Prepare before you park: Rules different for Champaign, Urbana, Campustown

Champaign-Urbana might not be Chicago, but it's adding population and growing denser in the down-town and campus areas. And that's making what had already been a tight parking situation even more difficult.

Students who bring cars to campus would be well advised to learn at least the basics of the local parking system. Or else, don't be surprised one day to find a $10 parking ticket on your windshield or, even worse, that your car has been towed and will cost $75 to retrieve.

Each jurisdiction – Urbana, Champaign and the University of Illinois – has its own parking system and rules:

UI

The university has 16,086 parking spaces, 103 parking lots and five parking decks. And it will cost you to use them.

The cost of a parking permit to use those campus spaces is $427 annually for faculty and staff. For students, the rate is $180 a semester and $87 in the summer ($447 for the year).

A cheaper and popular option is to park in the Assembly Hall lot. A permit for that costs $93 annually. C-U Mass Transit District buses serve the parking lot.

Melvin Boatner, the UI director of campus parking, said university parking permits "are area specific.

"They are for a certain parking garage or lot," he said. "It's typically just one location. There are exceptions."

A big addition to the UI parking system was last year's opening of the Shoppes at 1201 University, which has 1,500 parking spaces (as well as some ground-floor retail).

To rent spaces in UI lots, go to the second floor of the Public Safety Building, 1110 W. Springfield Ave., U. Or go to www.parking.uiuc.edu.

The campus area also features metered spaces, which cost 75 cents an hour. To obtain permits and electronic cash keys for the meters, which enable you to put 20 minutes at a time on a meter, go to the Urbana finance office at 400 S. Vine St., U. In Champaign, permits and cash keys can be obtained at 713 Edgebrook Drive, C.

Champaign

Champaign has 21 city parking lots, 13 downtown where parking permits cost between $20 and $75 a month, and eight lots in the University Parking District, where permits are considerably more costly.

The city has seven permit lots and 1,240 parking spaces total in the University Parking District, which runs from the Canadian National railroad tracks on the west, Clark Street on the north from First to Third streets and University Avenue on the north from Third to Wright streets, Gregory Drive on the south and Wright Street on the east.

In the university district, you must have a permit to park in a city lot or even on the street, except at a metered space. Each permit specifically assigns you to a space, either in a city lot or on the street. The permits cost $315 to $495, depending on location, from Aug. 16 to May 14; and $105 for May 15 to Aug. 15.

In Campustown, Lot J near the corner of Sixth and Green streets has 140 spaces, most of which are metered for short visits. Rates are 75 cents an hour for the first two hours, then $1.50 an hour for a maximum of 12 hours.

Parking permits can now be purchased online at www.ci.champaign. il.us/parking, or in person at the Parking Programs Office, 713 Edgebrook Drive, C, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"My biggest piece of advice for people parking anywhere, downtown or in the University District, is pay attention to the signs," said Stacy Rachel, Champaign's parking services supervisor. Rachel said people with questions can call 403-7050.

Urbana

Urbana has 1,200 parking meters and 17 city lots, all but one downtown. Meters cost 75 cents an hour on campus and 25 cents an hour elsewhere.

In both cities, a parking meter violation costs $10 – except for downtown Urbana, where the fine is $5 – and jumps to $15 if not paid within 72 hours. (The downtown Urbana fine is $7 if not paid in three days.)

The parking lot at Lincoln Square Village allows two hours of free parking –but only for mall customers, said Delora Siebrecht, Urbana's parking administrator.

Residents of Urbana should be aware of the West Urbana Special Parking Zone, which allows vehicles displaying a special parking permit ($135 a year) to park in the street between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Permits are issued to residents only, and they expire Aug. 14.

The special parking zone is generally bounded by Green Street to Florida Avenue on the north and south, and Lincoln Avenue to Race Street on the west and east. The zone was created to prevent UI employees from clogging neighborhood streets to avoid paying for university parking permits.

Residents of the special parking zone may apply for a free daytime permit that allows them to park between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Temporary overnight permits can be obtained for $2 a day and $5 for three days. Daytime guest permits are available for free.

Parking permits can be obtained in Urbana at the city finance office, 400 S. Vine St., U.