Parking Provides Challenge at UNC

Parking.

The lack of parking spaces on campus, combined with ongoing construction projects, makes finding a place to park especially difficult.

To accommodate extra cars this weekend, the Department of Public Safety has created designated parking areas for visitors.

To avoid getting a pricey parking ticket, the DPS Web site suggests parking at the Friday Center on N.C. 54 -- about 3 miles from campus.

From there, shuttles will run to and from campus at regular intervals on Friday and Saturday.

Visitors with Carolina Family Weekend tags can ride the shuttle back and forth an unlimited number of times.

Limited paid parking on campus will be available Saturday in several lots -- S11 Manning Lot, PD Cardinal Deck, S6 South Chiller Lot, Ambulatory Care Lot, N5 Park Place Lot and N7 Nash Lot.

The cost for parking in these lots will be $6.

Disability parking will also be available across campus, with golf carts ready to assist anyone with extra needs.

Campus parking maps are available at the Department of Public Safety office and online at http://main.psafety.unc.edu.

Another alternative to on-campus parking on Saturday is the Chapel Hill Transit park-and-ride service.

During home football games, the Tar Heel Express bus service runs between campus and parking lots throughout the city.

The four lots serviced by the express bus are the Carrboro Plaza shopping center on N.C. 54 West, the park-and-ride lot adjacent to the Friday Center on N.C. 54 East, the Southern Village lot on U.S. 15-501 between Culbreth and Dogwood Acres roads and the Dillard's parking lot at University Mall.

The shuttle costs $5 for a round-trip ticket and $3 one way.

Tar Heel Express buses start running from the Friday Center and University Mall lots 2 1/2 hours before the game begins and 1 1/2 hours before kickoff from the other two lots.

The shuttle begins operating return trips immediately after the game ends and continues for a half hour.

There are also additional pay parking lots across Chapel Hill.

There are two city parking decks and two metered lots.

The decks are located at 150 and 100 E. Rosemary St., and the metered lots are at 415 W. Franklin St. and 141 W. Rosemary St.

The metered lots have a two-hour parking limit.

Parking in the decks costs 65 cents per half hour for up to four hours, $1.30 per hour for between four and six hours, and $1.80 per hour after six hours.

There are also meters lining some of the city streets, including Franklin Street, and on other streets, such as Cameron Avenue, parking is available along the curb.

"All the meters are enforced Monday through Saturday," said Brenda Jones, parking superintendent for Chapel Hill.

Parking meters are enforced around town from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Jones said parking is always extremely tight during home football games.

She said she expects parking in Chapel Hill to be especially limited this weekend due to Carolina Family Weekend events.

But both the campus and city have a variety of options for visitors.

Whether parking on or off campus, visitors are advised to park as early as possible this weekend in order to find a space and avoid being ticketed.