It鈥檚 that time of year again 鈥� parking season.
Parking passes for 2012-13 go on sale starting this Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. But you can take your time purchasing your pass 鈥� as announced at recent Parking and Transportation Town Halls, there is no cap on general passes this year, and also a new online system for purchasing.
鈥淲e wanted to make it easier and, hopefully, stress-free for Dal employees and students to acquire their parking pass,鈥� says Mike Burns, director of security.
Firstly, there will be no cap on general parking passes this year. Everyone will have an opportunity to purchase one if they so choose.
The second change is a new website for purchasing general passes and renewing reserved passes. When passes go on sale, you can visit and complete the transaction entirely online (NetID and password required) or you can either drop into the Security Services office in the parkade of the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building (6135 University Ave.).
鈥淣ow, people can order their pass from their home, or their office, eliminating the need to drop down to our office or wait in line,鈥� adds Mr. Burns.
Employees who order their passes online will have them delivered through Dal campus mail. Students who order online will pick theirs up from the Security Services office.
Dal Security advises that purchases through the online system will take 4-5 days to process, but not to worry if you don鈥檛 have your permit for September 1. Last year鈥檚 permits will be recognized for the first couple of weeks in September, or you can print off your online confirmation email and place it on your vehicle鈥檚 dashboard.
Full parking regulations and prices are available at the . Note that parking regulations and practices at Dalhousie鈥檚 new Agricultural Campus will remain unchanged this year from their status quo as NSAC.
Listening to the Dal community
Mr. Burns says he was pleased by the turnout at the consultation sessions this summer鈥攐ne of which was online鈥攁nd that his team appreciated the chance to discuss this year鈥檚 changes with the Dal community.
鈥淚t gave us the sense that we鈥檙e going in the right direction, in some respects, but it also brought a lot of ideas to the table for Dalhousie鈥檚 Transportation and Security Committee to consider. Parking is a strain here on our Halifax campuses, and it鈥檚 important that we carefully evaluate all ideas."
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In addition to a forthcoming employee bus pass program (launching in January), Mr. Burns highlights this year鈥檚 change to the Ride Share program. Now a vehicle requires only two full-time students or employees to commit to sharing a drive to gain access to a reserved parking space, rather than three persons as it was before. Note that all participants must be eligible to purchase a parking pass, and that applicants cannot reside at the same address.
If you have further questions about this year鈥檚 parking passes, you can contact the Dal Security office at 494-6400.