New signs are slated for campus parking lots and structures in coming weeks that will eliminate the alphabet soup of parking categories. These signs will indicate faculty, staff, and visitor/student parking areas rather than the A, S, C, G, etc. currently in use.

Another change is that parking permit dispensers will sell “pay and display” permits for the driver’s side dashboard of vehicles. No longer will a visitor have to punch in a correct parking space number to purchase a permit to park on campus. Charges for day, night, and weekend rates will remain the same.

These changes “will feel more intuitive,” according to Tana Lucido, supervisor of Transportation and Parking Services’ technical unit. The user will no longer have the option of phoning in a credit card number or adding time to what had been purchased, but “people will have mobility back,” she explains. Once a permit is purchased, they can move from lot to lot without buying another.

All of the dispenser parking permits have expiration times printed on them, but it is up to the parker to be certain his or her vehicle is in the correct area. Carefully reading the lot signs is important, especially to visitors and employees new to the campus, Lucido advises.

Parking rules will continue to be enforced throughout the switchover, and the fine for illegally parking a vehicle on campus has risen to $40. Check the T&PS Web site for updates <www.tps.ucsb.edu>.