UNC kicks off parking permit lottery

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated registration ended July 5. It ends July 7. It also stated permit rates would not increase from last year. The rates will increase by approximately 1.9 percent. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors.

After four years, the University is returning to a lottery system to distribute on-campus parking permits.

Registration for the lottery system began June 24, and students can register until July 7.

The decision to return to a lottery system — a change from the first-come, first-served system that has been in place since 2009 — was based on communication with other organizations on campus, said Randy Young, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

The shift was a collaborative decision with the student body and UNC student government, Young said.

“This is something that was arrived at because of numerous complaints and concerns by registrants, and (concerns) that we’ve noticed about accessibility to the registration process over years leading up to this.”

In addition to a change in the on-campus parking permit registration system, the University will begin charging for permits to park in UNC’s park and ride lots this year, Young said.

A student park and ride permit will cost $170 for the academic year and $227 for a full year. The town of Chapel Hill will also begin charging for park and ride permits this year.

Matthew Schueller, a graduate student in classics, said the change to the UNC park and ride policy encouraged him to register for the parking lottery this year.

Schueller said he feels on-campus parking will allow him to arrive on campus and leave campus according to his own schedule.

Young said on-campus permit rates depend on the type of spot a student chooses, and that rates will increase by approximately 1.9 percent. He said if an applicant’s preferred spot is taken, the student can add his or her name to a waiting list.

Young said many students had trouble registering for permits under the first-come, first-served system because many students are abroad during the summer and may not have access to the internet.

“Moving to a lottery enables greater accessibility to a higher percentage of students,” Young said.

“We had a lot of students who were having trouble accessing (the old registration system) just because of their location. It’s not Eastern Daylight Savings Time around the world.

“This gives equal footing to the greatest number of students who are wanting permits,” he said.

Corinne Goudreault, a sophomore English and anthropology major, said she thinks it’s easier for students to plan around the first-come, first-served system.

“It can be hard online clicking fast enough the minute the portal opens for your year’s permits, but I had on-campus parking last year as a sophomore and didn’t have a problem getting it,” Goudreault said.

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