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You've Arrived, Now What?: Your First Week: Transportation: Automobiles
Cars
Parking on Campus
If you've ever driven your car to Oakland, you already know the problem facing students who choose the car as their primary mode of commuting to school: there's no place to park it once you are here. And if you've only been here in the summer, well, you ain't seen nothing yet.
University parking restrictions and information are changing rapidly; for parking information, call the Parking Office at (412) 624-4034. You can find online information about parking such as how to get a permit (don't wail until the semester starts), where you can park, and how to pay parking tickets. (Yes, you have to pay them.)
Parking tickets from the University are about $25 for parking without a permit, parking in a non-designated spot and overstaying your time at a parking meter (university owned meters). These tickets can get really expensive and if you do not pay them they will tack on late fees. They now have the authority to put a boot on your car, bar you from registering and ultimately from graduating.
There are several public lots near campus, but prices can be steep. You can park by the hour, by the day, or get a lease. One such lot is between Hillman Library and The Carnegie, right across from the Cathedral of Learning. Another is next to the Biology Department (Turgis Parking).
There are parking meters along the streets that are monitored by the city. Pay attention to the time limits and restrictions on the meters. Most meters are unavailable from 7-9 am and 4-6 pm on busy streets. The time limits can range from 2 to 4 hours and most are 50 cents per hour. Parking tickets from the city (meter tickets) are about $15 for an expired meter and much more for illegal parking. The city has also lowered its threshold for parking tickets and will put a boot on your car after 3-4 tickets. You will have to pay the tickets, late fees and boot fee before you can move your car. You have to go to the city's tow pound in the Strip District and pay your fines (in cash with exact change). The city also has no problem with towing if your car is illegally parked (add $100 to get your car from the pound).
Finally, the best parking spot ever—FREE parking. You can find free parking in some of the neighborhoods that border campus, but make sure they don't have Neighborhood Parking Permit Signs. (More tickets if you don't have the proper permit!) From April to November, the city cleans streets on a rotating basis. Check the signs and make sure you aren't parked in the wrong place on street cleaning day (another ticket.)
You may notice how hard it is to find parking in Oakland, Shadyside, and Squirrel Hill, especially if you live there. Pittsburgh has a Residential Parking Permit Program for many neighborhoods. You must show proof of residency (usually your lease or utility bill), ownership of the car, and a valid driver's license. Permits cost $20 per year for your car and $1 year for a visitor's pass. You can purchase a visitor's pass without purchasing a street permit for your own car. This permit gives you the right to park anywhere in your neighborhood, day and night, but watch for street cleaning days! The visitor's pass may be used for up to five consecutive days and cannot be used on your car.
Getting a Driver's License—Registering Your Car
If you're going to be in Pittsburgh and/or PA for several years and you're from out-of-state, you might want to consider becoming a resident of PA and getting a PA driver's license and registering your car in PA. If you only plan on living in PA for your degree and don't want to change your permanent address to Pittsburgh, you don't need to register your car in PA or get a PA license—but you will have to follow all the rules for your original state (including car insurance, safety/emissions tests, registration, and any state ID).
International students must provide a letter from OIS at the Driver's License Center before taking the test. You can download the form (PA Driver's License Verification Request Form) from the OIS web page.
Driver's License
This is fairly painless, especially if you're prepared. This needs to be done within 60 days of establishing residency or it can get complicated.
You'll need:
Your Social Security Card (a photocopy is not sufficient, they want to see the real deal). SS Office is located downtown and you can get a replacement card for FREE (921 Penn Ave.; phone: 1-800-772-1213)
a check or money order for $26 (no cash)
a current driver's license from your home state (cannot be more than 6 months expired)
You should not have to take another written/computer test or the driving test if you are coming from another US state. You will have to take a visual test, though. You can call the downtown License Center (300 Liberty Ave.; phone: 412-565-7781) for more info if you do not have a license from the US. The other closest center to campus is the one at 5900 Baum Blvd (phone 412-661-8308). It is located in the AAA center near the Big Brother's Big Sister's Center and across the street from Whole Foods Market.
This can be a pain if you aren't prepared, but hopefully this will save you from a few headaches and long lines. You will need to register your car within 20 days of establishing residency, or it can get complicated and illegal. PA registration is relatively cheap compared to other states, so it may be worth it to change your registration just for that reason.
• What you'll need before you register your car:
You'll need proof of car insurance for your car in Pennsylvania. Insurance from another state won't do and can take a few weeks for the new card to show up. If you have existing insurance you're in luck and just call your company, they can easily change your insurance card (fax you a new one if needed) and increase or decrease your monthly payments in a snap. If you don't have existing insurance, you need to find a company. You can check the Yellow Pages, ask around or use Progressive Auto (http://www.progressive.com/ or call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE). Progressive will compare various companies' rates and coverage to help you find the one that is best for you. (SIDENOTE: If you combine your car insurance with renter's insurance at the same company, your rates might be lower.) Some people find it helpful to go to an insurance agency, as many of them are also capable of registering your car for you, getting you new license plates, handling the paperwork, and sparing you an extra trip to the DMV during your first few weeks. However, if you don’t go to an agency that handles this, you can still register your car on your own.
• Time to Register:
Once you have insurance, you can go to any notary public or Messenger Service (e.g. AAA- you don't need to be a AAA member but you will get a discount if you are a member). You can find a list of places at the PA Driver & Vehicle Services web site for new residents.
You will need your car title (in your name issued by the state you left), your PA Insurance card, personal ID, and a tracing of the vehicle ID number (VIN)—you can use typing or tracing paper and place it over the VIN plate on your vehicle, and rub a pencil over the paper. You can also use a verification of the VIN by an inspection mechanic or notary at a dealership. You’ll also need your checkbook when you go to register your car (before you leave the center, your bank account will be about $100 lighter; check the web site for exact pricing).
Be prepared to wait in long lines if you don't go early in the morning—take the paper or a few articles that your advisor wants to read and a coffee or soda. (HINT: Don't go at the end or beginning of the month—you'll thank me later when you're trying to get your car inspection and emissions test completed.) The AAA Center on Baum has lots of seating while you wait, the downtown center has really cold stone walls to lean against but very little seating.
When all is said and done, you will have temporary plates for your car, a registration card, a new title (make a copy of your old title just in case this takes a few days and they need to mail it), and registration tags on their way in the mail (will take a few weeks).
You're not legal yet, so no hot rodding—you need to get a safety inspection and an emissions test for your car. You can go to any official inspection stations (usually a repair garage or a service station with a repair shop). Safety Inspection fees are posted at official inspection stations. These fees do not include repairs to correct vehicle defects. This needs to be done within 10 days of getting your car registered and can be an extreme hassle if you happen to fall within the first or last week of the month (the stations get really busy at that time). The Emissions test can also be done at the same time, for the nitty gritty details (including prices and requirements) visit the Drive Clean PA website.
You really have to get the inspections and emissions tests done pronto. Also, don't forget to renew them every year. The police take no excuses for expired stickers and the ticket can cost you $150 or more, which really hurts on a graduate student budget. Unfortunately I know from personal experience.
Kristen Harkness
History of Art and Architecture
Cab/Taxi Services
You can't whistle for a cab here, but a phone call and some patience will get you into a Yellow Cab (412) 665-8100 or People's Cab (412) 681-3131.