University students and faculty working late at University buildings this winter won't have quite as long a walk back to their cars.

Through the first of March, certain University parking lots will be open to drivers without passes at 4 p.m. instead of the usual time of 5 p.m. The lots will still be restricted to drivers with permits from 6 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Bob Kelly, the University's director of parking, said the change was seasonal and made with the safety of students and faculty in mind.

"The change began at the end of daylight savings time because of the earlier darkness," Kelly said. "Hopefully, this will help in the matter of safety so people don't have to walk so far in the dark. Our hope is that if a student has a class at, say, 5 p.m., then at 4 p.m. they can move their car into the closer lot and keep it there until class is over without being ticketed."

Kelly said that while most lots around campus have changed their hours, parking meters and lots that are posted as being restricted 24-hours a day were not. Kelly also said that since many of the parking lots near residence halls were restricted 24-hours a day, students living in the halls would not be affected.

"I want to stress that students wanting to take advantage of the new hours need to read the sign posted at the entrance to a parking lot to see if that lot is restricted or not," Kelly said.

The change in winter parking hours isn't a new program, Kelly said. It has been in place for two years now, since a committee reporting to then Vice Chancellor for Administration and Human Resources Charles Colbert recommended the changes.

"I asked the parking director at the time to put together a committee to look at some changes so that employees and students would have more options," Colbert said. "We believe that proximity parking is more desirable than open parking."

Chris Mullen, a member of the Student Senate which worked with Kelly on the changes, also added that Lot C-8 across from the Ice Arena and Lot B-1 across from Grainger Library have been opened for permitless parking overnight on the weekends, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and ending at 6 a.m. Monday.

"We are delighted the University was willing to work with us to give students some of that space."

Mullen said the changes should give weekend visitors a place to park without getting fined.

"We hope the changes will be more accommodating to students who have visitors over the weekend, so they have a place to park in Champaign, and also in Urbana, where they won't be ticketed," he said.

— Lauren Traut contributed to this report.