Agreement supports designated drivers

Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

Sometimes, your designated driver just can’t keep it together and the safest option when deciding how to get home safely, can also be the most expensive, if it requires leaving a car overnight in a campus parking lot.

The MSU, in collaboration with TwelvEighty and McMaster Security Services, is trying to take the late-night pressure of parking fees out of the equation.

In the event that a designated driver has a drink and is unable to drive home, their vehicle can be parked on campus overnight for free, according to a new agreement.

John McGowan, MSU general manager, says that discussions with security about the idea began last year.

The initiative was started in an effort to encourage students to use the designated driver program with their friends and “to give students an alternative so that parking isn’t a barrier for making a sound decision if they’ve had a few drinks,” explained McGowan.

The program is in its initial phases, as it was started last week on a very small scale. McGowan explained that through McMaster Parking Services, security has provided parking vouchers, which can be given to students at the discretion of TwelvEighty management.

The use of the vouchers will be closely monitored to evaluate the success of the program, noted Matthew Dillon-Leitch, MSU president.

So in the event that a student may need to take advantage of the service, the student “would go to the manager and identify themselves as a designated driver, or as someone who parked in a McMaster parking lot and is unable to drive home, at which point, they would receive a voucher,” explained Dillon-Leitch.

The goal of the program is “to ensure that there is no additional cost associated with leaving your car here so you can get home safely,” said McGowan.