Parking Lot to Convert to High-Mobility Use, Add Charging Stations
UC Merced is converting one of the campus’s parking lots into a high-mobility lot that will feature added spots for carpool and vanpool parking, University Business permits and personal parking meters, along with solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles.
The plan to reallocate parking spaces in Library Lot 1 comes as more staff members are moving to off-campus locations. This reallocation of space will provide easier access to parking spaces to those staff members who need to come to campus to conduct university business.
Vice Chancellor for Business and Administrative Services Michael Reese first announced the changes last year in a message to faculty and staff.
“With more and more staff being housed at satellite locations, the campus has a need to dedicate space for high-mobility use,” Reese said. “As our campus continues to expand, parking and space allocation must continue to be assessed for faculty and staff.”
Although no specific date has been set for Library Lot 1’s full conversion, employees on campus have likely noticed that several spots — four in Library Lot 1 and two in the LeGrand Lot — have already been reassigned for vehicles with EasyPark Personal Parking Meters (PPMs), a move that occurred last fall.
The PPM program is a new resource offered by Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS). A PPM is small electronic device users display in their vehicles on an as-needed basis to pay for parking. Once the meter is turned on, it automatically deducts the parking fee from a prepaid bank programmed in the device. This allows users to pay only for the time they are parked, similar to a parking meter.
Users may load as little as $25 and as much as $300 in funds onto the meter, which can be used in any meter- or visitor-designated space on campus. The meters are available on a limited basis to faculty and staff members, purchased through departmental recharge. More detailed information about the meters is posted on the TAPS website.
Installation of the solar-powered charging stations for the electric vehicles is tentatively scheduled to begin this spring. Construction work is planned to occur primarily on weekends to minimize impacts to parking availability throughout the week.
Stay tuned for updates regarding the upcoming lot changes. Meanwhile, contact TAPS for more information.