Dear Anteaters,
On Monday (March 20), Tracy La, ASUCI President, and Rafael Carrazco, ASUCI Internal Vice President, met with UCI Transportation & Distribution Services to address many of the student concerns that have been raised about UCI Parking. Below are the questions we asked and the answers we received, as well as a list of action items with which to move forward.
Question 1: Recently, many students have voiced their concerns about the lack of parking spaces on campus. Is UCI Transportation working on addressing this issue?
Answer: Between 2007-2015, the campus grew by about 15%, resulting in the lost of about 12,000 parking stalls. Due to continued campus expansion projects happening in the next couple years, the campus will be losing an additional 2,000 stalls. However, UCI Transportation will be building a 1,000 stall surface lot at Research Park with a shuttle that will transport students and visitors back to the main campus. In addition, UCI Transportation is developing and will build a new parking structure with 2,200 parking spaces in the Physical Sciences area by 2021.
Question 2: What is UCI Transportation doing to keep rates down for students?
Answer: UCI Transportation will be keeping administrative positions within the department vacated (will not be hiring people to fill these roles, thus freeing up payroll) and will be using reserved funds to pay for the new parking lot. UCI Transportation will have to raise rates on faculty and staff by about $2, but is committed to not raising any parking prices for students.
Question 3: Has UCI Transportation worked to secure any funding from the state legislature to offset parking costs for students?
Answer: According to the California Master Plan, parking structures will never be state-funded. There is also an increasing focus on sustainable options for transportation on college campuses so schools can use the land for more instructional space.
Question 4: What does UCI Transportation do differently from other campuses?
Answer: UCI Transportation does not ban first year students living on campus from having their cars or purchasing permits, which UC Davis currently does. UCI also guarantees parking permits for all students, whereas UCLA parking permits are distributed and sold on a lottery system, meaning not all students are guaranteed to have a permit.
Question 5: Many students are having issues with receiving citations that they do not think are fair, and it is difficult for many students to pay off their tickets on top of paying for other necessary living costs. What are steps you can take to address this citation issue?
Answer: UCI Transportation will use an internal system to allow warnings for students receiving a ticket for their first time if they appeal the citation. If a student is given a ticket for the first or second time and appeals the citation, UCI Transportation will waive the ticket as a warning. Afterward, students will be asked to pay the entire citation fee. UCI Transportation will also develop and release a step-by-step guide on how to appeal a citation for students.
Question 6: Why is ACC parking so expensive?
Answer: All parking-related matters within the ACC community are controlled by the ACC apartments, not UCI Transportation.
Question 7 [from ASUCI]: Can we, as ASUCI, and UCI Transportation work together to give students at least one day parking pass during Finals Week (this is an initiative ASUCI is trying to push for currently)?
Answer: No.
Question 8: Will you help make biking / storing bikes easier for students on campus?
Answer: UCI Transportation will be building 3,000 additional bicycle stalls for students on campus, as well as 6 bike parking hubs. The bike stalls in Mesa Court and Middle Earth are controlled and operated by UCI Housing, so UCI Transportation will not be able to make changes within those communities.
Question 9: How can students express their concerns to UCI Transportation?
Answer [From ASUCI]: ASUCI is working on developing a communication system for UCI students to be able to express their concerns.
Question 10: Will you work on making rental Zip Cars more accessible to students who have trouble renting them, especially for students who live in the east campus?
Answer: UCI Transportation did not know students were having trouble accessing Zip Cars. UCI Transportation will work on increasing the amount of Zip Cars in the ACC communities/ East Campus and will work on lowering Zip Car hourly rates so that they are more accessible for students to rent them.
Action Items:
- UCI Transportation will release a step-by-step guide on how to appeal a citation
- UCI Transportation will utilize the first or second time citation warning system to relieve students of the financial burden of paying tickets
- UCI Transportation will increase the amount of rental Zip Cars for students in the ACC communities
- UCI Transportation will work on lowering the hourly rates of Zip Car rentals
- UCI Transportation will build 1,000 parking slots in Research Park with a shuttle that transports drivers back to the main campus
- UCI Transportation is developing and will build a new parking structure with 2,200 parking spaces in the Physical Sciences area by 2021
- UCI Transportation will build 3,000 bicycle stalls and 6 bike parking hubs on campus
- ASUCI will develop and release a communication platform for students to express their concerns about parking so the department can work to accommodate student needs.
If you have any questions about the answers mentioned here, please feel free to contact Tracy La at president@asuci.uci.edu or Rafael Carrazco at internalvp@asuci.uci.edu. In addition, you may also contact Julianna Bayley, the UCI Transportation Strategic Communications Manager at jbayley@pts.uci.edu.
Respectfully,
Tracy La Rafael Carrazco
ASUCI President ASUCI Internal Vice President
