The early bird catches the worm, and for Eastern Michigan University students commuting to campus, the “worm” is parking spaces.
With the third-largest incoming class at EMU in a decade, and more than 22,000 students overall, driving to campus and parking can be difficult.
On Wednesday at 4 p.m., on the north side of campus, Oakwood Street was packed with cars as students were making their way in or out of parking lots.
This is business as usual for EMU’s Department of Public Safety and Department of Parking. The EMU Police have been working overtime the last week to control traffic flow and to help students who are lost.
According to the Public Safety Department, it takes students an average of two weeks to get accustomed to navigating campus. Until that happens, EMU Police have had to deal with fender benders and arguments about parking spaces.
Dieter Otto, Director of Custodial, Parking and Waste Management, encourages students to remember to park in Green Lot 1 located off of Huron street on the north side of campus.
“I know everyone wants to park near the buildings,” Otto said. “But we have a pretty centralized campus.”
A Student Government study determined it takes a walking student an average of 10-12 minutes to get anywhere on campus from Green Lot 1.
In the winter when the walk can be more brutal, Otto said to “stay warm and stop for coffee at an Eagle Café.”
There are many parking and transportation options for students. Otto said students should make use of the free Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority bus route 33, which travels and stops at many locations on campus, such as Halle Library and Pray-Harrold. It is also the shuttle to the College of Business, which is located in downtown Ypsilanti.
There is free parking across from Rynearson Stadium in the Rynearson Parking Lot located on Hewitt Road. A shuttle comes and transports students to central campus starting at 7 a.m. On average this shuttle route takes 25 minutes all together.
Although it is still early to tell, according to the EMU Police Department, normally the busiest days for parking are Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, with Monday and Wednesday more open. Friday students are almost guaranteed to find a parking spot on campus.
The commuter lots are scattered all across EMU’s campus. These parking lots include Pease Auditorium Lot, located on the southeast side of campus, Ford Lot B and Ann Street Lot across from Best and Walton Hall located near the Dining Commons. Oakwood Lot South is in front of the Mark Jefferson Science Complex, Oakwood North and Oakwood Center Lots are in front of the Parking Structure and Mayhew Lot 1 is across from the Public Safety building.
There are four lots that are designated for guests and charge a dollar an hour to park. Bowen Field House Lot, McKenny Lot and the Student Center Lot are all located off of Oakwood Street. On the east side of campus there is Alexander Lot. You can pay for the parking either with cash or credit card upon driving out of the lots.
Overall, there are about 8,000 spots for commuters on central campus, and 670 spots for guests. Most lots have a sign to label them commuter, faculty, resident or pay lots.
The EMU Police are out patrolling street and parking lots during the evening for student safety, and although theft has not been a problem, for safety reasons the Department of Public Safety ask students to always lock their car doors and to make sure that no valuables are within eye shot.
