Administrators returned University parking to College Hill on Oct. 13, saving the University more than $200,000 on security and shuttle services for the Providence Piers lot.
New parking was moved near Perkins Hall to Lot 55 on Young Orchard Avenue and to Lot 56 on Power Street. Only 28 students had used the 250-spot Providence Piers lot, which is located over two miles from the Main Green.
"While we are still responsible to pay for the lease on the (Providence Piers) property, we have been able to generate significant savings by eliminating the cost of security and the shuttle services for the off campus lot," Assistant Vice President of Financial and Administrative Services Beth Gentry wrote in an e-mail.
Marisa Quinn, vice president of public affairs and university relations, wrote in an e-mail that the saved money will be used to fund alternative transportation. "Brown has been working to encourage students, faculty and staff to consider alternatives to bringing cars to campus" through initiatives such as providing safeRIDE services, having the Zipcar rental program on campus and making rides on the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority free, according to Gentry. The programs cost $2 million, though most of the funding goes to safeRIDE, Gentry added.
Administrators haven't yet decided whether parking will remain on campus or return to an off-campus lot next year. Though parking was moved off campus this year in part to deter students from bringing cars to campus, many students simply found other ways to park. Some students rented spaces from local residents. Some parked in off-campus housing. And others found more creative ways to park.
Chris Carney '10 brought his car to campus earlier this semester but didn't want to park in the Providence Piers lot because of its inconvenient location. Instead, he parked it in a garage on Power Street at night and woke up every morning - except the ones he slept in - to move it to the streets before he was ticketed. But sleeping in and illegal street parking caught up with him. "I ended up getting three tickets in about a week," Karney said. He then drove his car back home.
