With another large enrollment expected at West Virginia University this fall and limited campus and city parking lots available to a growing City and University population, students might consider these options for avoiding heavy traffic and long delays:

Ride the PRT : The PRT , or Personal Rapid Transit, runs from 6:30 a.m.-10:15 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Allow at least 30 minutes to get to and from your destination. When the PRT isn’t running (late at night or on Sundays), students can take a campus bus, which will run the same routes every 15 minutes.

Think Outside the Box: The Mountain Line bus service offers routes all over towneven connections to Fairmont , Grafton and Preston County . Rides are free to students with their Mountaineer card. For a schedule and routes, go towww.wvu.edu/transportation/other.html. NOTE : Connections provided by other bus services are not part of the free service.

Get Fit: Many students opt to walk or bike in nice weather. The rail-trail, situated near campus, is generally flat and paved in most areas, and bike racks are readily accessible near the trail and most campus parking lots. Campus sidewalks are well lit and provide a safe environment for walking. For increased safety, Campus Police recommend that you walk with friends.

Quick Fix: WVU discourages students from bringing cars to campus, but students with a need for a vehicle, may park for free, in a legally designated space, at the WVU Coliseum and take a shuttle bus (or walk) to the Engineering PRT station to ride to their destination. The Mountainlair Parking Garage on the Downtown Campus offers 250 short-term paid parking spots, but this lot fills up quickly, so get there early.

Short-Timers : Approximately 70 pay-and-display parking spaces are also available in a new, temporary gravel lot located in the old stadium loop (near Life Sciences and Business&Economics buildings) and a smaller lot at the corner of Grant Ave. and Campus Drive which supplements the larger pay-and-display lot on Grant Ave. There is also a new short term lot across from the Evansdale Library.

Extended Parking : For a paid parking space on campus or for storage parking, contact the WVU Parking Management Office, 304-293-5502, or the Morgantown Parking Authority, 304-284-7436 or 304-284-7437.

Be Forewarned : Those who park in a permitted University lot during business hours will receive a $10 ticket ($100 for parking in a WVU handicapped spot and at least $100 if towed from a private city lot). If several tickets are accumulated during a semester, it could also cause issues with registering for classes, obtaining grade reports or even graduating.

We encourage the use of our University and City mass transit systems,”said Bob Roberts, director of public safety and transportation at WVU .”You can study while leaving the driving to us.”