Clemson has a notorious and, often times, ruthless Parking and Transportation Services department. Students and faculty alike circumvent the flashing, white Ford C-Max Hybrids that patrol the streets of campus, yet many do not see past the tickets they give.
Clemson’s Parking and Transportation Services provides service to an entire campus, consisting of thousands of students, faculty, and visitors on top of that.
In an attempt to gain insight into the parking realm, it is important to understand what one is working with: Clemson and its parking. A basic understanding of on and off campus parking rules helps everyone involved and has the potential to save you fistfuls of change on parking tickets.
Vanessa Weston, Associate Director of Parking Operations, attested to the necessity of this basic understanding. “They [students] don’t read the insert that comes with their parking passes. All of the information you need is there in that insert, and it helps,” said Weston.
Without knowing basic rules and differentiations between lots and spaces, students and employees can find parking to be a challenge, but there are several ways to combat these challenges.
When asked about how students find parking information, Ms. Weston stated, “you have maps online, you got the insert with your [parking] permit, and we send out an email to all students with permits.”  
The rules are published online, as well, and through students’ my.Clemson app. “The main thing that I would point out is for [students] to sign up for your push notifications. We are on Twitter, on Facebook. Sign up for those notifications,” said Weston. 
From a student to a student, here are a couple tricks of the trade:

1. Green spaces (not the 24-hour green spaces) are great. They are available for students to use from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. during the week, and from 4:30 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday morning.
2. Metered spots on campus are FREE from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. everyday.
3. Wait until there is a transit back to West Campus before you move your car to Kite Hill for home football games. It will save you a two-mile walk, and it is free.
4. Clemson’s Orange and Purple Routes take you in a circle from Brackett to commuter lots near the stadium. They will be your best friend.
5. Clemson’s Park-N-Ride and R-06 Routes take you in a circle from the R-06 and P-07 lots (across the intersection from Kite Hill) and drop you off at the Academic Success Center. They will also be your best friend.
6. Request a Tiger Transit several minutes before you need it. Sometimes they take a while to come around, and you do not want to be standing outside in the heat waiting for them. They run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. every single day.
7. The Brooks Center has a parking lot full of commuter spaces. They are relatively close to classes, and the lot is not designated as a commuter lot, so some commuters do not know about it.
8. If you are worried about being towed, have a friend sit in the car while you are getting ready to leave. Parking Services will not tow your car while someone is in it, so you have a small window of time to get to your car without worrying about it being gone.
9. To avoid parking in its entirety, look into bike sharing. There are bike racks across campus that work similarly to Uber, and they are accessible to all. With biking, you do not have to worry about fighting for parking spots or traffic, and you can even get some exercise in the process.
10. Moped parking is convenient, and the parking spots are closer to the main buildings on campus. They are smaller and do not take up as much room, and transit to and from the spots is not necessary because the spots are so close to the buildings on campus