<p>I’m going to the honors orientation at the beginning of June but am already talking with my parents about parking at UCF beforehand; I have a few questions, if any current UCF students or parents of UCF students could answer them.</p>
<li><p>I’m living in the Towers at UCF. (Tower III) Am I required to buy the more expensive towers parking permit instead of the regular student permit? The Parking Services website makes it seem like that. [University</a> of Central Florida Parking and Transportation Services](<a href=“http://parking.ucf.edu/WestPlaza.html]University”>http://parking.ucf.edu/WestPlaza.html)</p></li>
<li><p>I’ve heard parking is horrible at UCF. When I’ve been there on two occasions (Open house for UCF and an information session for the honors college) the parking seemed to be very easy and not a problem. How bad is it really?</p></li>
<li><p>Does the parking situation at UCF justify spending the extra money for a towers permit if it is optional, or is the parking situation good enough for a regular permit, considering I’m staying on campus and I’m not a commuter?</p></li>
<li><p>Since I’m living in the towers, if I get a regular green permit, will that allow me to park in the student garages close to my dorm on football/basketball game days, or are those garages restricted to students on those days? Will this force me to move my car on game days if it is already parked in one of those garages?</p></li>
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<p>I know this is a lot of questions, but thanks for your help.</p>
<p>As far as the Towers parking goes. My s lives in Towers 3. Now, he has a Towers permit, but that WAS NOT something he had to get. It is totally optional, unless they've changed the rules since last year. On game days he does not have to move his car. However, he is told that moving his car during particular times (football) is discouraged, only because they try and keep traffic from flowing in and out of that garage -- leads to less confusion for folks who think they can park there. At one point, we considered having him come home early on game day and put his permit in our car, and then drive his car back to park it in the garage. That was totally discouraged and the times they don't want you to move your car on that day ... make it not such a great idea. I imagine, however, that some people do it. As far as parking in the garages around the dorm on game day. You are correct, in that they do not allow overnight parking, I believe, the night before a football game. All cars must be out of those garages ... plus, some of those garages are reserved for GKC members or handicapped spaces. I believe there's a special section of the parking services site which directly answers things relating to students and campus parking on game days. It's either there or the athletic or housing site ... sorry, I don't remember which. :)</p>
<p>You can buy a "normal pass" and park your car somewhere on campus. Chances are you won't get it terribly close to your dorm, but maybe someone else can speak to that. Yes, parking is as terrible as they say on campus, but it's a bit better since they opened another garage last year. Essentially, being on-campus, you won't want to move your car around as you will walk everywhere or take the bus, which has a stop, btw, directly outside of tower 3. </p>
<p>My older daughter lives in Tower 4 (my younger daughter will be in Tower 3 in the Fall). She did not have a car at school until this month. She purchased the regular parking pass, and parks across the street from Tower 4 in an open lot (not garage). It is actually a pretty convenient spot (not too far) from Tower 3 or 4. I do think that lot is closed on game days, though. I would say that if you have the money to spend go with the assigned Towers garage parking. If money is a little tight, you could definitely survive without too much inconvenience with a regular parking pass. I'm not sure if the same would be true for people living in Towers 1 & 2....the lot that my daughter parks in would be a farther walk for them.</p>
<p>So, if you buy the Towers Garage permit and thus have your own assigned spot, do you still need to move your car the night before games??? I am confused about the night before games situation. Where would you put the car then???</p>
<p>^^^
Exactly! Sorry for being confusing. ;) Your reserved spot is reserved for you under every situation. In fact, it's so much so that if someone's in your spot, you get them towed. There's a lot of confusion the first weekend everyone moves in with the Towers garages. A lot of kids don't realize that the spots are actually assigned; they park wherever they want thinking it's okay. But after the first dorm meeting all grace is expired and they're told to move or be towed. The only garages where you have to move a car the night before the football games are the non-towers garages. </p>
<p>zebes, who's sure she's being clear as mud ... again.</p>
<p>So, would you guys say that the extra cost for the towers garage is worth it? I really don't mind walking a large distance to my dorm if I need to. I'm just concerned about finding a space when I need one.</p>
<p>I live in Tower III and will advise you not to get the Towers parking permit. It was about 300 dollars more and is not worth it. I park right across the street and it is a 3-4 minute walk to my dorm and is not bad at all. On football gamedays, I moved my car to the other side of campus by the Gym, and was fine. They save Parking Garages C and D and the lot in between the two for Golden Knight Club members so you will get towed if you dont move it but it is only 5-6 times a year you have to do that. The Towers parking pass is a ripoff and def. not worth the extra money.</p>
<p>I just graduated from UCF this spring, and although I never lived in the Towers myself it did house a lot of my friends in the athletics programs and some of our pledges and younger sorority sisters.</p>
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<li>DO NOT buy the permit for the Towers parking garage. The regular permit is cheaper and you'll only have to park across the street and walk. The traffic around the arena is only busy during the day and most on-campus residents walk to class. If you plan on buying and preparing your own food perhaps buy a permit so you don't have to travel back and forth for groceries - other than that its not suggested.</li>
<li>Parking is not bad at all since they did new construction and added new lots and parking garages. If you join a Green organization, the perk is parking lot priviledges in their lots - always spots! If not it takes about 10-15 minutes extra to find a spot so leave for class 30 minutes early. If you live on campus walk... and night class parking is absolutely no problem.</li>
<li>On game days you have to get a permit to park in the garages by the Towers, so you'd have to move your car by a certain time. It only takes 15 minutes to walk across campus, so its not that big of a deal. Everyone tailgates at the Memory Mall across from the arena or in Greek Park so walking is going to be part of the agenda.</li>
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<p>I am purchasing a Towers Permit for my daughter. She will be in Tower 1 and she will be cooking her own meals. She needs the closest spot to her apartment (for carrying groceries). I also don't like the idea of her having to hunt for a spot. We purchased an assigned parking spot at her high school, we will do the same at college.</p>
<p>I was just at UCF for orientation, and have received so much conflicting information from parking services, even if both of them are in writing in different brochures given out at the SAME presentation. Anyway, in parking lot D across the street from the towers overnight parking is not allowed anymore. A parking services representative confirmed this for us. However, he also said that overnight parking is not allowed in ANY garage. He also said the only way to park overnight is to buy the permit applicable to your dorm, so if you live in the Academic Village or Lake Claire, you buy that permit, and if you live in the towers, you must buy that permit to park overnight. Another representative we talked to the next day confirmed the overnight rule applied to garage D, but denies that it is not allowed in other garages. Go figure. Parking services is a mess!</p>
<p>It's become so frustrating now because of our struggle to get definite information out of parking services that we are just going to purchase the towers permit and get it over with.</p>
<p>OK to address, you CANNOT park overnight in Garage D... that is the one across from the arena... that is because when the hold events at the arena, they utilize that garage. As far as overnight parking in other campus garages, you can park in any garage (Except D) with any pass overnight and be fine.</p>