Free parking for Fall 2020

Alejandra Yañez | THE RIDER

Students do not need to purchase parking permits for the Fall 2020 semester after UTRGV Parking and Transportation Services announced that Zones 1 and 2 will be free. 

Pablo Aguilar, director of Parking Services, said the university is aware of the effects of the pandemic on students, faculty, staff and the community and aims to help relieve financial stress considering the circumstances.

“We’re all in this situation with COVID-19,” Aguilar said. “We understand many people have lost their jobs and many people aren’t working the same hours that they used to.”

Parking demands for this semester are estimated to be at about 30%, according to Aguilar, referring to the decreased number of students on campus because most classes are being offered online. 

Zone 1 and 2 parking permits will not be sold for Fall 2020.

All students who purchased a parking permit for this semester have already had their charges reversed, according to Aguilar. 

If students find parking permit charges that remain on their account, they may contact the Parking and Transportation office at (956) 665-2738 in Edinburg or (956) 882-7051 in Brownsville, or send an email to parking@utrgv.edu.

Students eligible for the Summer and/or Fall Relief Package were promised free Zone 1 and 2 parking permits, among other incentives. However, due to the decision to provide open parking, the university will no longer be sending out those permits for the fall semester. 

“Those students who qualify for a free parking pass through Summer Relief [and]/or Fall Relief will get, in lieu of the parking pass, will get extra VBucks based on what a parking pass would cost for a semester,” said Patrick Gonzales, UTRGV associate vice president for University Marketing and Communications. 

In the spring, students who are eligible for the Summer and/or Fall Relief Package will still be able to redeem their free permits, Aguilar said. 

UTRGV’s parking enforcement policy is subject to change in the Spring 2021 semester, according to an email sent by University Marketing and Communications. 

“The intention is to go back to normal in the spring, but that can change at any time,” Aguilar said.

In other UTRGV parking related news, the Parking and Traffic Advisory Committee (PTAC), seeks two students, one undergraduate and one graduate student, to serve on the panel. 

The committee meets once a year to discuss parking issues that students and faculty bring up.

“This is a terrific advisory committee that does get different perspectives from different people to move forward as a community,” Aguilar said. 

Students interested in serving on the committee should contact the Student Government Association to seek a nomination at https://utrgv.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/437128. 

“That would help us in the future making any changes that we need, any changes to policy or bringing anything new to our operations,” he said.