Addressing the current ticketing policy on campus
Kimberly B. O'Kelly, Terry Classen and Kate Hale
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Letters
We are writing to respond to Niki Crandall's letter in the Nov. 6 issue of The Spectator.
First, we want to clear up a misconception. The parking office, not the university police, is responsible for enforcing parking regulations on campus.
And about the lock that kept Niki from riding the bike home, bikes on our campus are not required to be registered, so there's no way to know who the owner of a bike is - hence the need to lock ticketed bikes to ensure payment.
In mid-September a group met to discuss how to address this problem - which was evident to all of us and, from one perspective, a good problem to have. As Niki correctly observes, "commuting by bike is a great alternative to driving" and of course we do not want to discourage it.
So we reviewed current sites of bike racks, discussed high-traffic areas and looked for some short-term measures we could implement quickly.
Facilities management located all available temporary bike racks and placed them on the east side of Sutherland Hall, west of Hibbard Hall and east of Haas Fine Arts. The parking office re-evaluated the enforcement policy - again, as a temporary
measure.
As a result of this reevaluation, they began to overlook bikes attached to trees and sign posts. They continued to cite bikes attached to railings, as Niki's was, because bikes locked to railings impede the path of handicapped individuals.
Warnings for bikes parked in this way were issued during the first week of classes; Niki's ticket was, based on the letter to The Spectator issue on Oct. 29 - seven weeks after this semester's first ticket was issued.
Additional permanent bike racks have been ordered for the west side of Hibbard Hall, and plans to construct additional parking to the south of Phillips are in place. When those new racks are available, the parking office will return to the policy of enforcing the rules and regulations as listed both on the parking and transportation Web site and in their brochure.
Facilities management would also like to point out that some bike racks, such as those north of Haas Fine Arts and under McIntyre Library go unused. These would not have been of use to Niki, but the information may help those looking to park a bike on lower campus.
Kimberly B. O'Kelly
Coordinator of parking and transportation
Terry Classen
Director, facilities management
Kate Hale
Sustainability fellow/chancellor's advisory group
First, we want to clear up a misconception. The parking office, not the university police, is responsible for enforcing parking regulations on campus.
And about the lock that kept Niki from riding the bike home, bikes on our campus are not required to be registered, so there's no way to know who the owner of a bike is - hence the need to lock ticketed bikes to ensure payment.
In mid-September a group met to discuss how to address this problem - which was evident to all of us and, from one perspective, a good problem to have. As Niki correctly observes, "commuting by bike is a great alternative to driving" and of course we do not want to discourage it.
So we reviewed current sites of bike racks, discussed high-traffic areas and looked for some short-term measures we could implement quickly.
Facilities management located all available temporary bike racks and placed them on the east side of Sutherland Hall, west of Hibbard Hall and east of Haas Fine Arts. The parking office re-evaluated the enforcement policy - again, as a temporary
measure.
As a result of this reevaluation, they began to overlook bikes attached to trees and sign posts. They continued to cite bikes attached to railings, as Niki's was, because bikes locked to railings impede the path of handicapped individuals.
Warnings for bikes parked in this way were issued during the first week of classes; Niki's ticket was, based on the letter to The Spectator issue on Oct. 29 - seven weeks after this semester's first ticket was issued.
Additional permanent bike racks have been ordered for the west side of Hibbard Hall, and plans to construct additional parking to the south of Phillips are in place. When those new racks are available, the parking office will return to the policy of enforcing the rules and regulations as listed both on the parking and transportation Web site and in their brochure.
Facilities management would also like to point out that some bike racks, such as those north of Haas Fine Arts and under McIntyre Library go unused. These would not have been of use to Niki, but the information may help those looking to park a bike on lower campus.
Kimberly B. O'Kelly
Coordinator of parking and transportation
Terry Classen
Director, facilities management
Kate Hale
Sustainability fellow/chancellor's advisory group
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kate Hinnant
posted 11/13/08 @ 8:04 AM CST
I'm not sure I understand how warnings ticketed for seven weeks were supposed to communicate the no railings policy to people who didn't use the railings during the warning period and didn't get a warning. (Continued…)
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