Night Classes and Zone Parking

Beginning fall semester 2004, commuter students are assigned to designated parking zones. Resident students have been assigned to zones for some time. However, faculty and staff parking procedures have not changed. Zone parking allows the university to spread demand across all available lots and spaces for better utilization of less popular spots. This is particularly important as campus construction has impacted parking availability this year.

As the most popular student parking zones on campus have filled, some students have expressed concern about parking zones to which they have been designated, particularly in terms of safety in the evenings.

UNCW has an open parking system after 4 p.m. weekdays and on weekends. Students with any valid parking permit may move their cars to any on-campus parking spaces, with the exception of reserved and handicap spaces, after 4 p.m. That means if a student is taking an evening class, studying in the library at night or participating in campus activities after dark, he or she may choose to park in a lot close to the activity or building.

UNCW parking lots, including the Park-and-Ride lot, are well-lit, frequently patrolled by University Police and feature emergency call boxes that connect directly to University Police.

The Park-and-Ride lot is one block off campus across a busy street, which is why shuttles are provided. A shuttle leaves the Park-and-Ride lot every 7 minutes. While it is true than Zone 3, our Park-and-Ride lot, is an off-campus lot, its main shuttle drop-off point in parking lot E is a half-mile closer to the library and other academic buildings than the Zone 2 parking option and as close as some lots in Zone 1.

For more information about parking, contact Gwen Bolden at ext. 7062.

Also see more personal safety tips from the UNCW Collaboration for Assault Response & Education (CARE).