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Steven Noble
Editor, Internal Publications
p. 403.440.5692
e-mail: snoble@mtroyal.ca

Fred Cheney
Media Relations Officer
p. 403.440.5195
e-mail: fcheney@mtroyal.ca

 

Earlier this week Parking & Transportation Services held an Open House at Starbuck’s near the East Gate Entrance.

This time around there weren’t many changes to communicate, however, it was an opportunity to display some renderings of the new parkade that is currently being constructed south of the Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning.

Stefan Durston was on hand to update people at the Parking & Transportation Open House earlier this week about futher developments in the parking changes initiated last summer.

Of the 300 or so students, staff and faculty who visited the Open House between noon and 2 p.m., most were interested in the displays of the new parkade and many left happy knowing that parking rates will remain the same for next year.

The parkade, which is slated to open at the end 2010, will provide 1,175 parking spots to employees through a lottery.

Students will be provided spots in the parkade on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“It’s consistent with what we’ve done in the past,” says Parking & Transportation Services Manager Stefan Durston.

Many of the 1,175 spots will be ones that already existed when there was a lot in the location where the parkade is being constructed.

The good news, Durston says, is that the parkade will provide a minimum of 300 new parking spots for the campus community.

The foundation has already been laid for the five-level structure which is currently being built at an approximate cost of $30 million.
Durston says that it’s important to note how the construction of the new parkade is being paid for.

“The parkade is being funded solely by parking revenue so there will be no government funds or tuition money from students going towards this project.”

Considering that rates for the parkade are very reasonable and the rates for permits next year will remain the same, it shows that some very effective planning has been in place.

While there will likely be some rates increases in the future, the current rates for existing parking and the new parkade are not only reasonable, but competitive with rates anywhere in the city including other post-secondary institutions.


Visitors to the Open House had the opportunity to try on Durston’s role in calculating rates by using the Parking Simulator on work stations set up at the event.

Using a program, which measured rates for all the different types of parking around campus, guests were able to develop a target budget.

If you were over budget, you were over-charging and if you were under, you had to adjust to hit your target.

In addition to the simulator, there were opportunities for attendees to leave any comments they had about parking and there was also a board where people could leave suggested names for the new parkade.

In the future look for Sustainability Transportation events to learn more about some of the things Transportation & Parking Services is doing to encourage getting to and from campus through other options.

— Fred Cheney, March 11, 2010