Amid a first day of classes marked by significant traffic delays, drivers will be able to utilize a second pathway into Quinnipiac University’s Mount Carmel Campus, Chief of Public Safety Tony Reyes announced in a university-wide email Monday.
Beginning Tuesday, drivers can use both lanes going into the North Lot that flank the public safety booth at the main entrance during high-traffic periods on weekdays. This includes the entrance lane and the original exit lane, which will become an entrance.
Drivers can use the lane Monday through Friday for three periods throughout the day: during the early morning starting around 7 a.m., midday between 10 a.m. and noon and again in the midafternoon.
During these high-volume periods, motorists will have to exit through the new east gate near the tennis courts.
To enforce the traffic changes, Reyes said the Department of Public Safety will also increase its presence in the lot to direct traffic to and from the gates.
“(Traffic) is stuff we’ve experienced, especially in the beginning of the school year,” Reyes said. “What we would say this year that might be different is that we’re really cracking down on the enforcement piece of it, because we need to set the tone, especially with parking.”
Reyes said that students who do not have updated parking credentials will be turned away from North Lot. Currently, only residential seniors, graduate students, commuters and faculty and staff are permitted to park in North Lot.
Public Safety officers turned away several drivers with incorrect or old parking decals on Monday and redirected others after North Lot ran out of spots, Reyes said.
Reyes encouraged drivers to utilize Hogan Lot, Hilltop Lot and Westwoods Lot and to avoid the North Lot bottleneck altogether.
“Hogan maybe had 100 cars, if that,” Reyes said, noting that the lot located behind the Mount Carmel Campus on Hogan Road had hundreds of open parking spots on Monday. “Nobody parked on Westwood today. I had somebody stationed up there to monitor traffic … even though we just restructured our shuttle service to create a reliable way to get to and from Westwood.”
Since Westwoods Lot is located across Whitney Avenue from Quinnipiac’s main campus, there is a shuttle between the lot and Mount Carmel that runs from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on weekdays. The Westwoods Loop is among several shuttle changes announced earlier this month.
This fall semester, North Lot has approximately 140 fewer spots than in the spring due to the construction of tennis courts on the east end of the lot, which were completed over the summer. Reyes said that this change has not significantly impacted traffic, though, adding that the university has enough parking spots if drivers park where they are allowed and utilize supplemental lots.
“It’s even more important than ever that people adhere to the regulations for parking, so that everybody gets a chance to park and if everyone’s parked where they’re supposed to, we have enough parking on campus,” Reyes said. “It’s not an issue of sufficient parking.”
