University Parking and Transit Questions and Answers -- Part II

With the increased enrollment at the University of Arkansas, many students have questions about campus parking and Razorback Transit services. In an effort to inform the students, the Parking and Transit department is presenting many of the most frequently asked questions and their answers. This is the second of three articles that will appear in Arkansas Newswire over the next several days. More information is available on the Transit and Parking website.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT

Q: Why are Parking Citations issued?

Parking permits are required to park on campus. Receiving a parking citation is a choice. Many of our students purchase a parking permit, park properly and never receive a parking citation throughout their entire college career. Some students are habitual violators. They feel they should be permitted to park wherever they want; taking spaces away from paying customers, and then complaining when they receive a citation for violating the regulations.

In the 2008 fiscal year, 15,301 students, or 82 percent of the student enrollment, did not receive an unauthorized lot/space parking citation. Another 1,073, or 6 percent, received only one citation, and 685, or 4 percent, received two citations. Over 90 percent of students received two or fewer citations for unauthorized lot or space violation.

Transit and Parking goes to great lengths to clearly mark spaces and to disseminate information, including parking maps with full sets of regulations on the back and a robust website. In addition, Parking works closely with University Housing, posting notices when lots must be vacated for sports events, placing signs in the lots, and sending e-mail reminders to those who have opted-in on the Parking listserv.

Q: How many citations are written each year?

Transit and Parking issues about 40,000 parking citations each year. One third of these are issued because the vehicle is parked in a parking lot but it doesn't have a parking permit. One third are issued because the vehicle had a permit but parked in an unauthorized lot. For example, a vehicle displaying a faculty parking permit parked in a resident-reserved parking lot. The other third are for 16 other violations ranging from parking meter violations to safety hazards and unauthorized use of ADA accessible parking spaces.

Q: Why are parking violation fees (or fines) and permit rates so high?

Permit rates are set at a level necessary to fund parking construction debt obligations and operating costs. Fines are set at a level to deter illegal parking. When set too low, the fines do not adequately discourage violators.  When a vehicle is parked in an unauthorized space, that vehicle takes the space from the person who has paid for its use.

Both permit rates and violation fees are recommended by the Transit, Parking and Traffic Committee, which is composed of students, faculty and staff; reviewed by the campus executive committee, and approved by the Board of Trustees.

The university periodically benchmarks parking fines with other SEC and Arkansas Schools. The university charges above average fines for six types of violations, and equal-to or below average fines for 15 violation types.

Q: Why are vehicles towed or booted?

Vehicles are towed because they have three or more citations and $50 or more in unpaid parking citations, are habitual violators, parked in an unauthorized space, creating a safety hazard or blocking a transit bus stop. In lieu of towing, vehicles may be booted (immobilized). The advantages of booting are that the vehicle remains on campus, the owner can still remove the contents from the vehicle, and the boot fee is much less than a tow fee. Vehicles will not remain booted overnight. Booted vehicles not claimed by the close of business will be towed. The owner of a towed vehicle does not pay the boot fee; however, they do pay all outstanding citations and the tow fee before the vehicle will be released.

Q: How do I get a boot removed from my vehicle?

To get a boot removed from a vehicle requires the payment of all outstanding citations and a $30 boot fee. Payment is to be made at the Transit and Parking Department in the Administrative Services Building, 155 Razorback Road or the Harmon Avenue Garage. Payments may also be made by phone 479-575-PARK (7275) using MasterCard, VISA, Discover and American Express credit cards. The boot or tow and associated fees can be appealed following the university's normal appeal process.

Q: Are parking controllers paid on commission?

They are not. They are paid an hourly wage regardless of the number of citations written. Most Parking Control Officers are students, however they are also university employees, and as such deserve the cooperation and respect of students, faculty and staff. Their job requires them to be visible in their work area to assist drivers by providing directions and information, and ensure parking is available for authorized individuals.

Q: Do parking controllers have a quota?

No. Parking Control Officers are instructed that a verbal warning, heeded by a violator, accomplishes their goal the same as issuing a citation. Their mission is to enforce the parking regulations to ensure that adequate parking is available for authorized vehicles. This is to be accomplished by being visible in their assigned work areas to provide information and directions, and to issue parking citations when necessary.

Q: Are there times I must move my vehicle from a parking lot?

Many Student and Faculty/Staff parking lots must be vacated for some special events, usually after 5 p.m. and on some weekends. Resident Reserved lots do not have to be vacated for these events. Lot vacation notices are posted in the residence halls, on the Transit and Parking website and sent to the Parking listserv reminder services. To subscribe to the parking information listserv, send an e-mail to: listserv@listserv.uark.edu with the command subscribe parkinginfo in the body of the mail. You can also receive Transit and Parking information by following us on Twitter at UofAParking.