Many incoming students may be wondering, "Do I need a car in New Haven?" Our answer is simple: That depends on where and how you want to live.
A car is not necessary to comfortably and happily get around New Haven, and there are many students at YDS who never drive. Between the free Yale shuttle, security escorts, New Haven bus lines, the train, bicycles, zip cars, and walking, you could get just about anywhere. However, a number of students do choose to have their cars in town and on campus, and so we'll be sure to cover where you can park and how to deal with those pesky CT registration laws.
We mentioned the Yale Shuttle in our last post about housing, but it is worth mentioning again because it can be so convenient. Both the Red and the Blue shuttle lines pass by the Divinity School at regular intervals during day (Mon-Fri 7:20am-6:00pm, Sat-Sun 8:15am-5:15pm), and can be used to get to downtown classes or meetings with ease. The Orange and Yellow lines run at select times (7:00-11:00am, 4:00-6:00pm; 7:30-11:00am, 3:00-6:30pm, respectively) between downtown and the East Rock neighborhood (where many grad and professional students live). and It's a free service for Yale students and affiliates, and runs year-round with the exception of some national holidays. Theoretically the shuttle runs every 15 minutes, but you should always assume that it's not going to be exactly on schedule and give yourself a little extra time, especially in bad weather. Between 6 pm and 7:30 am, students or affiliates of Yale can use the Yale Nighttime Shuttle to or from residences and Yale buildings anywhere within their service area. To use the Nighttime Shuttle to go downtown from the Divinity School, East Rock, or Mansfield, you must call dispatch and schedule a pick-up. Depending on the weather and how many calls are coming in the shuttle could be anywhere from 10 minutes to 90 minutes. To go from downtown to any of these, there are regular stops. It's a fantastic service, but you do need to be ready to wait for a little while.
Security escorts are a truly wonderful blessing to have late at night when you are trying to get home. Security will either come and drive you home or, if you prefer, walk with you from one destination to another. They are usually prompt, and you can learn a lot from talking to security at 3am - it might not be stuff you wanted to learn that day, but education is all around us.We will be sure to hand out phone numbers for security as well as the shuttle during BTFO.
The New Haven bus lines are especially useful if you are commuting in and out of town from surrounding areas (West Haven, Hamden, North Haven, or father away). You can easily find maps of bus routes from the CT public transit authority, and there are discounts for students on multi-use passes. All of the buses in New Haven have racks for bikes, and run 7 days a week, although the schedules are slightly altered on weekends.
Much to our collective joy, New Haven is the last stop on the Metro North line coming out of New York City. For the decent price of a commuter train ticket ($14 off-peak), New Haven residents can get in and out of NYC in about 90 minutes. Many students take the train up to Hartford for internships or for fun, as well as other places all over Connecticut on local train lines. We are also on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, so it's also a great way to get a bit farther away to places like Providence, Boston, or Washington, DC. The train station is located downtown and is a regular stop for the Yale shuttle so getting to and from the train station is never difficult. The schedules can be a bit sparse, particularly on weekends, so you will want to plan ahead, but the train is a super easy way to get outside of New Haven!
Many Yale students utilize Zipcar, which have pick-up/drop-off areas all over New Haven, many of them in Yale parking lots conveniently located near Yale's campus and student housing (one in a parking lot next to the Divinity School). If you anticipate wanting to drive around or out of New Haven occasionally - but not enough to warrant bringing or buying a car - signing up for Zipcar could be the solution you're looking for. To register with Zipcar at Yale, be sure to use your Yale email address and use the UPI code on your Yale ID in the field labeled "Employee or Institutional number". You won't receive your IDs until orientation, but if you can wait to sign up until you arrive, this makes it slightly easier for you to use the Zipcars reserved for the Yale community.
New Haven is a fantastic city for bicycles, as long as you are not afraid to tackle some sizable hills. The Divinity School is basically at the top of a hill that runs all the way down through Yale's main campus, so getting from your classes on Sterling Divinity Quad to Sterling Memorial library will be a breeze - just be ready for that hike back up to meet with a professor in the YDS Common Room later that day. Most of East Rock and downtown New Haven is very friendly to bikers, and there are bike racks all over the place. If you are going to bike around New Haven, however, it is imperative that you have a good bike lock. U-locks tend to fair a bit better than coil locks, but as long as you're smart about locking up your bike you shouldn't have any problems. If you want to reap the rewards of this environmentally friendly mode of transportation, you can log your rides with NuRide and get discounts at a variety of stores and local restaurants! New Haven has a number of bicycling groups, including a Friday morning bike-to-work-breakfast once a month and other social outings based on cycling. If you like to bike, you will certainly not be alone. There are also a couple of really great bike shops in New Haven (including Devil's Gear, where Patrick will be making his way next week) and Craigslist often has lots of postings, so if you're planning on buying a bike once you get here you'll be in good company.
Any city that is good for bikers has to be good for walkers, too! New Haven has some really beautiful areas, and the areas around Yale are extremely walkable - nothing is too far away, hills are reasonable, and there are plenty of coffee-shops and shuttle stops along the way. If you're interested, WalkScore provides walkability rankings nationwide, and can be a very helpful way of figuring out what amenities are around you and how far away they are. You can also log walking trips with NuRide for benefits and coupons. Our major warning about walking in New Haven is that walking alone at night is a terrible idea, so please don't do it. If you are like Esther and prefer to walk just about everywhere all the time, be ready to travel with a friend (or three), or call the Security escort when you're walking home late at night.
Now for those of you who have cars and plan to drive to school, you will want to look into parking options through Yale University and through YDS. Parking passes can be purchased if you plan to park on campus regularly, and there is usually street parking available on nearby streets (Canner St. between Whitney Ave. and Prospect St. is unzoned!), although it can sometimes be difficult to find free street parking during busy afternoons. Free street parking in New Haven is often limited to two hours during the day unless you have a zoned parking sticker on your car, and to do that you will have to go through the New Haven Department of Transportation. Be warned! If you have your car in the City of New Haven for more than 90 days, you are liable to property taxes on your car in the city and state. The police will and do ticket for this, so especially if you are planning on parking on-street (zoned or not), make sure you know these policies. Many students are lucky enough to have off-street parking at their residences, and so do not have to deal with changing their car tags, but since you are going to be living, driving, and parking in New Haven for the next 2-4 years, this may be something you want to look into doing. A final thing to keep in mind about on-street parking is snow. If a snow emergency or snow parking ban is declared, you have to move your car to designated lots so that your car doesn't get taken out by a snow plow. If you come from a snowy area of the country, this is probably a no-brainer, but for people like Patrick from the South, this was a major adjustment. Otherwise, zoning does not apply on weekends or in the evening, which means that all street parking becomes free parking after 7pm. Hooray for small victories!
In peace,
Esther & Patrick
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