By George Fujii
Daily Bruin Staff
While the UCLA community will pay more for parking this fall,
Transportation Services promises more spaces and a new system to
apply for parking.
Transportation Services is planning a 2,000 space parking lot
under the Intramural Field and introducing an Internet-based system
to apply and pay for student parking permits.
To fund these and other projects, Transportation Services
proposed a fee increase in March. Last week, Chancellor Albert
Carnesale approved the new fees, which will take effect fall
quarter.
Under the new rates, the yellow permit will rise from $43 to $48
per quarter and the daily permit will rise from $5 to $6 per
day.
Students, staff and faculty members had at least 30 days to
comment on the new fees, but the response was low, said
Transportation Services Director Mark Stocki.
“We received a relatively small number of inquiries,
specifically about the fee,” Stocki said.
He added that due to this feedback, the proposed increase for
two and three person carpool rates was reduced. The two-person
carpool permit rises from $39 to $42 per quarter, down $2 from the
original proposal.
Steve Davey, the Undergraduate Students Association Council
facilities commissioner, said he did not see the point of raising
parking fees.
“I think the fee increase is superfluous, and frankly
ridiculous,” Davey said. “I wish they would look for
other alternatives before automatically going to the
students.”
But Stocki said Transportation Services needs more money to
build parking lots, keep a one-year financial reserve and pay its
debts.
Satisfying campus demand for parking spaces is a constant
challenge for Transportation Services, Stocki said.
With more people wanting parking than spaces available, not all
students who apply receive parking. Staff and faculty are
guaranteed parking, while students get the remaining spaces. Last
fall, more than 5,000 students were on the parking waiting
list.
The IM field lot is one solution to the parking dilemma, with
construction on the $50 million lot scheduled to begin in spring of
2001 and completed by summer 2003, Stocki said.
Since the IM field must be completely closed during
construction, Transportation Services will compensate Campus
Recreation for the inconvenience. As a result each space will cost
about $25,000, Stocki said.
“Part of our deal with Campus Recreation is that we would
cover the costs of the interruption and put back superior
facilities,” Stocki said.
Davey said student government and Campus Recreation are working
to secure alternate recreation space during construction.
Transportation Services also wants to save students time with an
Internet-based parking permit system, which is coming on June 26.
Students can apply for parking and pay for their permits with a
credit card from any computer with Internet access, Stocki
said.
He added that since most staff and faculty have their parking
fees automatically deducted from their paychecks, the Internet
system was established only for students.
“We felt that we wanted to make it much more easy for
students to apply,” Stocki said. “I think it’s a
good business practice; no one wants to stand in line.”
Stocki said student surveys showed interest in easier ways to
apply and pay for parking permits.
“I’m hoping that every student uses it; the dream is
that no one shows up in the lobby,” Stocki said.
“It’s the most convenient thing I can think
of.”
Davey said that, in addition, Transportation Services is
unresponsive and inaccessible to students, which he hopes to change
this year as facilities commissioner.
Stocki, though, said student feedback is supposed to come from
the Transportation Services Service Advisory Board. But the
board’s two undergraduate and two graduate student
representative positions are empty, Stocki said.
“We have had zero attendance by undergraduates over the
past few years and only one graduate representative,” Stocki
said. “We would very much appreciate ongoing student
involvement.”
Meanwhile, students will have to wait a while for relief from
their parking difficulties.
Construction of the IM field lot was originally scheduled to
begin this quarter. Stocki said construction was delayed for a
variety of factors and defended the construction process.
Other USAC members want Transportation Services to respond
better to student needs with new services.
Elias Enciso, the new USAC internal vice president, suggested
that Transportation Services introduce two new permits: a Monday,
Wednesday, Friday permit and a Tuesday, Thursday permit.
“We’re definitely going to be meeting with parking
administrators and propose a change in parking permits, Enciso
said.
Stocki, though, said these new permits would probably not be
created.
“That’s a very difficult proposition; it seems like
it would require tracking and would be subject to abuse,”
Stocki said. “We try to literally bend over backwards to
create permits to meet campus needs. We really have almost too many
permits.”