Growth leads to parking challenges on campus
Watching the construction on and around East Carolina University’s campuses and seeing Greenville’s downtown area vibrant with new businesses is a sign of positive growth.
That growth has made parking and traveling around ECU more challenging. But a little planning will help make the experience smooth and safe.
ECU Transit provides more than 3 million rides each year to locations on and off campus. There are two apps students are requested to download, Nextbus and TransLoc. Nextbus provides real-time arrival predictions and rider alerts for students utilizing ECU buses, and TransLoc is used to schedule a SafeRide through ECU Transit. Students can always call 252-328-7433 to schedule a SafeRide.
Passengers board an ECU bus during new student orientation in June. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)
On main campus, students will notice that the Mendenhall/West End bus terminal is closed until summer of 2019 due to the extensive renovations taking place at nearby Greene Residence Hall. Those routes have moved to the new Main Campus Student Center bus terminal.
This summer, ECU Parking & Transportation adjusted parking on the Health Sciences campus to provide better access to the new Health Sciences Campus Student Center. Pay station parking provides students with greater flexibility if they are primarily in off-campus clinics and only visit campus a few times a semester. This is a less costly option than purchasing a full-year permit.
Additionally, the B4 student lots have been consolidated to make finding locations on campus easier.
“We did reduce the number of B4 permits to accommodate these changes, but that decision was based on lot usage data we collect throughout the year,” said Bill Koch, associate vice chancellor for Environmental Health and Campus Safety. “Significant changes in parking accommodations go through the university’s Parking & Transportation Committee that includes faculty, staff and student representatives.”
Students board an ECU bus during Admitted Student Day.
Other parking zone designations were changed this summer on main campus. Officials stress the importance of checking the parking zone signs and which permits are valid at a given time. Some parking zones will allow additional permits in the evenings, most beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Commuter students who need parking in the evenings or on weekends may want to consider the new C2A permit. This gives them access to areas on main campus and the ability to park closer to some Health Sciences Campus facilities after 5:30 p.m.
Additional information to note:
- Pay attention to signs. Parking lot zones have changed since last semester.
- Purchase your parking permit as soon as possible to avoid tickets.
- Register all vehicles that will use a parking permit.
- Turning on your hazard lights does not allow you to park closer.
- Pirate Express routes will serve the downtown area on Friday and Saturday nights. The Thursday night service was discontinued due to low ridership.
2018 Parking Zone Changes
-by Jamie Smith, ECU News Services