COURTNEY TINK
Parking at UP can be difficult when you don’t know where to look. Perdeby is here to help you with on campus, off campus, paid and unpaid parking
On campus parking:
As an undergraduate you are only allowed to park on campus after 16:30 for test and examination purposes. If you continue your studies at UP after your graduation then, as a postgraduate, you are allowed to park on campus after 14:00 provided that you have applied and received a disk that grants you access. Doctoral candidates qualify for 24-hour parking and students with disabilities may also apply for on campus parking.
Paid parking:
Engineering parking is a secure and popular choice if you don’t mind paying for your spot. The entrance is situated on University Road and is open from 06:00-18:00 every weekday. However, if you plan on using this route then there are two things you should take into consideration.
Firstly, if your schedule will cause you to spend all day on campus then this option may work out to be rather expensive. If you spend 2-4 hours on campus it costs R8, if you spend 4-6 hours on campus it costs R10 and if you spend over 6 hours on campus then it’ll cost you R20.
Secondly, if you are running late parking here isn’t advisable. There are limited spaces in the parking lot and if they are full then no cars are permitted to enter until there is available space.
Another option for parking is on the opposite side of Lynwood Road in a parking bay next to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Twelve Apostles. The parking spot will cost you R4000 per year, which you can pay at the church, and it includes your own remote control access. You can enter and exit the spot at any time that suits you and you will very rarely have to search for an open space. The spot is a two-minute walk from campus and is very secure.
Unpaid parking:
According to UP, official student parking areas are located on the corner of Burnett and Festival Street, the corner of Herold and Duxbury Street and the corner of Herold and Lynwood Road (or H17, H29 and H30 on campus map). However, all of these parking bays work on a “first-come-first-serve” basis, so if your schedule guarantees that you will be on campus at a very early hour, then you shouldn’t struggle in securing a spot. If you find yourself going to campus between 09:00 and 12:00 then it’s recommended that you find another spot.
The entrances to UP are situated on Lynwood Road, Prospect Street, Lunnon Road and Duxbury Road. Cars very often park up and down the streets that surround these entrances. Parking on the pavement is not strictly legal, and metro police do issue tickets if your car is parked too close to the walkway.
Park and ride:
On the LC de Villiers campus in a parking area next to the Daan Swiegers Building there is plenty of parking space and UP provides free parking and bus transport to and from the campus. The buses leave approximately every fifteen minutes.
Photo: Fezekile Msimang.
