus pass distribution at memorial union or student print (which I think relocated to the new University Square development). Learn the system and don't pay for that daily rate, it's not worth it. Bring a book during your commute. I travel in about a 16 minute bus ride to class every morning (when it's too cold to moped) and it takes almost 25 minutes to get home. It's so worth it when I think about how much money I'm saving. And the pleasure reading I'm enjoying (the Twilight saga)! Put it in perspective. No parking, no gas, no traffic. Enjoy the ride (despite the smelly people) and make the most of your commute. 1/2 of the rest of the people on the bus are coming to campus, too!</p>
<p>A car in Madison is not necessary and can be very expensive. You will get tickets and they are not cheap.</p>
<p>Speaking of mopeds- there's info about them in the site also. Saw one going less than traffic speed in the left lane of Campus Drive last August- dangerous, no helmet, either. I just saw where they are restricted to streets with a lower speed limit by state law, aside from the fact slower traffic should be in the right, not left, lane. Hope you're being legal and safe, MNB.</p>
<p>Thanks for the concern, wis75. I always wear a helmet. I prefer the feel of it, to be perfectly honest. A bit like wearing a seat belt I suppose. You feel more secure. I've actually been on campus drive, albeit the right lane, as I can hold a solid 46 mph. Yes, illegal (but so is having to maintain 45 to keep up with traffic in the 40mph zone in the first place!!) :) I just take Old University over on that side of town, now. But yes. Mopedding. I love it...</p>
<p>The moped culture is just another of the unique attributes of the UW. I like them but some of the riders are clueless.</p>
<p>MNBadger: thanks for your concern. It would definitiely save money. However, a bus would take more time. And the fact that I have a car makes me control my own time (i.e. leave whenever/wherever). I'm just more used to controlling my time and not let time control me. If I commute using a bus, it would average 15 min to campus and 15 from campus, not to mention the waiting time, thus leading to an easy 20 - 23 minutes of commuting (one way), not taking other factors into account. Also, even though I've lived in snow conditions for over 2 yrs now, I just hate it (as in when waiting for a bus). But I do agree it would easily save me maybe a good $150. Maybe I'll take the bus once or twice a week, and see if I can get use to it, or even better, when the weather gets warmer.</p>
<p>If you live on or near the campus, you probably don't want a car. If you plan to live a little further out, like Willy st or East Johnson, you can get a city parking pass on the cheap that allows street parking. When I lived near Langdon, I paid 120.00 per month for a spot behind a sorority.</p>