Staff will transition to the digital parking payment system at Macquarie University on 1 May. In place for students since October 2018, the self-managed, pay-as-you-go (PAYG) and virtual permits (vPermits) system provides more flexibility and is easy to use.
The Property team have compiled a collection of your queries for easy reference below.
Full details around pricing and zones will be published in This Week and on the parking webpage as soon as available (anticipated early April). At this time, staff will be able to review the parking options that are relevant to their specific situation. The Property team is unable to answer questions regarding individual cases until this information is available and thanks staff for their patience.
Topic: Seeking more details
Q: When will pricing for zones, PAYG and vPermit be available?
A: Staff and student parking rates for 2019 will be released in early April on the parking web page and in This Week.
Please note that rates will increase slightly from 1 May, relative to 2018 rates.
There will be help desk pop-ups in the MUSE foyer (18 Wally’s Walk) from 11am – 2pm on the following days:
- Tuesday 16 April
- Tuesday 23 April
- Tuesday 30 April
Topic: Multiple vehicles
Q: I share two cars so can I just have one account as a Sessional staff member?
A: You can have multiple vehicle registrations listed on your vPermit or PAYG account – just remember to select the correct vehicle rego online when you arrive or prior to leaving home.
Q: How long is the turnaround time for updating the plate number online under the vPermit system?
A: You can update your details online, effective immediately on our cloud-based system.
Q: Can we use the one vPermit for two different cars/license plates?
A: Yes, and you can also have multiple vehicles registered using the PAYG system.
Q: I am full time staff. At present I use my annual permit with two different vehicles interchangeably. Will this still be possible?
A: Yes this will certainly be possible under the vPermit system. You’ll go online to select the car you’re driving on the day so the licence plate recognition technology (attached to the security vehicles that inspect the carparks) will acknowledge it as correct.
Topic: Permit purchasing
Q: Where can the staff get the parking permit if they were unable to go on campus for this (which is usually the case for nurses who work in the hospital)?
A: The new system will be an online service to purchase vPermits – perfect for your situation.
Topic: Part-time and other staff
Q: Can you tell me if part-time staff have been catered for in the new system? At the moment I pay for a yearly parking sticker as there has been no other option even though I’m only at work two and a half days a week. I’m interested in the PAYG discounted rate for staff but noticed that salary sacrifice is not offered when using that. Is there a vPermit category to cater for staff who don’t work full time and are not on a full time salary?
A: Yes, PAYG will suit staff who drive to work in the way you describe. vPermits six months and over offer a salary sacrifice option.
Q: I am an honorary staff member, but rarely come to the university because of parking. When I do, I sometimes park kilometres away. rates are prohibitive. Any advice?
A: Staff with an MQ ID receive the discounted PAYG rate available from 1 May. PAYG rates range from $1.25/hr to $2.20/hr and will suit occasional drivers.
Topic: Salary sacrifice
Q: Can you please confirm if Fixed-Term staff members will be able to salary sacrifice vPermits?
A: Yes, you can salary sacrifice any vPermit for any carpark zone with a duration of six months or more. You’ll need a valid MQID and staff email address to register and purchase.
Q: Will salary sacrifice be available anywhere other than for designated staff-only car parks?
A: Yes, salary sacrifice is linked to vPermits (six months and longer) rather than to a zone.
Topic: Current permits
Q: When are we required to purchase 2019 parking permits? I am using my 2018 permit still (staff full year). Do we wait until April and the new vPermit?
A: That’s correct. Full year staff permits expire at the end of April. There will be an opportunity prior to this to purchase a vPermit. It takes minutes online and you do this yourself.
Q: So when exactly does the 2018 permit expire, as it keeps changing? After returning from an extended leave I was told a monthly permit would be my best option as we will find out more in April. My monthly permit has now expired. Is my best option now to buy another monthly permit until May? Just very confused with all the dates and changes!
A: Dates have not changed – 30 April remains the expiry date for all full-year and half-year permits. A one-month permit might be the option here. Please email parking@mq.edu.au to arrange a permit.
Q: What are the options for staff who only want to use car park until the train line opens? I would like to purchase vPermit but only for 2-3 months until Train Line opens (currently I use car park on daily basis, full time). Is that possible?
A: There will be a monthly vPermit option available from 1 May 2019. The train is likely to open in early May (we don’t have confirmation on this yet) but you would probably benefit from purchasing a monthly permit each month.
Topic: Staff car park locations
Q: I note that there is staff allocated parking on the east and far north side of campus. Is there is be some staff allocated parking in the western parking areas for those who work on the central and western side of campus?
A: Staff can purchase a vPermit for any general carpark on campus as well as staff-only carparks so you should be able to find one that suits. There is no plan to increase the number of staff-only carparks other than the North 3 which will become staff-only in May.
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Hi when can i make the payment for my v permit? it says pending but i cannot make the payment
I wrote an email to parking@mq.edu.au last Friday about the app not accepting my Staff ID with error message “Invalid Unique ID”. My car registration automatically appeared in the app even though it was my first use. I spoke to the person (unnamed due to privacy but named in the email) in the car park surveillance vehicle before I left the vehicle in the car park about this problem in the app and he advised it was okay to park. I have been charged an exorbitant amount and have not received a reply yet. What is the expected time for a reply?
Hi there
We have checked with the parking team and they are unable to find the email you sent to parking@mq.edu.au. They have recommended you send your email through again so they can assist you.
Is anyone actually going to enforce the ‘no smoking’ rule at the MQU carparks? This is an issue most prominently seen at South 2 where hoards of students are seen smoking in groups at all times of the day. Parking inspectors are quick to hand out tickets for parking infringements, however this same sort of law enforcement doesn’t seem to apply to smoking infringements. The smoke is incredibly invasive and permeates throughout the whole carpark not to mention the mounds of litter it generates. Perhaps a prioritisation of resources should be considered so our health is taken seriously.
Thanks for your comment, Joe. We have passed your feedback on to relevant teams.
Can I still be fined if my vpermit is pending review?
Hi Kieran, can you please email parking@mq.edu.au and they can investigate the hold up. Also give them your rego number so it can be placed on the ‘do not infringe’ list while you are being sorted. Hope this helps.
I don’t see PAYG rates for 44/50 Waterloo Rd card park. For staff of the School of Engineering, what are the PAYG rates of this car park? I also can’t see this car park in CellOPark app. What should I select when I park there?
Hi Karu, there is no PAYG option for staff-only carparks. This is on the parking website in the introduction. All the Waterloo Road carparks are staff-only. Please take a look at the parking website https://www.mq.edu.au/about/contacts-and-maps/getting-to-macquarie/parking/staff-parking – it has all the details that will answer your query. The table in the section ‘Staff Permit rates and registration’ outlines which vPermit covers the Waterloo Road carparks (Green $381.00). You will need department permission and access to these carparks so please check with your manager/approver before purchasing a vPermit. Alternatively you can PAYG on campus and use the shuttle bus to Waterloo Road.
What are the best options for staff who work as casuals with options from 1 to 4 days at uni per week. It changes week to week.
Hi Jette, staff can compare the hourly/daily rates (PAYG) with the vPermit rates listed on the website http://www.mq.edu.au/parking. Generally, for one to two days per week it’s slightly better to use PAYG but for more than that then a vPermit is better. Short-term vPermits are available so staff could try one method and switch to the other to see which works best for them.
if you enter in your staff number “12345678” without the mq at the front you get the wrong payment options. they should make it super clear that (unlike MQ OneNet) you need to enter the following “MQ12345678z”. they should also stop “12345678” from working or better still make it work as well.
Hi staff number, this information is on the website. The portal is not owned by Macquarie University and we cannot change the field ‘staff number’ as it is used by all the supplier’s clients. You are correct, without the MQ in front of your staff or student number, the system will not recognise you and the staff or student rates will not appear as options. If you have made this error it is easy to change in your account – edit details and update.
I have booked my staff parking permit (for Green zone) but I was confused by the options/wording and I’m not sure what I have actually purchased – it wasn’t clear where the 1 month and 6 month options were. Are you able to confirm for me what I have purchased?
I think I have booked (I wanted to book) a monthly/a month’s worth – of parking – as I’m waiting to see how things work for me once the train line opens. The value next to my chosen option was $21.86 (the other was $318 or so)- but the option says it’s valid until 31/12/2019 and it mentions salary sacrifice – which it said wasn’t available for monthly permits.
Many thanks for your clarification.
Hi Confused, please email parking@mq.edu.au with your query as you will need to supply your name.
Where will the number plate recognition system be set up? Although I usually cycle to campus I sometime drive onto campus to deliver equipment back from field work.
Hi Tony
The licence plate recognition system at Macquarie is for infringement purposes, ie it doesn’t read and recognise licence plates as you enter campus but rather the camera cars when patrolling carparks will detect cars without paid parking (licence plates that are not associated with a parking account). This is why it is important to go online and change your vehicle licence plate to ‘active’ for the car you’re bringing to campus on a given day.
I am a contractor working on short term role and will be using parking for only 4 months. Is there an option to buy a Permit for 4 months?
Hi Contract Staff, from 1 May you can purchase a short-term vPermit – either 30-day or 90-day. There is no four-month permit but you can purchase them consecutively.
Hello,
If we cannot purchase a 30-day permit until 1 May and our current passes expire 30 April, will I be able to park in a carpark on the morning of 1 May before I have purchased a new permit? I can’t seem to think of any other option, unless we cannot drive to work 1 May because of this. Can you please clarify?
Dear Confused Driver, you will not be infringed on 1 May if you haven’t been able to go online and purchase your vPermit.
So let me get this straight… it costs the same amount for a staff member with an East 2 permit to park wherever they want (even though they have a guaranteed spot in East 2) than a staff member who misses out on an East 2 permit and has to fight it out in the other staff parking lots / general zones?
Dear Disgruntled, you are correct however this policy may be reviewed for the 2020 vPermits in staff carparks.
So I have a v-permit for General Zone 1. Will I be fined if I have to park in a different zone due to there not being any available spots in General Zone 1?
Hi Staff Member, if you take a look on the website – the vPermit rates table shows where each permit can also park. http://www.mq.edu.au/parking
I see from the FAQs that the parking permits will expire in 2109 – great news! 90 years of parking – excellent value. Or maybe someone needs to do some proof reading?
Wouldn’t that be nice! Sadly it does seem to be a typo – we will let the Property team know and get a new FAQs document uploaded. Thanks for spotting.
It is great that multiple cars can be registered under the one vPermit but will there be a “default” number plate in the system for the car regularly used or will I need to enter the number plate of the car I am bringing on campus each day?
Its not often that I have to bring another vehicle, usually when my main car is bringing serviced, so it would be very frustrating to have to enter it’s details every day.
Hi Geoff, good question. Yes there is a default registration – the active one – that remains unless you change it online.
The cost of parking for staff is just pure profiteering the last few years. Every year it goes up way beyond CPI and anything you can imagine as “covering maintenance costs”. There was a staff pay rise built into the EA that comes into play about now… watch it be taken away by the increased parking costs. It will be very interesting to see if full time employees required on campus 5 days a week are penalised by exorbitant daily parking costs. We wait in anticipation for the release of prices…. it would be lovely for the above opinions to be proved wrong.
I also wonder why the expectation to continue to pay for parking outside of ‘office hours’.
Should there be separate designated short-term (e.g. under two hours) and long-term parking areas?
This could cater to people coming in for one meeting, one tutorial, one lecture etc, in the middle of the day when maybe all of the places are already filled?
Hi Casual Parker, you would simply use the PAYG system in any General carpark. West 5 and 6 carparks usually have space at any time of day however you can check availability online here https://vpermit.com.au/parkavail/mqbefore leaving home or see the on-campus live feed availability signage near each carpark. There is no current plan to create a specific, short-term carpark because all of the general carpark zones can be used in this way.
“Staff can use the General (yellow, blue and green) and Staff Only carparks (purple).”
Will that still apply in the new system?
Hi MQ Staff, yes that will still apply depending on the type of permit you purchase, zones will be priced differently so if you purchase the least expensive permit you may be limited that carpark only. Most staff permits will allow you to park in other staff carparks and general areas. Details coming soon. Thanks for your patience.
What are the hours and days when the parking will be free?
Hi Macquarie Attendee, parking hours where a fee is charged using the PAYG system is from 6:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Saturday (staff and students). Visitor rates apply seven days per week 6:00am to 6:00pm.
Last week on a weekday afternoon in the carparks located between the library and Cochlear (C3) on upper levels I found numerous cars parked outside of marked bays, at the end of aisles. Is there any repercussion for that?
Seeing so many cars parked like that suggests that there is no fear of repercussions.
Hi DI V, if you have concerns about parking on campus, please get in touch to report the issue to Campus Security on 9850 7112.
How will people who work in cafes etc in the campus common which are run externally access this system, as they do not have a OneID or Macquarie Identity?
Dear Cafe Worker, without knowing what you currently do regarding parking on campus it is difficult to say what will change in future. Perhaps get in touch via parking@mq.edu.au to discuss your situation.
How will car pooling work? Will that still be an option for staff & students?
Hi Staff Member, yes carpooling will be the same as before. See this link for details: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/contacts-and-maps/getting-to-macquarie/car/car-pooling.
Why are there no signs for the price of parking? It’s very much a scam. The price on macquarie website and the reality is very much completely different. If you follow the instructions and work full time, its $40 per day ($200 per week)??
Dear Disappointed, the 2109 rates are due to be released shortly and come into effect from 1 May. The rates you refer to are the casual visitor rates. As mentioned in previous editions of THIS WEEK and FAQs here: : https://www.mq.edu.au/thisweek/2019/03/25/your-parking-queries-answered/#.XJhhiS1L1Bw, you will have seen the staff rates will be vastly different to the current visitor rates. One key benefit of introducing PAYG for staff is to offer an hourly staff rate and prioritise staff and student parking in our carparks. The visitor rate will soon only apply to non-staff, non-students.
So if the 2109 rates will come into effect when will the 2019 rates be available????
As a casual tutor, one day week, I have not been informed until now about the need for a permit, having assumed the new cellopark signs erected were now the way to pay. I did so last week and the fee was $43.00 for the 5.5 hours I needed for my two tutorials.
Is this the normal charge? Seems very high.
Were emails sent to all staff to alert them to changes this year?
Hi David, all current information about parking at Macquarie is on the website: http://www.mq.edu.au/parking. The changes for staff will happen from 1 May and this has been widely promoted through staff communication channels. Unfortunately you have paid the visitor rate. The good news is that after 1 May staff casual rates will be introduced for the first time ($1.25-$2.20/hr). In the meantime you could contact parking@mq.edu.au to arrange a one-month parking permit.
I have a Macquarie SponsoredID and a MQID and I attend Uni 2-3 times a week. Am I able to use the staff-only car parks with the PAYG?
Hi Steve, sorry there is no PAYG option for staff-only car parks however the monthly vPermit might be a a good option for 2-3 days per week for full days parking on campus. Please wait until the information is released so you can compare.
Hi Steve, no, PAYG will not be available in staff-only carparks. You might find a vPermit will work better for you – rates released in THIS WEEK next edition – otherwise all general carparks are PAYG enabled. Wait until 1 May to start using the new system though, otherwise you will be charged visitor rates.
It seems unfair to Faculty of Arts staff that all the designated staff parking is on the east and far northern side of campus. Will this policy be reviewed once the new Arts building is open? If you have a central or Hadenfeld Rd lecture theatre and you get to campus after 9am it is impossible to find a park within a reasonable distance. It is one thing a single student being late for a lecture due to parking, but quite another if a lecture theatre full of students is kept waiting for a late lecturer. It seems reasonable to designate at least half of West 3 for staff parking for those of us based in arts or working in central campus.
From the map at
https://www.mq.edu.au/about/contacts-and-maps/maps/map-downloads-and-links/parking-maps/Campus-Map_parking.pdf
it seems that there’s a small amount of staff-only parking in the far west at West 7.
From that map, the northern staff-only areas also look very small.
So — as you said — the main staff-only parking areas are in the far east of campus.
Hi Amanda, at the moment we are introducing a new way to pay for parking (digital) to replace the paper permit and Cashier’s office method. Parking policy is reviewed periodically to best suit all carpark users. If you’d like to propose a change please get in touch via parking@mq.edu.au. Hope this helps.
Are there any provision for Departments to pay for guest parking?
Hi Janaki, free parking for approved visitors such as volunteers is available via permission from a department head/nominated person who will liaise with the parking team to arrange for a licence plate to be listed as valid to park.
Is there any drop-off (30 mins) parking permit for childcare area in 2019?
Hi Diana, yes there will be. Authorisation will be handled through the child care centre and passed onto the Parking Team to process using the vPermit system.
Please clarify how disability parking permit holder will be managed in the new system.
Hi Sue, the RMS-issued mobility permit will need to be displayed on the windscreen as before and the traffic and parking team will not infringe any driver with a valid RMS permit, as before.
The question I posted on the previous article has disappeared for some reason.
Will staff with salary sacrifice be rolled over onto the new system automatically and receive a new permit?
Hi Mike, all fields need to be filled in otherwise the post will disappear – we have the same issue with responses. Staff salary sacrifice will be offered as an option when you go online to purchase a vPermit and fill out the required information. So the answer is no, salary sacrifice will not automatically be rolled over and to receive a new permit staff will go online, register and purchase.
I have a disability permit which allows me to park in Disability spots on campus for free. Will this still be an option ? I am currently a casual academic staff member.
You have not mentioned Disability Spots in the previous Quest./Answer section above.
Hi Toni, mobility parking permits will not change so your current access and entitlements. This was mentioned in the original notice (link above) under ‘What stays the same’ but your question will be added to the FAQs moving forward.
What is the arrangement for Premium parking under the new system?
Hi Leanne, vPermits for Premium parking will be available to purchase. Basically the new parking system is more a change of the way payment is collected rather than a change in the parking system itself. Hope this helps.