Technology Upgrades Coming to Campus Parking

Technology upgrades in the Forbes and Locust garages, as well as surface lots across campus, will be changing the way employees enter and exit garages, and will increase payment options for garage users, including visitors.

Five pay stations will be installed in the garages, with the transition to the new system planned to begin on Monday, June 1, said Bryan Matrazzo, parking manager. A dual system will operate for about one month, until all parking locations are fully online.

The technology upgrade will use a proximity card, a “contactless” smart card that can be read without being inserted into a reader device, as magnetic stripe cards require, Matrazzo said. Using proximity cards, rather than magnetic stripe cards, will allow for more fluid entry and exit from the parking facilities.

Both surface lots on Forbes Avenue, which currently are permit-parking only, also will have proximity card access gates installed and will remain accessible to leaseholders only.

Visitor parking will continue to be available in the Forbes Garage. Non-permit holders will be offered greater convenience, being able to pay by cash, credit or debit card at multiple locations.

Over the past eight months, the leadership team within auxiliary services and parking and traffic management has reviewed and analyzed other parking operations in the City of Pittsburgh, having multiple discussions and making onsite visits to peer institutions, said Scott Richards, executive director of auxiliary services.

Once the technology is fully operational, staffing needs will reduce the current workforce of nine full-time and two part-time workers to three full-time and five part-time attendants. All unionized employees and their representatives learned of the change in staffing needs in February, Matrazzo said. Affected employees may apply for other employment opportunities on campus for which they qualify and are encouraged to bid on other positions covered by the Local 32BJ labor contract, which is part of the Service Employees International Union.

The project was designed to improve services and modernize operations with technology currently used in many parking lots and garages throughout the city. The intent is to enhance the customer experience and to offer more payment options in convenient locations for the campus community. Although the improved experience is the primary driver, the changes are modeled to save the University $1.5 million over the next 10 years, Matrazzo said.

A benefit of this upgrade is the technology will provide real-time data on parking patterns within the garages, allowing parking and traffic management to be more proactive in managing operations.