July 17, 2024
Campus Transportation and Parking Updates for 2024-2025
By Michelle Porter
Media Inquiries
Michelle Porter
- Director
CMU’s long-term vision for campus mobility continues to prioritize transportation methods that are more sustainable, as well as flexibility and efficiency in our services. Below are some important campus transportation and parking updates for the coming year.
Parking Updates
Several upgrades have been made to our parking software and hardware over the last year to ensure that permit holders and campus visitors have improved access to and positive experiences in our parking lots and garages. Keep reading for more details and important reminders, and view the 2024-2025 parking permit rates, effective Aug. 26.
For Current Permit Holders
- Permit renewal: If you have a current parking permit, it will automatically renew - no action is required. Permits will be valid Aug. 26, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025, and will continue to be deducted monthly from CMU paychecks. All faculty permits will be deducted over a nine-month period.
- Garage/lot access and hangtags: Permit holders parking at non-gated facilities will continue to receive an annual hangtag, which will be mailed to the home address we have on file. Please hang the tag on your rearview mirror when parking in your garage/lot. Permit holders who park at gated facilities should already have received an automatic vehicle identification (AVI) tag for no-contact entry/exit. Please do not discard the AVI tag, as they are permanent.
- Updated parking account portal: You can now log into the new CMU Parking Portal to view your monthly permit information, update your registered parking vehicle(s), or add or change a permit waitlist.
- License plate verification: Please ensure that the license plate information listed for your registered vehicle(s) in the CMU Parking Portal is correct, as we now have license plate recognition software to monitor vehicles in our garages/lots. To check your vehicle information, log into the CMU Parking Portal, select “View Your Permits” and click on the permit number.
Student Permits
- Online student permit sales: Students can purchase 2024-2025 parking permits by logging into the CMU Parking Portal starting July 23, at 9 a.m., through July 30. All student permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once permits are sold out, your request will automatically be added to a waitlist.
Other Important Parking Changes
- Opting into free evening and weekend parking: CMU offers free parking in the East Campus Garage from 6-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Individuals with active CMU parking permits already have access to the free parking through their CMU ID card. Beginning Sept. 1, 2024, those without a CMU parking permit who wish to use the East Campus Garage free parking option must opt into it for the parking year. To opt in, log into the CMU Parking Portal between July 23 and Aug. 31 and purchase a $0 Nights/Weekends permit. Patrons can then use their CMU ID card to enter/exit during the free hours.
- Head-in parking requirement: All vehicles must now park “head in” in CMU garages/lots (i.e., pull forward into the spot so that your rear license plate is still visible) to allow our new license plate recognition software to monitor the vehicles in our garages/lots.
- Prepaid visitor parking: Campus visitors can now pre-book parking spaces in the East Campus Garage and the gated portion of the Morewood Lot via the ParkMobile app – just pre-pay for your spot online and scan the app’s QR code at the entrance gate. Visitors parking in the ungated portion of the Morewood Lot can still pay for their space by phone using the PayByPhone parking app. Learn more about Morewood Lot visitor parking.
- Maximizing garage/lot occupancy: Over time, the new parking technology will help us better monitor real-time parking space occupancy, allowing us to better understand the availability of spots in a specific location at any given time. This information will help us continue to offer flexible parking permit options to the campus community. We will also be able to use that information in the future to help visitors quickly find available parking spots on campus.
For questions about these updates, please contact Transportation Services.