March 11 , 2004
Members Present: Paul Bixby, Diane Fagan, Brandon Green, Reggie Houser, Jay Huneycutt, Jewel Lindsey, David Martinson, Luti Salisbury and Gary Smith. Also present were Barbara Yule from Mailing Services and Staff Senate, Heather Vaughn from the Traveler, Tim King and Jennifer Asbill from the Center for Students with Disability, Brian Sepko, graduate student and Elaine Quinn, acting secretary.
The minutes of the February 9th meeting were approved.
Report on Current Parking Status - Gary Smith
1. The gates at Garland/Dickson will be operational on Monday, March 15. The drive off Garland between Gibson Hall and Fine Arts will now be closed. Lot 6 will be expanded to include 13 new parking spaces. Five handicapped parking spaces, the phone operator spaces and some Band spaces will be replaced in that area. The parking lot should be completed in about four weeks.
2. Lot 56 Express has been established to help transport faculty, staff and students who have lost parking on the south of campus due to continuing construction. This Tuesday, 40 spaces in the west section of lot 74 will be lost. The chiller plant construction will close the remainder of lot 74 in July. The 56 Express bus stops in lot 56 by Carlson Terrace and at the Reynolds Center, then returns to lot 56. The loop takes approximately 10 minutes. It operates from 7 to 9 am, 11 to 1 pm and 3:30 to 6 pm.
3. The Design Review Board has requested a transportation study be done. One option is to study the block at the northeast corner of Garland and Douglas Streets for a future parking deck. This study would cost about $75,000. Another option is a network transportation study to include the entire campus and surrounding neighborhoods to include car, bus, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic, parking and way finding.
4. The Maple Street renovation project is being reviewed again for other options.
Old Business
1. Handicapped Parking and Paratransit. The subcommittee on accessible parking met on how to handle accessible parking concerns. It was suggested to add the following text under the Accessible Parking Information section in the Parking and Traffic Rules and Regulations, that disabled students having problems with parking should contact the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD). Disabled employees having a problem with parking should contact the Director of Transit and Parking. The Director will work with the chair of the Transit, Parking and Traffic Committee to try to resolve the situation. Each problem would be considered on a case-by-case basis to see what could be done for each individual. This change should improve customer service. Tim King of CSD said their office already has one golf cart and that the Multi-cultural Center was donating a new golf cart. He also suggested increasing the fine for violators in accessible parking spaces.
2. Scooter Parking. Brian Sepko has been parking his scooter at a bike rack and has received citations because it does have a small motor and he didn't have a motorcycle permit. Sgt. Matt Mills of UAPD had provided the section of the Arkansas Motor Vehicle Code that pertains to scooters and motorized bicycles, which states they do not require a vehicle license. Jay Huneycutt proposed that: All motor vehicles below 50 cc, as determined by the state of Arkansas Motor Vehicle Code, be allowed to park at bicycle racks within 50 feet of a road. The following requirements shall be implemented for scooters below 50 cc: A) They shall not park in motorcycle spaces as defined by Transit and Parking Policy, B) They may not be driven/ridden on sidewalks, C) A permit costing $5 shall be required for such vehicles so the owner can be identified and notified in case of emergency. The motion was seconded and passed. This requirement will become effective immediately and the information will be added to the Parking Rules and Regulations for next fall.
3. Lot 56 metered spaces. The occupancy rate of the meters in the lot was found to be only 27%. Reggie also did counts of the entire lot according to each section for selected times and the Off Campus section had the least availability. The committee decided not to take action.
4. Departmental Vehicles. Jewel Lindsay said a matter of interest that was brought up in Staff Senate concerning the number of departmental vans that never moved out of their parking spaces and took needed Faculty/Staff spaces. One suggestion presented was to have departments pay the higher reserved rate for vehicles parking in prime parking lots, to let the department decide whether is was worth the extra cost to have the vehicles close to the buildings. The other suggestion was to have the Provost suggest departments limit vehicles being stored in the Faculty/Staff lots.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 15.
The meeting was adjourned.