DOTS to Resume Parking Management, Payments

The Department of Transportation Services sent the following information to faculty, staff and students today via email:

As we prepare for the return of employees and students to campus, we want to make you aware of some important changes related to campus parking.

On March 13, DOTS made all on-campus parking free and open while most employees were working remotely. Parking payroll deductions were also suspended as of March 29. With the start of the fall semester approaching, we will also resume parking management on our campus. We recognize that this upcoming academic year will be unlike any other and we want to emphasize important dates and highlight auto-renewal paycheck deductions and cancellation procedures for employees.

Please add these important dates to your calendar:

Aug. 3 at 7 a.m.

• Faculty/staff permits are required for parking in faculty/staff lots (lots that begin with a letter).
• Payment will be required in visitor parking locations.
• Parking spaces in student lots (lots that begin with a number) remain free and open.

Aug. 31 at 7 a.m.

• Parking restrictions will resume in all campus lots. Registrants must park in their assigned lot or overflow area.
• Anyone who parks on campus will need a permit, or must pay for parking in visitor locations.

What Does This Transition Mean for Me?
Faculty/staff
If you had an active parking permit when we suspended our on-campus operations on March 13, you do not need to register for parking for the month of August. You may park in any faculty/staff or student lot until full parking restrictions resume on Aug. 31 at 7 a.m. When full parking restrictions resume, registrants must park in their assigned lot or overflow lot.

If you did not have an active parking permit on March 13, you must park in Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17 or 19, or pay the hourly rate to park in a visitor lot between Aug. 3 and 31 at 7 a.m. 

Students
If you need to park on campus between Aug. 3 and 31 at 7 a.m., you must park in Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17 or 19, or pay the hourly rate to park in a visitor lot. You are not eligible for parking in faculty/staff lots during restricted hours. View lot restrictions on our parking map. 

If your vehicle is parked in a faculty/staff lot and you are unable to relocate it to a student lot before Aug. 3 at 7 a.m., please contact tranportation@umd.edu or call 301.314.3687 (DOTS).

What Actions Do I Need to Take?
Faculty/staff
If you would like to resume parking payroll deduction: As always, employees who are enrolled in parking payroll deduction do not need to take any action to initiate parking for the upcoming year. Your permit will be automatically renewed and your first payment will be deducted from your paycheck on Sept. 4. 

If you do not wish to renew your permit, or would like to use daily parking (see below): Please complete this Google Form by 11:59 p.m. Aug. 14. While this is a departure from our typical permit cancellation process, we hope that this makes it easier to request a cancellation remotely.

In order to most efficiently utilize our campus parking inventory, those who cancel their permits are not guaranteed their original parking assignment if they choose to re-enroll in campus parking in the future. Upon re-enrollment, they may be assigned to other locations based on space availability. Departments will not be able to hold spaces for employees who choose to cancel their permits.

If you did not have an active permit on March 13 and intend to park on campus on or after Aug. 31, speak with your department’s transportation coordinator to purchase a permit.

If you are unsure which parking option to select for the fall: View our recommendations for varying parking needs.

Students
If you are a student and plan to park on campus after Aug. 31 at 7 a.m, you will need to purchase a student parking permit. Registration for student parking will open on a rolling basis according to credit level beginning in late July. See the registration dates on our website. 

New Daily Permit 
Our new daily permit is a single-use, digital permit that is meant to accommodate blended work and learning arrangements. It is ideal for those who need to park on campus one, two or three days per week. Daily permits allow you to park in your previously assigned lot, or the closest available faculty/staff parking area for employees who choose not to renew or purchase a campus permit, but still park on campus occasionally.

Every time you use a daily permit, you must activate it through your parking account before arriving on campus. The permit must be activated on the day you plan to use it. Each permit costs $12 per day and will be sold in increments of five ($60 for a five-permit pack).

DOTS will not offer bundle packs during the Fall 2020 semester. If you previously purchased a bundle pack and did not use all of your daily hang tag permits, we will honor them.

Daily Maximum of $15 Reinstated in Pay Station Areas
We will also reinstate the $15 daily maximum fee in all areas controlled by a pay station. If you will park on campus less than one full day per week, we encourage you to use the pay stations and/or parking meters to pay per hour for campus parking. While we do not expect a significant number of campus events to impact parking this fall, please keep in mind these parking areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You may need to plan to arrive earlier than usual to locate parking.

Changes for Carpool and Electric/Low Emission Vehicle Permit Discounts
Since many employees will continue to telework regularly, we will suspend our carpool permits and electric/low emission vehicle permit discounts this year, and introduce new benefits for carpoolers and drivers of EPA Certified SmartWay Elite vehicles in the future. We welcome your feedback as we re-envision our carpool and green vehicle permit incentives.

DOTS Office Changes
As a precautionary measure for the health of our staff and community, our lobby, including cashiering services, will not be open to the public until further notice. We are working to implement numerous strategies that will allow us to continue to provide all of our administrative services while eliminating person-to-person interactions. These strategies include increased online payment options for all customers. We will provide further details on these new processes as they are available.

Our customer service team is here for you as remote operations continue. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at transportation@umd.edu, or call us at 301.314.3687 (4-DOTS). We are available Monday to Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Stay well,
DOTS