Written by Charlie Gimber
Parking on Lehigh’s campus is a disaster. The only spots on campus are provided for faculty, so if you try to park in these spots on weekdays from 7 a.m.–4 p.m., you are guaranteed to get ticketed. The only on-campus parking for students are a few 20-minute meter spots outside the upper University Center area. If you’re even a second late returning to your car, you will get a ticket. Most students will try their luck on Packer Avenue, the main thoroughfare at the bottom of campus. There are a number of free spots, as well as metered spots, but it gets frustrating circling back and forth. The best time to look for a spot is right on the hour as classes are getting out, and there is a significant amount of turnover. Students can also buy a parking pass for the Zoellner parking deck, which is very convenient for students in the business school.
This is all a moot point for freshmen, though, since freshmen aren’t supposed to bring cars to school, but the clever-minded can find parking off campus if they look for it. The problem with off-campus parking is that you then run into the problem of the Bethlehem Parking Authority, who can be very persistent. Parking on campus gets easier after freshman year. Once you join a fraternity or sorority, you can obtain a parking permit for your house’s lot, and dorms have parking as well. Parking is still a tremendous pain in the butt, since much of Lehigh’s campus was built before cars existed. There are plenty of bizarre one-way roads, and driving around campus can be a confusing endeavor to the uninitiated.