KnightLynx Archives | ŮAV News Central Florida Research, Arts, Technology, Student Life and College News, Stories and More Fri, 09 May 2025 15:36:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/blogs.dir/20/files/2019/05/cropped-logo-150x150.png KnightLynx Archives | ŮAV News 32 32 Everything You Need to Know About UCF Transportation and Parking /news/everything-need-know-ucf-transportation-parking/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 14:00:51 +0000 /news/?p=89137 From virtual parking permits to accessing shuttles across campuses, here’s some helpful information for getting to, from and around UCF.

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Navigating campus transportation can sometimes be challenging. To help make it easier, this list covers the transportation rules, practices and tips you need get to class on time and avoid a parking citation.

Permits Parking Buses and Shuttles Alternative Transportation

Permits

Virtual Parking Permits– In order to attain parking access on campus, a parking permit is required. The department has implemented virtual parking permits for students and employees. If you are new to campus, you must register your vehicle and purchase a virtual . Students and employees can purchase a 150-day or 365-day permit.

Once permits are purchased at parking.ucf.edu, your vehicle’s license plate is your parking permit. Remember to park nose-in where your vehicle plate is facing the drive lanes.

All parking permits are validated through License Plate Recognition (LPR) software by scanning that are registered within the parking system.

For the LPR system to identify if your vehicle has an active permit, drivers must parking nose-in.Virtual permits will expire based on type of permit purchased, excluding vendor permits.

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Individuals who would like to register a second vehicle to their account can do so for an additional fee of $15. The second vehicle must be owned and registered to the original permit holder or within the same household. The second registration will expire on the same date as the first permit. While the use virtual permits remove the need to transfer parking permits between vehicles, only one vehicle per account can be parked on any one of the UCF campuses (Downtown, Health Sciences, Main, Research Park and Rosen College) at a time. If shared vehicles are found parked on campuses at the same time, the account-holder will be subject to $100 parking citation.

If your vehicle is in the shop for repairs, the account holder can do a temporary vehicle change by. This temporary change is permitted up to three times for a 150-day permit and six times for the 365-day permit.

Pricing for 150-day and 365-day permits vary depending on the type of permit purchased, such as Resident and commuting students. If you are not planning to be on campus frequently for Fall, consider purchasing.

For more information about virtual permits and pricing at UCF, visitparking.ucf.eduor contact Parking Services atparking@ucf.edu , or by calling 407-823-5812.

Accessible Parking Permits – Individuals who possess a valid state-issued (blue) disabled placard or a temporary (red) state disabled placard assigned to their name. Disabled placards are issued by The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) not the university. Individual is required to purchase a ŮAV parking permit of appropriate classification, i.e., Employee or Student, or Daily Visitor to park on the campus. Individuals with such appropriate permit may park in any available disabled parking space on the campus. In the event that no designated accessible spaces are available, parking in a valid non-reserved, non-marked parking space close to your destination is allowed.

Commuting Students– Students traveling to main campus mustand park in designated General/Student lots and garages. Commuting students at the Rosen, Lake Nona and UCF Downtown campuses must also

Altamonte Springs,Ocala,Sanford/Lake Mary,South Lake,Valencia East,Valencia Osceola andValencia Westcampus students must obtain a free permit from the office designated for their campus.Please note that these permits are not valid on UCF’s Main campus.

Daily Permit –Daily virtual parking passes are available for.

Daily permits are $8 and are valid for 24-hours from the time of purchase. Please note overnight parking is not allowed in garages D, H and F on UCF Main campus and the Amelia and Parramore garages at UCF Downtown from midnight to 6 a.m. Once purchased online, your license plate is your permit.

Main Campus and Rosen Campus Residents–Students who live on main and Rosen campuses must park in the designated spaces for their assigned housing community Monday through Friday between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm. Vehicles parked in designated residential areas without a valid residential permit are subject to tow.On weekdays, campus residents are not allowed to park in student or employee spaces, including the general parking lots and garages, and will be subject to parking citations before 5:30 pm. However, after 5:30 pm and on weekends campus residents may park in any student, or employee spaces.

UnionWest Residents– Students who live atUCF Downtown’s UnionWest at Creative Village community mustfrom the UnionWest garage since it is the only overnight-parking option on campus. UnionWest parking leases must be paid on a monthly basis and will provide students with a UnionWest permit, which is not valid in ŮAV parking garages or lots on any campus.

Back-in parking is not allowed on any of UCF’s campuses. The proper way to park is nose-in, back-out, effective Summer 2019. (Photo by Lauren Schoepfer ’17)

Parking

UCF mobile App . – Visit the Parking icon – Find out how many spaces are available in each parking garage on main campus, various parking maps. Under Notifications, select “Explore all Channels”, select Parking Availability Updates. By opt-in, you will receive parking availability notifications and updates as they happen.

The sun shines over Dr. Phillips Academic Commons on the UCF Downtown campus. (Photo by Nick Leyva ’15)

UCF Downtown– With a valid ŮAV permit, students at UCF Downtown may park in the Amelia I garage (listed as PG3 on the map below)on Amelia Street.

To enter the Amelia Garage, turn right onto Alexander Place from N. Hughey Avenue. Turn right again onto Ronald Blocker Ave. The entrance is on your right-hand side. When exiting the garage, you will exit onto Ronald Blocker Ave., but can only turn right. Please view the map below for directions on how to enter the Amelia Parking Garage.

Secondary parking is also available in UCF’s Parramore garage (listed as PG1 on the map below) located off North Parramore Avenue and Bentley Street.

Additional garage, lot, and street parking may be found throughout the downtown area, but they will be at your own expense.

Metered and Mobile Payment Parking– Drivers must pay for parking at designated spaces by using the app or by scanning the QR code on the signs by the designated spaces. Street parking on East Plaza Drive and West Plaza Drive near theAddition Financial Arenais complimentary from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 8:00 pmdaily. Drivers will have to pay to use the meters during other hours. Be sure to abide by all signs near metered parking spaces to avoid citations.

Nose-in Parking –Back-in parking is not allowed on any UCF campus. The proper way to park your vehicle in all lots and garages is nose-in and tail-out. Failure to adhere to the policy will result in a parking citation.

A shuttle outside of Millican Hall. (Photo by Nick Leyva ’15)

Buses and Shuttles

UCF buses and shuttles operate only when ŮAV is in session. Please refer to the UCF Academic Calendar for their schedule. For safety reasons, riders must show drivers their valid UCF ID prior to boarding UCF shuttles. Shuttles do not operate during campus closures on holidays.

UCF Mobile Tracking–You can use the Shuttles icon on theto keep track of the shuttles schedules and stops, as well as see how far shuttles are from you in real time.

Feel free to send feedback on any of UCF’s shuttles toshuttles@ucf.edu

– Shuttles operate between UCF’s main and downtown campuses Monday through Thursday with varying hours between 6:30 am and 10:30 pm . On Fridays, the shuttle operates Friday from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm .

Main campus departures take place at the LYNX Transit Center (between Parking Garages A and I). Drop-offs and pick-ups for the downtown campus will be on Livingston Street in front ofDr. Phillips Academic Commons.

– On Tuesdays, ŮAV provides grocery shuttles on the main and downtown campuses. For main campus, shuttles run to and from the Publix Super Market located at the University Palms Shopping Center on Alafaya Trail. Grocery shuttles run every 45 minutes from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Stops for the grocery shuttle are located at the Marketplace, Academic Village (Nike) community, Towers (front of Addition Financial Arena), and Lake Claire.

For the UCF Downtown grocery shuttle, shuttles will travel from travel from Livingston Street, in front of the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons building to the Publix at The Paramount on Lake Eola, 400 E. Central Blvd.The shuttle runs twice per month on Tuesdays and will have two roundtrips – one departing campus at 12:30 pm and the second departing at 8:30 pm.The shuttles will depart Publix at 1:45 pm and 9:45 pm respectively.

Health Science Campus (Lake Nona) Shuttles– Shuttles travel between the main and Lake Nona campuses Monday through Friday between 7:20 am and 6 pm. Main campus stops are at thePhysical Sciences buildingand theBiomolecular Research Annexon Research Parkway. Lake Nona’s stop is located on

LYNX– UCF students and employees can ride all LYNX routes for free, whether they’re near campus or not, with a valid UCF ID. The LYNX Central Station is also a five-minute walk from UCF Downtown.

RedCoach– provides bus services from UCF to South Florida, Tallahassee and Gainesville in business class seats. Purchase tickets online.

– The free LYMMO lines are an easy, convenient way to get around downtown Orlando, with two lines stopping at UCF Downtown.The rapid transport system operates from 6:00 am to 10:45 pm on weekdays, with hours varying on the weekend. LYMMO operates out of the same system as LYNX, so the same safety precautions are in places on these buses as well.

Intra Campus Pegasus Express– These on-campus shuttles will run counterclockwise around the university from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm during the fall and spring semesters. In the summer, the shuttle runs Monday through Friday from 7:00 am until 4:00 pm and follow the UCF Academic calendar for operation.

Rosen Campus Shuttles– During the fall and spring, shuttles travel between main campus and the Rosen campus Monday through Thursday between 6:45 am and 9:15 pm. In the summer, the shuttle runs Monday through Thursday from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Main campus departures are in thePegasus CircleandAquarius Agora Driveroundabout located behind theStudent Union. Drop-offs for Rosen campus are at the main entrance and departs from the main parking lot.

– Students who live at select off-campus housing communities near main campus can leave their cars parked at their residence and take advantage of complimentary shuttles that will drop them off on campus. These shuttles operate Monday through Thursday from 6:30 am to 10 pm and Friday from 6:30 am to 8 pm and follow the UCF Academic calendar for operation.

Alternative Transportation

– There are 65 bike racks on campus that are free to use. Bikes should be locked to the racks using U-bolt lock and cable combinations. Locking bikes to anything other than the racks will cause them to be impounded.

Students with a valid UCF ID can also take advantage of SG’s freeBike N’ Gold bike share programas alternative to driving. Bikes can be rented for a week, month or semester from the Bike N’ Gold shop, which is located on thefirst floor of theStudent Union.

Bike N’ Gold will operate 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Monday through Friday. Weekly check-ins at the bike shop are required to ensure the bike is in proper working condition. Students may come, free of charge, and have their bikes repaired with quality service by our Bike Repair Team. Services include: Inflate tires, change tubes, brake adjustments, tighten crankset, loose handlebars, adjust gears, and brake cable installation.

Lyft– SG has partnered with Lyft to provide students with discounts for the ride-sharing app. Using a unique code each month, students may receive $7.50 off rides that occur on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 pm to 3:00 am.

The codes are only valid for two rides each month and the rides must be within a specific zone around UCF. Students must also use the business setting within the Lyft app to use these discounts.

Skateboards– Skateboarders must use sidewalks and crosswalks and yield the right of way to pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

Spin Scooters– Spin scooters will be available to help students better navigate the university’s 1,415-acre main campus. The scooters will operate from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm, will only be operational on campus, and require downloading the Spin app, which is available onanddevices. Scooters will be available at 15 charging stations across campus and will cost $1 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to ride. For more info on Spin scooters, emailsupport@spin.pm.

Spin scooters have a speed limit of 8 mph across the inner core of campus, 10 mph throughout the general campus, and 15 mph on Gemini Boulevard.

Car Trouble?If you’re having issues with your vehicle, Parking and Transportation Services provides motorist assistance with battery jumps, tire inflations, finding your vehicle or opening your locked doors. Simply can call’s non-emergency number,407-823-5555,and they can dispatch a patroller to assist you.

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UCF Parking Back-in parking is not allowed on any of UCF's campuses. The proper way to park is nose-in, back-out, effective Summer 2019. (Photo by Lauren Schoepfer '17) UCF Downtown The sun shines over Dr. Phillips Academic Commons on the UCF Downtown campus. (Photo by Nick Leyva '15) UCF Pegasus Express 2020 A shuttle outside of Millican Hall. (Photo by Nick Leyva '15) UCF SPIN
A Safe Ride for Late Nights /news/a-safe-ride-for-late-nights/ Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:43:36 +0000 /news/?p=19208 However, a new year brings the program the farthest it has ever been in its development.

By the end of January or early February, KnightLynx will launch, offering free rides on Friday and Saturday nights from around 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

“I literally think that this might change our university for the better,” said program director, Adam Brock. “Not only will it help people look for alternate solutions to going out and drinking, I think it will also help people make a much more responsible choice when they’re out at night, regardless of whatever they do.”

In older blueprints, the program was referred to as KnightDrive, but it never got off the ground because of too many liability issues.

This time around, instead of trying to develop a program like one at Texas A&M where student volunteers drive cars like a taxi service in vehicles rented by the program, UCF has partnered with Lynx, the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority.

“Once we started looking at all the details and how it would be implemented here … it didn’t transfer over well from Texas A&M to here in order for us to provide a service that would be efficient, effective and reliable,” said SGA President Michael Kilbride.

Kilbride said the difference this time is that ŮAV is partnering with the area’s leading expert on mass transportation.

“Their engineers have worked to help craft these ride schedules with the stops so we do it in a timely manner as well as an efficient manner,” Kilbride said. “We’re lucky to be able to partner with them to provide this service to students.”

During December 2010’s Activity and Service Fee budget meetings, the committee requested that $105,000 of the $17 million budget be allocated to the KnightLynx program.

However, Kilbride requested to delay voting on that budget line until the next fiscal year when the contract should be finalized and the program tested.

“If we show that it’s come to fruition … then we can talk about funding it for the next year rather than talking about it now while we still have got any comments back and an executed contract for this fiscal year,” Kilbride said. “This is something we consistently hear about, so I’m hoping it’s going to be successful.”

Similar programs that have been successful at other universities in the state include the University of Florida’s Later Gator and Florida State University’s Night Nole.

“[FSU and UF students] trust those programs,” said Brock. “They depend on them for any type of evening activity they partake in and I hope to bring that to UCF with this new addition of the KnightLynx program.”

Alumna Patricia Pena, who lived in Pegasus Landing all four years, didn’t have a car and disliked asking friends for rides.

“I always felt really bad asking people to go out of their way,” Pena said. “It would’ve been really helpful to have a bus that would go to the grocery store or Waterford and things like that.”

Though there was speculation during KnightDrive’s development that such a program would encourage drinking, Brock and Kilbride said there’s much more to it than that.

“This program isn’t necessarily just for people who go out to bars. These are people who want to go to movies. This program is for people who want to go get groceries,” Brock said. “It’s a multi-functioning bus service for really any student that goes to UCF.”

Kilbride said the program will be a connection to the community for UCF students, as well as a safe ride alternative late at night.

Until the budget for the fiscal year is approved in late March or early April, Brock plans to do whatever he can to get feedback from students who use the program.

“I’m going to be out there virtually every weekend trying to get feedback on this,” said Brock. “This project is my heart and soul. I haven’t stopped working on it and I’ll never stop working on it until it’s perfect.”

Source: Central Florida Future, A safe ride for late nights: KnightLynx to launch at end of month, by Katie Kustura, News Editor. Published: Sunday, January 2, 2011, updated: Sunday, January 2, 2011 18:01

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