An inside look at living, studying and working at Cal Poly.

Inside Cal Poly

This summer, Cal Poly will embark on a 10-year program to expand and improve campus housing to enhance the residential student experience and promote student success.



The Future Housing Program will add 3,000-4,000 beds to campus housing and incorporate major renovations to University Housing’s six red brick residence halls in multiple construction phases to ease demand, accommodate growth and address aging facilities.



The CSU Housing Proposal Review Committee approved the Future Housing Program back in 2023. The full program concept will be submitted to the CSU for the Board of Trustees to consider at its July meeting.



Construction on new housing is scheduled to begin in fall 2024, with the first phase opening in fall 2026 and subsequent phases opening every year thereafter, with the final phase of construction being completed in 2030.



Significant parking lot and road closures are set to happen on Monday, June 17.



Lots R1, K1 and K2, located behind the North Mountain and Red Brick residence halls, will be permanently closed. Klamath Road — the backbone of the Future Housing Program infrastructure — Deer Road and Mountain Lane will also be closed, with limited access to authorized vehicles and essential services.



The <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/commutingtocampus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parking and Commuter Services webpage</a> reflects current information on all sustainable transportation options. The <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/lot_closures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parking Lot Closures webpage</a> includes closure information and alternate parking lots for summer and the next academic year.



To learn more about the university’s housing project goals, visit the <a href="https://housing.calpoly.edu/future-housing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Future of Cal Poly Housing webpage</a>.

Future Housing Program to Launch in Summer

As the CSU works toward a more sustainable future, Cal Poly is leading the way and providing yet another benefit for our students, staff, and faculty for making eco-friendly decisions.
Cal Poly community members get an exclusive discounted charging rate at on-campus ChargePoint stations.
With 37 electric vehicle (EV) charging spaces strategically located across campus, powering up has never been more convenient.
Our charging network includes spaces in lot H-2A, the Grand Ave Structure, and Structure 131. No matter where you are on campus, a charging option is readily available to keep you on the move. If all available spaces are occupied, the waitlist feature ensures you get your chance to charge. Simply tap your charge card on the desired station or get in line through your ChargePoint account. You&#8217;ll be notified when a station becomes available, giving you a specified time to accept the space and plug in seamlessly.
To make this initiative a success, we kindly remind our community to move their vehicles at the end of the charging session. It&#8217;s crucial to ensure that EV charging spaces are used actively for charging. Additionally, charging spaces are valid for a maximum of 4 hours and a valid Cal Poly parking permit or timed session is required.
Join us in this green journey, and let&#8217;s work together to promote alternative transportation programs on campus. The ChargePoint charging stations at Cal Poly promote progress, sustainability, and a brighter future for our community.

Powering Up Progress

Parking on any university campus can be a daunting task. However, there&#8217;s good news for students, faculty, staff and visitors who want more payment options for parking on campus.
Transportation and Parking Services is committed to making parking as smooth as possible, and to that end, they recently introduced PayByPhone as a new payment option for all metered parking on campus.
With this addition, there are now two convenient mobile parking apps, PayByPhone and ParkMobile, accepted for both metered, daily (H-1 and K-1 lots) and visitor parking (Structure 131) at Cal Poly.
Both apps provide a great cashless payment option as well as mobile alerts that notify users before their parking session is due to expire. With just a few taps on a phone, users can easily pay to park up to the parking zone’s maximum time limit.
What makes this addition even more convenient is that PayByPhone is widely used across the country, including the city of San Luis Obispo.
Both apps have a small $0.35 convenience fee, and are available for download on the App Store, Google Play, and the Windows Store. PayByPhone is also available for Apple Watch.

PayByPhone Joins ParkMobile: Two Great Options for Cal Poly Parking

Cal Poly’s Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) does way more than direct traffic and give out parking tickets. Here are 10 interesting facts about a department you thought was not very interesting.



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>All the money generated from parking citations goes to creating, maintaining and promoting sustainability programs like rideshare and commuting, not paychecks.</li>



<li>TAPS is a self-sustaining department meaning that it receives no state, or university funding. They pay their employee salaries with parking permit sales.</li>



<li>TAPS is continuously expanding services and promoting more sustainable transportation options and creating affordable opportunities for students, faculty and staff to commute to and from campus.</li>



<li>Bike commuting is easy thanks to TAPS and the more than 7,000 bike rack spaces and 252 secure bike lockers available.</li>



<li>TAPS subsidizes vanpool groups that are open to faculty, staff and students. <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/commutingtocampus/carpooling.php">Carpool permits</a> are available for faculty, staff and students and offer designated premium parking spots in lots throughout campus.</li>



<li>Rides on SLO Transit buses have been free with a Cal Poly ID for nearly four decades thanks to TAPS.</li>



<li>TAPS introduced the <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/safetyprograms/#mustang-shuttle">Mustang Shuttle</a> program last winter. This free shuttle service now runs during the day five days a week and in the evening, until 12:30 a.m. seven days a week.</li>



<li>Nine new charging ports were installed this winter in Structure 131. Now there are 21 charging stations available on campus for students, faculty, staff and visitors.</li>



<li>Have you heard of Mustang Patrol, the folks who are available to walk with you across campus late at night? Yeah, that’s a TAPS program.</li>



<li>All of this work has helped get Cal Poly recognized as a Best Workplace for Commuters many times, as well as named a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists and o</li>
</ol>

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Transportation and Parking Services

It&#8217;s official, back to school season is upon us. While you may be prepping your first day outfit, getting your supplies in order or thinking about which mask to bring, don’t forget to take some time to consider your campus commute. It’s important that when traveling to campus you are doing so in a way that is sustainable and efficient. Hence, this academic year Transportation and Parking Services wants you to commute with confidence! See below for how you can do so.



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Share parking with confidence. Got roommates? Great! Introducing the new student carpool permits. Students interested in starting a carpool group for winter, and skip the parking permit lottery, need to review the guidelines <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/commutingtocampus/carpooling.php#carpool1">here</a>.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Bike with confidence. Biking is one of the best ways to commute to campus if you live within a reasonable distance. Fun fact: 57% of students and 33% of faculty and staff live within five miles of Cal Poly’s campus, so get your helmet and get to campus!</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ride SLO Transit with confidence. One of the many perks of being a Cal Poly community member is that you can ride the SLO transit bus for free when you present your ID. Now trips to and from campus from throughout the county on Regional Transit Authority (RTA) buses are also free. These busses serve all of SLO County and extend down into Santa Barbara County. All campus community members who are interested must sign up with TAPS. For more information visit <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/commutingtocampus/bus_services">afd.calpoly.edu/parking/commutingtocampus/bus_services</a>​</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Be car-free with confidence. No car, no problem! That’s what Zipcars are for. There are many Zipcars located all over campus to rent for just an hour or even a whole day.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Rideshare with confidence. Thanks to our partners at Rideshare, faculty and staff who are registered and actively recording their smart commutes qualify for an emergency ride home, allowing ridesharers to get home quickly in case of personal or family illness and emergencies.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Keep charged up with confidence. Cal Poly has electric vehicle charging stations located in the Grand Avenue Structure and in the H-2a parking lot to keep your vehicle charged and ready to go.</li>
</ul>



Being mindful of your commute is a great way to start of the academic year on the right foot. As you return to campus the university hopes that you will do so with confidence!

Commute With Confidence!

Back in 2016 Cal Poly adopted ParkMobile, an app that allows customers to find and purchase parking straight from their mobile devices. Since then, Cal Poly has expanded on this app to provide more contactless parking payment options.



The most recent update could not have come at a better time. According to Marlene Cramer, the director of Transportation and Parking Services, with ParkMobile now in use Cal Poly has started to remove some parking meters on campus. This results in less resources used towards the meter maintenance and the collection process which allows for Transportation and Parking Services to reassign employees to do other important tasks.



Not&nbsp;only is this new system labor efficient, it’s also more sustainable! TAPS’ vision is to create a campus with cohesive, innovative and sustainable transportation and parking services.ParkMobile is a tool in making this vision a reality. In addition to the ParkMobile system, in Fall of 2019 virtual parking passes were implemented on campus. This system reduced and virtually eliminated the need for paper and plastic parking permits.​



The app also makes it easier for customers to utilize the most updated features within the app without the campus needing to purchase new hardware which is the case for credit card meters. For example, this year people are coming to campus for shorter periods of time as a result of COVID-19 safety precautions. TAPS staff noticed a change in demand and availability, and simply added a day pass options to give students additional choices for purchasing parking on campus.



In the past Cal Poly has used ParkMobile for advance event parking reservations for large campus events such as Green and Gold tours, Open House, SLO Days, the annual Rodeo, and large athletic events. When events are safe to return to campus, TAPS plans to reactive this feature of the ParkMobile app.



Lastly, ParkMobile has allowed for a more secure way for customers to purchase parking. Having a virtual receipt has created higher levels of compliance and less frustration for customers as they always have a copy of their parking pass. Their license plate is their permit and the app provides a record of receipts for customer convenience.



It is clear that this system is adaptable, efficient and sustainable. Next time you find yourself on campus make sure you download the ParkMobile app and check out all the new features!

Parking Smarter, Not Harder

Gone are the days of hanging parking permits from the rearview. This summer, Cal Poly Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) is rolling out license plate recognition software that will help them better manage traffic flow and patterns throughout campus parking lots.



Using vehicles affixed with cameras specifically designed to read license plates, parking ambassadors will be able to more efficiently track parking capacity and availability.



With this information, TAPS can analyze lot occupancy per week, day and hour. Then, once they are able to determine the number of permits to offer, they can maximize existing parking facilities.



TAPS Director Marlene Cramer said this new platform will create a better parking experience for students, faculty, staff and visitors by providing real-time and long-term data that will help TAPS stay on top of trending models.



“Cal Poly is growing, offering more housing, reducing the number of students driving to campus and therefore reducing our environmental footprint, which is a big goal for the university,” Cramer said. “Yet we still have a lot of people driving to campus and needing parking. This new system will allow us to better manage the lots and improve the customer experience immensely.”



However, just because permits need not be on display in the rearview, anyone with a parking permit must ensure that their vehicle is registered with TAPS.



Registering is as simple as&nbsp;<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/">logging into your parking account via the TAPS webpage</a>&nbsp;and adding a vehicle to your profile.



Staff will still be able to purchase short-term permits online and visitor parking permits will still be available at the Public Safety Reception Center, Visitor Center and pay stations. Visitors must know their license plate number when purchasing parking.

New License Plate Recognition to Improve On-Campus Parking

When it comes to parking on campus, solutions are often hard to find. Many students bring their cars to school, space is limited and it’s hard to get your hands on a permit. But say hello to the newest idea: a lottery system.



This winter, Cal Poly Transportation &amp; Parking Services (TAPS) is launching a brand new process for the way students can access parking permits. The lottery will not only ensure that every student interested in a permit has an equal chance to purchase one, but also that every student has the option to pick their parking location of choice. (<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/parkingoncampus/parkinglots/">Check out this map</a>&nbsp;of all the campus parking lots!)



Here’s the breakdown. From now until Dec. 2, students can enter&nbsp;<a href="https://calpoly.t2hosted.com/Account/Portal">through the Parking Portal</a>. On Dec. 3 and 4, each student’s name will be randomized and assigned a lottery number. When a number comes up, the corresponding student will be automatically awarded a permit based on their parking preferences available at the time. These lucky winners will then have the following six days to purchase the permit online.



What happens if the permits sell out? Don’t worry. If they all sell out, a waitlist will keep track of all students’ parking preferences. At the start of winter quarter, the system will release any unclaimed permits to waitlisted students.



Still fuzzy on the whole idea? Here are some frequently asked questions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frequently asked questions</h2>



Q: How many preferred parking lots can I include on my form?



A: Students will have the opportunity to select two preferred parking lots — a first choice and a second choice.



Q: When will the winners be announced?



A: The lottery will be awarded for two consecutive days during the week of Dec. 3. Not all awards will occur on the same day.



Q: How will I know if I win?



A: Once a permit has been awarded, students will receive an email with instructions on how to purchase. The permit must then be purchased in the following six days.



Q: What happens if I don’t purchase a permit within the six-day window?



A: If the purchase isn’t made in six days, the permit will expire and be awarded to the next lottery number in line.



Q: How will I know if I’m on the waitlist?



A: All names not contacted for an initial parking permit will be included on a waitlist and available for unclaimed permits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Still have questions?</h2>



If you have further questions regarding parking at Cal Poly, please e-mail parking@calpoly.edu or calling 805–756–6654.

Winter Parking Permits Lottery: Explained

As Cal Poly’s numbers have grown, so has the demand for parking. There is, however, only so much space available at the university. This situation begs the question what a better use of space is. Is it best used for parking or for furthering the academic mission of the university? The other important consideration is what’s better for the environment and the health of the community. After a year of research and collaboration across campus, the answer came in a new set of transportation and parking policies. They include limiting freshmen from having cars on campus.



With this new policy, incoming Mustangs may wonder how they are going to get around. Their parents and supporters may worry how their students will get home during academic breaks. Below is a variety of suggestions pulled from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/CalPolySLOMustangParents/">Cal Poly SLO Mustang Parents Facebook page</a>&nbsp;to put those concerns aside.

Tag: Parking