Los Medanos College has recently seen changes to the parking lots at both the Pittsburg and Brentwood campuses.  New parking permit machines have been installed on the Pittsburg campus while the Brentwood center will be implementing new regulations in order to address issues related to the shortage of parking in the lot they share with several businesses.

The permit machines were replaced this past summer after becoming increasingly subject to complaints from students.
“The old machines served us well but they had reached the end of their lifespan,” said Traffic Officer Michael Hotton. “Our goal is to make this as easy for students as possible.”

According to Hotton, feedback for the new machines has been “100 percent positive.”

The new machines have a more modern design with motion detected LED lights and a larger LCD screen.

One of the changes with the new machines is they will no longer accept paper bills as a payment due to costs involved with maintenance and shifting trends as more students pay electronically. Apple Pay and Android Pay will now also be accepted methods of payment for both students and visitors.

Though the machines have only been in service for a short amount of time, the first impressions have been favorable.

“I think they look ten times better. In the past, it was kind of a pain when they would go out of service or just take your money and give you no permit,” said visitor Jon Hull. “It looks like they’re designed to be much more accessible for everybody here.”

Those attending class in Brentwood will notice new restrictions that have been placed around the parking area surrounding the Brentwood center. Parking spaces are now color coded to indicate whether or not they’re available for students to park. Any parking space indicated in purple will be available for student parking while yellow will require a permit for LMC staff and local business employees. Green will indicate time enforced parking while red will mean private or restricted parking.

Despite the new restrictions, there will still be plenty of parking for students. “The new parking regulations implemented this fall were the direct result of many conversations with surrounding business and the City of Brentwood,” said LMC Vice President Kevin Horan.

“It’s important for students at the Brentwood Center to know there is plenty of free street parking on and close by Business Center Drive and Technology Way” Horan added.