Software eases some parking troubles

by Catherine Szabo

After technical issues created confusion and frustration during the winter parking permit sale last year, Mount Royal University’s parking office has made some changes. New parking software with options to purchase permits — with immediate confirmation of sale — join a waitlist, and manage your account with vehicle details, personal information, previous passes and any citations, has been implemented.

“Users have provided positive feedback related to online permit purchases and how the new e-business system immediately confirms or declines credit card purchases,” said Stefan Durston, manager of parking & transportation services, in an email. “From a negative standpoint, we are still having trouble handling the volume of hits our website and e-business solution receives in such a short period of time,” he continued. “The servers are being stressed, causing a lot of frustration for some. This is a problem we are aware of and are hoping to address over the next year.”

The number of permits available remained the same as last year, with 590 gated lot passes, 2165 open lot passes, and 70 passes for the parkade under the Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning.

Returning students may remember when, last year, residents of Greenwood Crescent, on the north side of 46 Avenue, were successful in having their street designated as a two-hour parking zone, making off-campus parking for students even more rare. “Within the last couple years [Ald. Joe Connelly’s] office has received several complaints about students parking all day on some of the streets in Glamorgan,” according to an email from Connelly’s office.

“While streets are for public use, council recognizes the need to ensure that parking on residential streets turns over during the day and [spots] are not used as all-day parking areas on a regular basis,” the email continued. “Most of the streets have been designated as two-hour parking, which does not prohibit parking but does ensure that parking is available to residents and visitors in the community.” It was also noted that while the residents had contacted the city in order to file the petition, no students had called the office with concerns.

Since the beginning of 2010, 332 tags have been issued for parking overtime in a two- hour zone, along with 24 tags for parking without a permit in a residential parking zone — specifically in the area from Glenmore Trail to Richmond Road, and Sarcee Road to 45th Street. “Parking at Mount Royal is in high demand,” Durston said. “We have made significant steps over the past two years to improve the infrastructure that serves those that come to campus on a daily basis.”

The parkade on the south side of the Roderick Mah Centre is scheduled for completion in December 2010, which will add 1175 stalls.

All parking passes for fall are sold out, although there is an online waitlist available on mtroyal.ca. Other options include parking in the day lots for $4 per day, using short-term parking for $3 an hour or $10 a day, or, if you’re a full-time student, putting that U-Pass to use by taking public transit.