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Columns::February 25, 2002
Two Gates to Cambridge
Spring Charter Lecture will deal with the relationship between man and nature
Grad School administrator says faculty key to recruitment success
Proposal for campus memorial goes before University Council Executive Committee
Watered down: Study paves way to water-efficient cotton
Professor focuses on teaching his students different ‘fields’ of law
Iowa prof will head pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences here
Newsmakers
Merging services, expanding missions
Campus News
New approach to campus parking regulations adopted
By Chuck Toney
ctoney@uga.edu
The UGA cabinet approved last week a new campus parking plan which guarantees permit holders a parking place within a designated lot or cluster of lots; offers a range of rates based on proximity to the campus core; eliminates the distinction between student, staff and faculty lots; and provides incentives for reducing the number of cars coming to campus each day, such as carpooling or bicycling.
“This is not a revision of our current plan,” says George Stafford, associate vice president for finance and administration. “This is a completely new plan that allocates available parking through a system that is as fair and equitable as we can make it.”
The plan does not reduce the number of parking spaces currently available--approximately 20,000--which is adequate to handle current and anticipated demand.
Three factors drove the development of the new parking plan: increasing deficits in the Parking Services budget, the need to eliminate the difficulty of finding a parking space and the desire to reduce cross-campus traffic.
“There has been a lot of frustration in recent years over the availability of parking. We wanted to develop a plan that will ease the chore of finding a parking place and increase the level of service that people get from Parking Services,” says Joyce Hardman, manager of Auxiliary Services. “This is a customer-centered plan which will allow people to choose where they would like to park.”
“Parking Services is an auxiliary unit, and auxiliary units are by definition self-supporting,” says Hank Huckaby, senior vice president for finance and administration. “Parking rates at UGA have remained relatively low while expenses have increased. But even with the proposed increase in rates, we compare favorably with other universities in similar locations.”
The Parking Services budget is expected to run a deficit of $1.5 million in the current fiscal year.
The new plan bases the rate structure on the proximity to the campus core and eliminates the existing North Campus, Central Campus and South Campus designations. A permit for the Red Zone, a central campus area bounded by Broad Street, Thomas Street, Lumpkin Street and Carlton Street, will be $30 per month or $360 per year. A permit for the Blue Zone, a perimeter zone just outside the Red Zone, will be $20 per month or $240 per year. Yellow Zone permits, for the area farthest from the campus core, will be $10 per month or $120 per year.
Comparable rates per year at other universities are Georgia Tech, $275, $340 and $450; Emory University, $100, $316 and $900; the University of Florida, $84, $180 and $618; and the University of Tennessee, $71, $304 and $1,188.
During the application process, applicants will be asked to designate a first, second and third choice of parking area. Permit holders will then be guaranteed a parking space in a designated parking area. Additionally, there will be no designated lots for students only or faculty only; all lots and decks will be open to anyone at the same rate. All parking decks will be classified as Red Zone areas.
“We will also offer incentives for people who carpool and those who are able to use bicycles or other methods of transportation,” says Stafford. “It is important that we assist anyone who is willing to help reduce the number of vehicles coming to campus every day.”
The plan will take effect Aug. 12 when new parking permits are issued, although many details remain to be determined. Suggestions can be submitted to Staff Council representatives or e-mailed to jhardman@uga.edu.
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