Frequently Asked Questions

Permits

Q: Can I park in AR stalls after 3:00 p.m. with my Student Commuter permit?
A: You may park in non-24 hour enforced AR stalls only after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays or on Saturdays or Sundays.

Q: Can I park in faculty/staff parking after 3:00 p.m. with my Student Commuter permit?
A: Your student parking permit does not allow you to park in faculty/staff lots until after 5:00 p.m.

Q: I have a Zone 6 permit but I want to park in Zone 3 to be close to my 3:30 p.m. class. Can I park in Zone 3 after 3:00 p.m.?
A: Yes, you may now park in any zone, 1-6, after 3:00 p.m. Monday – Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Q: I have a Student Resident permit. Can I park in any zone after 3:00 p.m.?
A: No, after 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday you may park on campus in any open lot (not a parking structure) in unmarked stalls or non-24 hour enforced AR stalls.

Q: When do I need a permit on campus?
A: Permits are required on campus at all times.

Q: Do I need to buy my permit on-line or can I buy one at the Parking Office?
A: Student parking permits are available for purchase on-line only. Log in to your myCommute account to purchase your permit. Permits are sold on a first come, first served basis.

Q: What is UCI's long-term approach to vehicle circulation and transportation?
A: UCI is pursuing a substantial portfolio of transportation demand management (TDM) measures to reduce vehicle traffic including policies, incentive programs, and physical improvements that promote greater pedestrian circulation, bicycle and scooter use, carpools and vanpools, use of public transportation, and more effective integration of public transit routes with the campus. These measures also improve air quality, reduce traffic noise, and lessen demand for campus parking facilities. For more information, please refer to UCI's Long Range Development Plan.

Q: Why does UCI manage transportation demand?
A: Managing travel demand on campus is important for several reasons:

1. The cost of gas has continued to rise over time, making commuting more expensive for members of the campus community. UCI's Sustainable Transportation program, which is part of UCI's TDM strategy, provides low-cost transportation alternatives.
2. The campus population has risen steadily over the years. Unfortunately, funding for transportation infrastructure has not increased accordingly. UCI's TDM measures have reduced vehicle travel on campus, thereby reducing congestion and permitting the campus to defer expansion of its transportation system, including the construction of costly parking facilities.
3. The University of California system has committed to becoming climate-neutral as soon as possible. Commuting is responsible for approximately 12% of campus greenhouse gas emissions. TDM measures play an important role is reducing these emissions.
4. UCI is legally obligated by multiple regulatory agencies to reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions, including those from commuting.
5. Increases in vehicle travel are linked to a range of health problems including poor urban air quality, road injuries and fatalities, and reduced physical activity. UCI is committed to fostering a safe and healthy community for its faculty, staff, and students.

Q: How does zone parking fit in to UCI's long-term approach to vehicle circulation and transportation?
A: Zone parking is one aspect of UCI's TDM strategy. Zoning was implemented at UCI in phases:

• 2005 - pilot program initiated with a portion of the freshman class
• 2006 - all freshman included in zone parking
• 2007 - all freshman and sophomores participated in zone parking
• 2008 - juniors joined the zone parking program
• 2009 - all student commuters participating in zoning

Q: High demand parking lots in my zone reach capacity during the day and I cannot find a place to park near my classes. I paid good money for my permit, so why can't I park wherever I want?
A: Students pay for a parking permit that allows them to park on the UCI campus. Student commuters are not guaranteed a space in the lot of their choice and Parking reserves the right to limit the areas in which they are able to park. Parking does, however, guarantee that there will be a space available on campus for student commuter permit holders. Check the student commuter permit information sheet you received with your permit for detailed information regarding the lot options available to permit holders in your zone.

Q: How are permit caps set for each zone?
A: The first three weeks of every quarter, Parking and Transportation Services hires students to conduct a comprehensive lot utilization study (the counting of parked cars in each lot at different times of the day). Parking uses this data, along with sales data, to project the maximum number of permits to be sold in each zone. Projections maximize the capacity of the entire campus parking system, so students should anticipate parking in overflow lots during peak hours.

Q: What do I do when I cannot find parking in my zone?
A: During peak times (9:30a.m - 2:00 p.m.) parking may not be available in core locations. At these times, please park in the CT and ARC overflow lots and make use of the main campus shuttle. The shuttle runs every few minutes and has live route tracking at http://www.shuttle.uci.edu/

Q: Do visitors need a permit?
A: Yes, anyone who works, attends, or visits the campus must purchase and display a valid permit. Visitor permits may be purchased at the kiosks located at the parking structures or at any of the independent parking kiosks located in many parking lots.

Q: What do I do if my permit is lost?
A: You can report the permit lost and replace it for $15 at the main Parking office.

Q: How do I get a refund for my parking permit?
A: For permits that are not payroll deducted, please return your permit to the main Parking office. Refunds are issued for unused months left on the permit. Permits obtained via payroll deduction must be returned and a cancellation form completed.

Q: Why can't on-campus VDC VDCN AV residents buy a commuter parking pass?
A: As many of you know, campus parking lots are already in high demand. Limiting on-campus residents to their respective housing parking lots creates additional room for student commuters who live off-campus. There are, however, extenuating circumstances in which a campus resident may have a valid reason for needing a commuter parking pass. If this is the case, the individual should visit the Parking Office and fill out an exemption form. Exemptions are evaluated on an individual basis.

Parking

Q: Why do I have to pay to park?
A: The Parking department is a self-supporting auxiliary unit which receives no State or federal funding.

Q: Where does our permit money go?
A: Parking has several revenue sources; however, permit sales constitute the majority of the department's revenue. See the budget information for fiscal years 2007-08 and 2008-09 below for details.

Parking Revenue	FY 2008-09	FY 2007-08
AT	$340,216	$167,385
Fines/Citations	$1,711,209	$1,875,020
Permits	$9,557,357	$9,731,938
Event Parking	$2,866,655	$2,631,335
Total	$14,475,437	$14,405,678

Expenses	FY 2008-09	FY 2007-08
Salaries & Benefits	$3,185,161	$2,980,430
Supplies and Equipment	$1,347,952	$2,843,929
Operational Projects (includes Sustainable Transportation)	$1,779,802	$1,820,452
Transportation System Maintenance/Expansion	$2,575,551	$599,029
Recharges for Campus Services (HR, Accounting, etc.)	$786,177	$1,014,772
Parking Structure/Lot Debt	$5,763,933	$5,280,543
Total	$15,438,576	$14,539,155

Q: Why did parking fees increase for 2009-10?
A: This year permit rates went up by $3 per month or 6%. Rates are set so that they generate sufficient revenue to maintain the daily operations of Parking and Transportation Services and to pay down interest on UCI's debt for parking structures and lots. As you can see from parking's budget information for 2007-08 and 2008-09, operating costs increased more than the amount of revenue generated, so parking ran at a deficit in fiscal year 2008-09. Since last year's financial model is unsustainable, parking implemented measures that decreased operating costs by $1.4 million. Unfortunately these savings are not sufficient to cover the entire budget gap, so permit rates were also increased. It is important to note that UCI has the lowest permit rates among UC campuses with comparable parking capacity.

Q: Why don't you build more parking?
A: New parking structures are extremely expensive to build and can cost $15,000 to $20,000 per stall to construct, which would equate to a 30% increase in current permit rates. Surface lot parking costs anywhere from $2,500 to $3,700 per space.

Q: Can I park in the new ARC parking structure?
A: No, not at this time. Although the University owns the land the structure is built on, the University entered into a long-term lease agreement with American Campus Communities (ACC) to build and operate a housing community (including a parking structure for residents) on the east campus. Since the ARC lost spaces when the east campus parking structure was built, they will be allowed to use spaces on the first floor of the structure when ACC opens it in fall 2010. If the structure were opened this year, Parking would have to pay $173,000 to lease space in the structure. As the existing ARC surface lot is underutilized, parking is not pursing a lease agreement at this time.