With UC Riverside parking lots filling up again this fall, the campus community is advised to know their parking options and plan ahead.

The first week of the fall quarter saw parking lots getting crowded as more classes and students have returned to in-person instruction. On some days, Lot 30 was full by 11 a.m., according to Transportation and Parking Services.

For the start of the fall quarter, transportation officers have been posted at some locations to help with traffic control and flow.

Commuters can check on parking availability before getting to campus with the department’s online lot counter. It provides real-time space availability for Gold student lots 26, 30, 32, and 50. The site also has space counts for the Big Springs 1 parking structure and lots 6 and 24 for faculty, staff, and visitors.

The department is also seeing more faculty and staff members renewing or purchasing parking permits since the start of the pandemic, when some suspended their permits due to remote or hybrid work arrangements. 

“We’re returning back to pre-COVID levels,” said Marisa Raygoza, assistant director of administrative operations for Transportation Services.

However, staff and faculty lots are not as crowded as student lots, probably due to hybrid work schedules, she said.

Transportation Services offers a variety of permit options based on individual parking needs. Permits can be purchased on annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, or daily schedules. Hourly and daily permits can be purchased through the ParkMobile app. 

The department is also continuing to offer 10-pack permits as a more flexible option for those on a hybrid schedule. The 10-pack permits, which are now available in red as well as blue lots, provide 10 days of parking per quarter.

The permits are not lot-specific. Permit holders must go online and reserve a space from a list of available lots up to three days in advance. Commuters who use alternative transportation or telecommute through the R’Commute program can also receive one free 10-pack per quarter.

The department also encourages commuters to explore other transportation options and to consider sustainable methods when possible. Those options, including the vanpool program, are listed in the R’Commute program.