University of Calgary approves free re-entry parking in Lot 10 during final exam period

By Saima Asad, October 25 2016 —

For the first time since the spring of 2014, the University of Calgary will allow free re-entry parking during final exam week.

However, the re-entry service will only apply to Lot 10, the full-day parking lot near the Kinesiology Complex. According to associate director of parking and transportation services Susan Austen, the service will be in place from Dec. 12–22.

Austen said she received the request for re-entry parking from the Students’ Union.

“[The SU] had received student feedback asking for this service to assist them during the exam period,” she said.

While parking isn’t within the SU’s jurisdiction, SU vice-president operations and finance Branden Cave said multiple students have approached him regarding the cost of parking on campus.

“I definitely received a lot of students’ concerns about the panic that it is to park, especially during exam times,” he said.

Re-entry at the U of C normally costs one dollar. Cave said the temporary free re-entry will not only make parking cheaper, but will also relieve student stress.

“I think what it does, if nothing else, is take a little bit of stress off [students],” Cave said. “I’m really happy they’re doing it during final exam season.”

In order to re-enter the lot, drivers will have to show their paid receipt to the attendant on the same day as the first entry. If there is no attendant present, they must display the receipt on their dashboard.

Both students and non-students will be able to re-enter the lot for free during the 10-day period.

Cave said he was happy with the way the process of allowing re-entry parking rolled out.

“It’s how things should work,” he said. “Student concerns were brought to the SU. We took them to the university. The university worked with us to make sure they were addressed and [then] have them sorted out.”

According to Austen, re-entry parking was removed in 2014 because the university was unable to guarantee that a vehicle would be able to return. She said parking was more congested at the time.

Parking in Lot 10 costs $7.00 for a full day.