Guide to Student Parking at UCSC in Santa Cruz, CA

Parking at UCSC is a ridiculous hassle. There are so many cars on campus these days. Because of the overcrowding, TAPS won’t sell permits to 1st or 2nd year students living in on-campus housing. Therefore, these students are not allowed to have their vehicles on campus M-F between early morning (around 7am) and 8:30pm unless parked in a metered space, which costs a quarter per 10 minutes.

Parking lots are still crowded despite this policy. At peak times, forget North Remote, and West Remote is often full plus a couple cars are likely there circling the lot like vultures. The only remote parking available during these times is at the East Remote lot. Oftentimes, this lot fills up as well. However, TAPS will open overflow lots. They also have parking attendants that will park your car for you when a space opens. East Remote is pretty far from West and Central campus, so that you will probably want take a bus if you’re going any further than the bookstore. The whole process of parking and then catching a campus bus can be quite time consuming.

If you have class on the West side of campus during busy times, you can’t rely on a remote permit for a parking space. If you’re late and can scrounge up enough change, you can park at the meters. If all you have is a credit card and you absolutely can’t be late for a class on Science Hill, at Baskin, or West Campus, you can park on the 2nd floor of the West Parking Structure. This covered parking will cost you, but a ticket will cost you a lot more.

I got really sick of paying for West campus parking, especially when I had already paid for a remote permit. At this point I started parking behind buildings and in 10-minute zones hoping I wouldn’t get ticketed. I don’t advise this method though, as the thought of getting a ticket is too distracting during class. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. If not, it results in a ticket of around $30 bucks or so, which can be worth it depending on how many times you’ve parked there before without getting caught.

These tickets can add up to be a lot of money if you are unlucky, and if you let more than 5 or so go unpaid, your car will get booted. If you must park illegally, do not park in a handicapped space, or in a fire lane, it’s just not very nice, and could result in extremely high fines. Also, do not park in a metered space without paying because TAPS will give you an initial ticket and then keep adding more fines whenever they come by again. If you live off campus and have less than 2 hours of class to attend, try to find a space at the base of campus off Empire Grade between Bay and Western. These spaces are 2 hour parking and from there you can catch a campus loop bus.

All the stress of finding a parking space makes taking the bus a good option. Often, the buses can be equally stressful, especially when they pass you by because they are too crowded. At least it doesn’t cost any money for students to ride the metro, your validated UCSC id card is a bus pass as well. One of the biggest sources of bus overcrowding is because students are taking the city bus from point to point on campus, rather than walking or taking the campus buses. This practice ends up costing the university a lot of money, and they are slow to pay the city.

Bicycles are a common method of transport for those who can handle the hill. A 60-year-old professor of mine does it every day, and his wife does it sometimes too. You can also take your bike up with the bus, if the rack isn’t full. A 9 or so passenger van toting a bike trailer also frequently picks up cyclists at the Longs parking lot and drops them off on Science Hill. On campus bike parking is always conveniently close to classrooms. Always remember to lock up your bike, especially if it’s cool looking, because it will get stolen. Solid U-locks are the best, because the wire type locks are no match for a pair of bolt cutters.

With more incoming freshmen than expected for the 07/08 school year, upperclassmen have been forced out of on-campus housing. This means more traffic to and from campus. If you live off campus and biking or bus riding is out of the question, I suggest you try to buy a carpool permit, so that you and friends or housemates can share the cost. If you are a 1st or 2nd year student and you absolutely need to bring your car into town with you, the boardwalk offers sketchy storage parking for a high price. Some churches also sell long-term parking. Just remember to keep your car locked and hide any tempting valuables like ipods or cds.

Personally, I’m considering taking advantage of my 4th year priority and purchasing an outrageously expensive C permit for next year. I figure it will save me a lot of stress that I don’t need during my senior year. Or maybe I’ll be exercising that stress away while riding my bike up Empire Grade.