By: Travis Walters
NOTE: SCAD officials announced changes to transportation policies after the publication of this story. District staff will report these changes, as soon as they become available.
PARKING
You’ve come to Savannah with a car – not a bad idea given our urban campus. Downtown Savannah has plenty of opportunity for walking and bike riding. I’d recommend walking or riding a bike downtown if for no other reason than it is quicker to get where you’re going. Not to mention saving you the frustration of being behind those insipid tour buses and horse drawn carriages. Park at one of the 4 parking garages, on the street, or leave it at your dorm and start walking early.
There are 24 SCAD parking lots and some 60 facilities, and those 24 lots may or may not have enough parking for the buildings they’re associated with. Prepare to park on the street frequently. To that end the City of Savannah has some 3,000 parking meters downtown for your use. Time limits on these meters vary from 15 minutes to 10 hours and fees vary from $.30 to $.75 an hour. The meters are enforced from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with free parking on the weekend. There are numerous “pay-and-display” meters in the River and Broughton Street area downtown that accept coins, cash, credit cards, and Smart Cards. Pay-and-display meters print a ticket that you lay on the dash of your vehicle. If you forget your stash of quarters one day look for one of these meters.
Many students parking on the street are ticketed. It will probably happen to you at some point and not just for an expired meter, but also for parking on a yellow line or in front of a fire hydrant. Remember both of those are illegal; parking in front of a fire hydrant will also incur a much stiffer fine than expired time, not to mention the awesome guilt of preventing a fire from being extinguished. If you are ticketed there is a five-day period given in which to pay. After that time, $12.00 is added to the ticket and after 30 days, an additional $17.00 is added. You can pay these tickets online at the Web site printed on the ticket. Parking in private lots, which are clearly marked “private,” usually always result in your vehicle being towed. The fine charged could start at $75.00. The phone number and location of the towing company is displayed on the same sign that marks the lot as private.
There are four downtown garages run by the city in addition to street parking. Each of these has different hours, but all have the same hourly rate of $1.00 for the first, and $.75 for each hour after. The State and Robinson Street garages are free after 6 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday during the Ellis Square Project. The State Street garage, which is across the street from the Jen Library, is also free everyday after 6 p.m. to SCAD students. For more information on parking provided by the City of Savannah, visit www.ci.savannah.ga.us or call Parking Services toll free at (866) 239-4218.
Getting to the mall, Publix, Target, a theater or any of the myriad other locations you’ll need to visit while at SCAD will require public transit or your own vehicle. There will be plenty of free, convenient parking at these places ¬– rest easy.
BUS TRANSPORTATION
There are several bus systems in Savannah that will get you where you need to go. The first, and the one you’ll most often use, is the SCAD bus system. SCAD buses travel to all SCAD classroom buildings and residences. Buses also travel to many shopping destinations including the Savannah and Oglethorpe Malls, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Kinko’s, AIS Computers, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. Transportation is provided for trips to non-emergency medical appointments by calling (912) 525-7293 between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and (912) 525-7433 after hours and on weekends; notice should be given 24 hours in advance.
SCAD also offers a late-night & weekend shuttle that runs between open college facilities and downtown residences (North to Indian St., South to DeRenne Ave., West to Lathrop Ave., and East to Skidaway Road) Call (912) 525-7433 to request a shuttle. The SCAD bus system is only open to SCAD students and is free, an up-to-date bus schedule may be obtained from the Turner Express Office, parking and transportation services at 22 E. Lathrop Ave., and various other locations. More information can be found on www.scad.edu or by calling (912) 525-8015.
There are also public transportation options that travel throughout the city of Savannah. Chatam Area Transit, or CAT, travels all over the Savannah area. Cash fair is $1.00; for more information and route maps visit www.catchacat.org or call (912) 233-5767. Downtown Transportation, or DOT, is the free bus service that, as its name implies, only runs downtown. More information is provided at www.connectonthedot.com.
