I will be attending UW in the fall as a freshmen student. I am from central Illinois about two and a half hours from Madison. I am having trouble finding information about where I can park if I bring a car or is this not allowed at all. It would really make my life easier if I could have a car. Please help me!
You really don’t need a car. Majority of students walk, bike, or take the bus. Parking is super expensive and not worth it at all. Reallya hassle
How would it make your life easier?
http://transportation.wisc.edu/customergroups/student_parking.aspx
Parking is difficult. After the first year, you may find an apartment or house that has parking so you can have your car in WI, but parking on campus is limited and expensive. It is best to skip the car for the first year when you are in a dorm.
The Van Galder bus runs from campus to Chicago. Also the Megabus, which is cheaper.
Also, Van Galder stops in Rockford and S. Beloit.
There is no reason to want a car on campus. Parking is limited and expensive. You could end up in a lot far from your dorm and there won’t be places on campus you would use it for. Do as those equally far from UW in parts of Wisconsin do- get your parents to make the trip the few times you will want to go home and find others from your area to share rides with. Nothing wrong with getting a ride to someplace fairly close to home then having parents come get you.
Near campus parking is also expensive as well- something you’ll find out once you’re in Madison. Some students in apartments near campus will pay for parking in private lots, but that is hard to find as well. Most students are used to being carless, unlike some campuses. Think urban lifestyle and go carless.
Wow- just checked the parking link- almost $900 to over $1000 for a permit. And you can’t just leave your car there forever- some words about 72 hours. Plus they can disallow it for campus event parking. The rules seem to have changed over time- you can’t get student parking permits if you live within a mile of a city bus line!
All good advice here, I was just going to add that my UW student, who lived in a dorm freshman year and off campus since then, has never said a car is useful or worthwhile. Every semester, students are on various list servs and FB groups trying to find a parking space, and willing to pay several hundred dollars a month for it. From what I hear, they get zip cars or borrow someone’s car, for the once a semester Target run.
Given what happened to my kid’s bike when left out during the winter, I cannot imagine trying to deal with a car in winter in Madison . . . .
btw- it will make your life a lot easier to NOT try to have a car in Madison. There are easy ways to find rides- in the old days there were ride boards in dorms and the Unions, now I’m sure online methods are there. Parents are usually happy to ferry other students to places close to home as long as they are making the trip. It is easily 2 1/2 or more hours to many places in Wisconsin and there isn’t always bus service either. You’ll be no worse off than many UW freshmen when it comes to inconveniences in going home.
Several hundred a month?? I doubt that. A parking garage spot in downtown Seattle wirth security only costs $300/mo A prime 24/7 spot in city garage on State next to UW is $230.
https://madison.craigslist.org/prk/5012368881.html
As an OOS student I found having a car very necessary. From grocery shopping to trips out to explore the area–you need a car. Otherwise world is very confined. Even more so at 0 degrees. For winter-- thinner oil and good battery. VW and BMW always started after that fix.
Most OOS students do not find a car necessary now, especially compared to decades ago. None of the OOS students I knew considered a car eons ago and several years ago there was never a thought to freshmen wanting a car on campus. There is a decent grocery story near State St plus Whole Foods west of campus. Plus- living in the dorms there are convenience stores in Res Halls facilities. College freshmen will find so much to do on the UW campus there is no need (or time) to go far off campus- that’s one of the things that make the campus great. College is a time of being immersed in that world- the wider world is for vacations and later.
Parking in Seattle is a lot more expensive than barrons thinks. I can’t see parking a car many blocks away just to take it home a few times a year. Madison is NOT a suitcase campus- the instate students are staying, not leaving weekends.
The cost/benefit ratio seems very high. You do NOT need, or even want, a car at UW. The campus culture is carless.
I had my own 24/7 parking space in Seattle for about 23 years. I know what it costs. I also consulted on numerous parking facility financings and sales both downtown and at the airport. I know more than anyone needs to know about the economics of parking lots. Here’s mine–still around $300/mo. My office was one block away.
I think being able to go to Road America for races–races that still are talked about today as the peak of sports car excitement with the awesome Porsche , Door County for a weekend or just driving down to Iowa City or to NU for a game was a great way to spend some time. There is more to see than just Madison and walking around the same area gets boring. At the time Iowa had a much better art museum than UW for one. Going to my 1st Sun Prairie Corn Festival was fascinating. Camping and skiing near Baraboo also nice short get-aways. People LOVED to take rides in the countryside with me just to get away on a sunny afternoon.
http://seattleparking.spplus.com/Seattle-7th-and-Pike-1508-7th-Ave-Parking.html#Tab_monthly-rates
@barrons – on the cost of monthly spot, I am going off the UW FB group which my current junior is in. In 2013, in his “sophomore slum” apartment building, a parking spot could be leased from the building for about $150 month, and my kid mentioned they go for $200 on Langdon.
Yes 150-200 for a prime location. But not 300. Is that a lot? I would not live so close in myself. I lived south on Vilas, on W Washington and east of the Capitol most years. Usually had a free spot included BITD but times change too. I never lived in larger than a 3 flat building. No highrises.
Sohum Mansukhani @soeysizzle 2h2 hours ago
“The wisconsin experience is enjoying madison beyond the campus.”