Transport Yourself

Flyin’ High

It’s a little pricier to fly in and out of Burlington International Airport, but the convenience is worth the extra cost. The airport is mere minutes from most campuses in the metro Burlington area. You can rent a car at the airport, but if you’re getting in late and don’t have a ride, plan to take a taxi. There’s always one waiting in the cab queue out front.

Airlines:
AirTran, Continental Express, Delta Connection, JetBlue, Northwest Link, United and USAirways

Non-stop service to:
Baltimore, Cleveland, Newark, Plattsburgh, Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York City (JFK / Laguardia), Orlando, Detroit, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia

Ridin’ the Rails

Taking a train ride may seem a bit old-fashioned, but think of the cash you’ll save getting home. Amtrak’s Vermonter makes a daily jaunt through the Northeast. It starts in St. Albans and passes through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, ending at our nation’s capital. The Essex Junction stop is only a short cab ride away from Burlington.

Traveling from Vermont to D.C. on the “Vermonter” is not for the faint of heart — it takes a whopping 14 hours, when it’s running on schedule. If you do go, bring your laptop and some DVDs for the ride down. Good news: The train has electrical outlets to charge up your battery.

More info: Call Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL or visit them on the web at www.amtrak.com [1]

Biking in Burlington

Paved bike trails in Burlington:

• Route 127 Path: Connects the Old North End and New North End. Access at corner of Manhattan Dr. and St. Louis St.
• Riverside Ave. Path: Connects Old North End and Winooski. Access anywhere along Riverside Ave.
• Burlington Bike Path: Runs 7.6 miles along Lake Champlain from Oakledge Park all the way to the mouth of the Winooski River. Keep going — you can pedal on the Island Line Trail all the way to the Colchester causeway, a narrow old railbed that extends out into the lake, with water on both sides. Lots of access points near the lake.

Curious about Burlington’s bike routes?
Contact Local Motion, a nonprofit biking advocacy group, at 1 Steele Street #103, Burlington, 652-2453, www.localmotion.org [2].

Driving Details

Free Downtown Parking
You get two hours free every day — and it’s free on Sundays and holidays — in the following locations:

• Marketplace Garage: Entrances on Bank St. and Cherry St.
• Burlington Town Center: Entrances on Cherry St., Bank St. and Pine St.
• Lakeview Lot: Next to Macy’s on Cherry St.

Winter Parking
It snows here. A lot. And when it does, you’ll see yellow flashing lights along Burlington city streets. That means there’s a parking ban. You’d better move your car to let the plows get through.

During a ban, parking is prohibited in residential areas from 10 p.m. - 7 a.m., and in downtown areas from midnight to 6 a.m.

Vehicles in violation will be towed. If you’ve got more than $49 in outstanding fines or previous winter parking violations, your ride will be taken to a garage until you pay up. And if your car gets towed, good luck finding it. Wrecker drivers are asked to take the vehicle to the first available parking space, leave it and return for the next one. If your car goes missing on a stormy winter night, call the parking office at 658-2704 (ext. 245) to find out where it went. In Winooski, you can’t leave your car on any city street between midnight and 6 a.m. from December 1 - April 1. You’ll get a ticket, even on a warm night.

Parking and Towing
The meters in Burlington run Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Forget to put change in the meter? Leave your car somewhere you shouldn’t have? Here’s what it’ll cost you in Burlington.

• Meter violations: $10
• Parking in a resident-only area: $45
• Blocking sidewalk or greenbelt (area between curb and sidewalk): $45
• Other violations: $45
• Handicapped violations: $100
• Parking ban or street closed to parking: $95

If you get towed, the towing company charges $57.50 to bring your rig to the storage yard and $15 for each subsequent day.

Call a Cab

There are a ton of cab companies in town, but beware — they’ll all charge you a different amount for the same 2-mile trip downtown. Seven Days published “Fare Warning,” an exposé of Burlington’s taxi system, in June. Look it up online to learn more. A tip: Ask drivers to quote you a fare before they start driving.

These taxi companies accept College Cash Cards: Benway’s Taxi / Morf Transit: 862-1010 Friendly Fare: 310-8822 Take the Bus
Need to get home for break but can’t afford to fly? Take the bus! Greyhound offers trips from Vermont to almost every state in the union. The station’s on Pine Street. It’s a little out of the way, but you could conceivably walk it from UVM or Champlain.

Just for kicks — look pensively out the window as the bus pulls away. You’ll feel like you’re in Almost Famous. Call Greyhound for tix at 1-800-231-2222 or visit them on the web at www.greyhound.com [3]

Local Bus Routes

The Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) provides local bus service. All buses are free for UVM, Champlain and St. Michael’s students, with valid student ID. There’s no bus service on New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. You’ll probably be at home, anyway. Check the CCTA website — www.cctaride.org [4] — for detailed schedule information, or call 864-CCTA.

These are the routes you’ll want to remember: (all colors correspond to the CCTA’s maps)

1
University Mall / Airport
Travels from midtown to the airport and Dorset St. area. This route runs every half hour until 6 p.m during the week. After 6, bring your iPod. It’s an hour wait.

M-F: 6:15 a.m - 10:21 p.m. Sat: 6:15 a.m - 8:06 p.m. Sun: 8:45 a.m. to 6:35 p.m.

2
Essex Junction
Travels from SMC to Burlington’s Cherry St. station. Connects downtown to Williston route, which goes through S. Burlington. Runs every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m to 6 p.m. During midday, nighttime and weekends, the wait varies from 30 minutes to an hour. Be careful if you’re taking a train into Essex Junction — on Saturdays, this route skips the train station stop after 7:55 p.m. and Fort Ethan Allen between 6:08 p.m. and 8:50 p.m. Mon-Thu: 6 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Fri: 6 a.m. - 12:10 a.m. Sat: 6:44 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

8
City Loop
Travels around the perimeter of downtown Burlington through Champlain College. Runs every 30 minutes — every 15 between 7:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.

Mon-Fri: 6:45 a.m - 9:40 p.m. Sat: 6:45 a.m. - 6:40 p.m.

9
Riverside / Winooski
Watch out on this route — it skips the last three Winooski stops (83 Barlow, Tigan Street, Elm & West) between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. during the week. On Saturdays, it doesn’t even show up there until 12:30 p.m. Mon-Fri: 6:45 a.m -11:42 p.m. Sat: 6:15 a.m. - 6:38 p.m.

11
FREE College St. Shuttle
From UVM/Fletcher Allen Hospital up and down College St. Runs every 15 minutes between 7:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s half an hour all other times. Mon-Fri: 6:15 a.m - 7:15 p.m. year-round, 6:15 a.m - 9 p.m. from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.

Sat-Sun: 9 a.m to 9 p.m. Memorial Day through Columbus Day.

Mountain Transit Spinner Place Champlain College Shuttle
Between Champlain College and Spinner Place. Catch this shuttle every 15 minutes between 8:40 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. — otherwise, you’ll be waiting for half an hour.

Mon-Wed: 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. Thu-Fri: 7 a.m. - 1 a.m. Sat: 6 a.m. - 12:10 a.m.