SRU initiates new parking permit system
A new online registration process for parking permits at Slippery Rock University will be available beginning Jan. 6, 2020. University Police will use license plate recognition to detect registered vehicles instead of looking for windshield decals.
Dec. 16, 2019
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — "Out with the old and in with the new" will apply to not only the change of decades, but also to how permitted parking will work at Slippery Rock University. SRU's new ePermit parking system will go into effect Jan. 6, 2020. The system will utilize a license plate recognition system, which eliminates the need for windshield decals.
All faculty and staff, as well as new students, must register their vehicle's license plate with the Parking and ID Office at www.sru.edu/parking beginning Jan. 6, 2020. Students with current 2019-20 academic year decals do not need to register their vehicle at this time. Their information will be automatically transferred to the new system, generating an ePermit that will expire Aug. 31, 2020. However, if there are any changes in vehicle information, students will be required to update their profile at www.sru.edu/parking.
Faculty and staff parking permits from 2018-19 are valid through Dec. 31, 2019. Faculty and staff ePermits will be valid for two years, while new student ePermits expire Aug. 31, 2020.
University Police will begin enforcing the new parking regulations via the new license plate recognition system at the start of the spring semester, Jan. 21, 2020. Rather than having officers walk through parking lots to check decals, University Police patrol cars will have cameras mounted on each side that will capture images of license plates that will be immediately matched to registered license plates of ePermit holders in the system.
SHARKEY
"This is a more efficient and effective system for everyone," said Kevin Sharkey, interim chief of University Police. "Many other large universities have already started to use this technology. If you're parked illegally on campus, the chances of getting caught are significantly greater with this system because lots will be monitored more often and more efficiently with the car-mounted cameras. We encourage everyone to register their vehicles and park in the correct lot."
Photographs of illegally parked vehicles will be generated and tickets distributed by text message or email if the plate is registered. Unregistered vehicles found in violation will have parking citations mailed to the home address associated with the license plate number.
"If you receive a ticket, the photo will show where your vehicle was parked and the exact time it was there," Sharkey said. "That will leave no doubt as to whether the vehicle wasn't supposed to be there. Also, if there's an emergency or we need to contact the owner should the vehicle be hit or vandalized, we can send a text or email to the owners about the situation and that there's an officer waiting for them at the vehicle."
The biggest change, Sharkey emphasized, will be a new rule that all vehicles must be parked facing in so that the license plate is visible at all times. Vehicles with only a rear license plate that are backed into or pulled through a parking space, or those that have an obscured license plate, will be ticketed and receive a $5 fine.
Visitors to the University can obtain an ePermit for a maximum of three days. Those requiring a longer duration should visit the Parking and ID Office, located inside the University Union, Room 102. University offices and departments may register guests/visitors online for a maximum of three days for those that cannot do so in advance. Temporary permits will be issued to people with permanent permits who need to use an unregistered vehicle for up to two weeks.
Another benefit to the new system is that ePermit holders can sign up to receive text and email alerts regarding parking lot closures and other parking-related notifications. Members of the University community should be aware that the new parking alerts are separate from the University's Campus Alerts system.
For more information regarding parking at SRU, contact the Parking and ID Office at 724.738.4785 or email sruparking@sru.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zackal | 724.738.4854 | justin.zackal@sru.edu