Parking & Transportation
Services
325 Academy Street
Perkins Student Center, Room 147
Newark, DE 19716
Phone: 302-831-4141
Fax: 302-831-0594
MEMORANDUM
Date:
March 18, 2015
To:
PTAC
From:
Richard Rind
Subject:
Constituent Concerns from March 16th Meeting
_________________________________________________________________________________
Please find below the constituent concerns raised at the February meeting:
Graduate Students – there was a safety concern related to the priority of Gray lots (allowing Resident
student parking) which results in more distant parking (i.e., Lot 39) for daily users which can result in late
night walks back to Lot 39.
A – We try to balance the needs of all users of those lots (day time staff/students, resident students, visitors)
and will continue to do so. Any parker that is concerned for safety can request Public Safety escorts back to
the lot during hours of darkness.
Asked us to consider the possibility of adding a Newark – Lewes shuttle service to accommodate both
graduate and undergraduate students that attend classes/labs on both campuses.
A – We will explore the possibility of adding this service if feasible from a logistic, financial and demand
perspective.
SGA (Undergraduates) – Asked about the possibility of accepting Flex at the garages
A – Flex is accepted at the garages but those wishing to use that method of payment must visit the cashier
booth to do so; therefore, that payment method is only available during staffed hours. We will continue to
seek a 24/7 solution.
Asked for an update to the bike rental projects that are being considered.
A – The Newark Bike Project initiative is experiencing staffing issues and a possible 3rd party solution is
having trouble locating a sponsor. We will update the UD community as necessary with new developments.
ACES – see additional attachment
Faculty Representative – inquired about how to add or subtract time on the UD meters after the initial
dipping of a credit/debit card.
A – UD meters will default to 2-hours on the initial swipe of a payment card; parkers can then add or
subtract time by using the + and – buttons on the keypad. City of Newark meters (all curb/on-street
parking) can be adjusted similarly although different rates and time limits apply.
NEAC – the question was raised as to why a 50% employee cannot use payroll deduct to pay for a parking
permit.
A – Currently, staff members that are considered FT, benefitted employees (75% or more) are eligible for
payroll deduct. We will revisit the possibility of PT employees becoming eligible by following up with
payroll.
ACES PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
1. All too often, unfortunately, we are eager to complain about Parking Services. However, I can
think of at least two times recently that Parking Services has been very supportive and
responsive to me personally and to the Admissions Office. Just thought the committee and
parking services would like to know they are appreciated.
A – Love this type of feedback! Thank you.
2. I’ve always wondered why they send us a letter each year adding in all of the benefits that the
University pays for so that it looks like we earn more than we do, but they don’t subtract OUT
the parking. They should take that away from the total.
A – We are guessing that it isn’t included because parking is not considered a benefit, nor is it
mandatory. This Q should also be posed to HR at the ACES meeting for clarification and/or
confirmation.
3. My only parking concern right now is related to the snow conditions – there are
several parking spots that have been eliminated in high traffic areas due to snow piles, and to use
street parking, you have to ride up onto a snow bank in many places.
A - We definitely lose some spaces in surface lots due to snow piles; we will work with UD
snow crews to keep them at a minimum. Street parking concerns should be directed to the City
of Newark.
4. Since I park at the Bob Carpenter stadium area I use the South Campus or The Express bus to
get to work here. And the problem is during spring break and winter break and Christmas time
and so on the buses do not run, except for one campus loop which does not work as it literally
takes one hour ride to get me here. Whenever the students are off, the buses don’t run. So
during all the breaks if they can run one express bus it would highly help me. Pretty soon spring
break is approaching and that is my worry.
A – When classes are not in session (ie, Spring Break, week prior to Christmas Break) Red and
Gold permit-holders are welcome to park in Gray lots. Also, permit-holders have the option of
upgrading their permit for that week to Central, Pearson or gated lots/garages for an additional
fee.
5. Ok really expensive too, but I also find the last time they painted the parking strip they are so
close together. I have so many dings on my car, it’s not funny.
A – All spaces on UD’s campus should be striped to 9’ width; industry standard is 8.5’ and some
facilities use 8’.
6. I have a concern about motorcycle parking spots (rather, the scarcity of) around Evans/DuPont
Hall. Before the construction related to the electrical system, there were some seven motorcycle
parking spots here. Understandably, they were taken off line for the
construction. Unfortunately, none of them came back after the construction ended. This is really
disappointing for those of us relying on this mode of transportation--especially that a cursory
look reveals quite a bit of space that could be carved out for this purpose.
A - Unfortunately, many parking spaces are lost each year due to construction and motorcycle
spaces are no exception. Motorcycle regulations allow for the use of car spaces if a ‘regular’
vehicle permit is owned for that lot.
7. I have a question, which concerns the plan for pothole repair. The constituent states that there
are large craters in lot 20. Can you ask about the timeframe and plan to address this issue?
A – The craters in Lot 20 are scheduled to be temporarily patched this week with the permanent
fix occurring this summer.
8. Has the Parking & Transportation Committee ever discussed the issue of UD students and
staff parking (illegally I presume) in the SEPTA station lot? I park there when i use Septa and
have found it very difficult to find a space later in the a.m. In addition to inconveniencing
SEPTA passengers it's also a lot of lost revenue for Parking Services.
A – We appreciate you looking out for our revenue! As you know, folks that beat the system
ultimately cost us all a little bit of money. This lot does not fall under UD control; we
recommend that you contact SEPTA directly.
9. Amstel has gotten progressively worse (well, the students on it have, rather) recently.
At the intersection of Amstel & South Main students routinely cross against the signal in both
directions, most frequently crossing South Main, where they stop at the median.
Between South Main and Orchard they occasionally cross without any discernable reason, in
front of traffic. I don’t particularly care if they Jaywalk when there’s no cars, but if they do it, in
front of a car, slowly, it’s absurd.
Lastly, the intersection of Amstel and Orchard is an absolute nightmare at class
change. Crossing diagonally is probably the only thing they actually do wrong there, and it’s
actually not that disruptive. The problem there, however, is that there’s no light or signal, so
there’s just a constant stream of students both Northbound and Eastbound. Students who don’t
cross diagonally will often make a sharp left when completing one crosswalk and step right out
onto the other without looking to see if a car is coming. Whether or not they have right of way,
this makes it nearly impossible to know when it’s safe to go (unless we’re supposed to just sit
there for 10 minutes to wait for them all to pass).
I’d like to suggest the following: Much like we occasionally see an officer on Delaware Avenue
around the Green, I’d like to see an officer, at least occasionally, at the morning class changes, at
the intersection of Amstel and Orchard, directing traffic and students. Help us get into work
safely, at least until they close down Dickinson & Rodney (which I think would solve all these
problems).
As for Amstel & South Main, I think sending an officer there once or twice would help remind
the students of proper etiquette.
I’m not asking for any tickets to be handed out; just warnings.
A – This a City of Newark and/or UD Public Safety concern; I would suggest bringing this issue
to ACES who could then forward it on to Pat Ogden.
"I appreciate your note and bringing this concern to my attention. We post an officer Monday
through Friday on Delaware Avenue at The Green during class change time to assist with
pedestrian traffic control because there are no physical traffic control devices (sigs or stop and
go signals) at that location. As you know, Amstel at South Main is controlled by a traffic signal
and Amstel at Orchard is controlled by a four way stop, as well as crosswalks. As a result, we
generally do not post an officer at either of those intersections. I understand the concerns,
however; and we will assign some random directed patrols at both intersections for the
remainder of the semester. In addition, we will inform our students about pedestrian related
safety concerns through social medial. The good news is that Rodney and Dickinson are
scheduled to close, so I’m hopeful that will resolve the issue for us in the future. Please don’t
hesitate to follow up if you do not see an improvement in the future. Sincerely, Patrick
Chief Patrick A. Ogden 39273
University of Delaware Police"
10. I have a concern about the parking control method for gated and garage lots where we have
to use our ID cards for entry. I wish they would provide a separate card for parking that we
could just leave in the car. It's very inconvenient to have to use the UD ID card, which is needed
for many other purposes, including Flex, and so is carried outside of the car.
Since you have to use the card for other things, there's a real risk of not having it in the car when
you need it. And you can't even get into the gated lot/garage without it, unlike other parking
lots. Therefore we need a separate card that stays in the car.
A – As you indicate, the card is used for many things so we suggest keeping it on your person at
all times; this way you will be sure to have it when you enter or exit the parking garages/gated
lots. Currently, we only issue a separate card for parking access to carpoolers at gated
lots/garages. In those instances, we do not put the access on their ID cards as we can’t ask folks
to share IDs.