Attendant-assisted parking in East Remote lot: 10-27-97

October 27, 1997

New attendant-assisted parking expands capacity of East Remote

The East Remote parking lot will have room for 200 additional cars starting next month, under a temporary attendant-assisted parking program sponsored by Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS).

The drivers of these 200 cars will be allowed to park in the aisles of the paved lot but will be required to leave their keys with an attendant. Attendants will move the cars if needed to let other vehicles out of the lot.

When the program takes effect--tentatively scheduled for Monday, November 3--the East Remote lot will hold up to 1,200 vehicles and will be configured in the following way:

430 spaces in the center of the lot will be unaffected by the program.
570 spaces will be open for drivers to park without leaving their keys. Drivers parking in these spaces, however, may have to wait while an attendant moves a vehicle that has blocked their exit from the lot.
200 spaces will be provided in the aisles, and drivers parking in these spaces will be required to leave their keys.

Growing enrollments over the last two years have put increasing pressure on the East Remote lot, said Jule Tanner, TAPS acting director. An unpaved area south of East Remote that has been traditionally used as an overflow area during the first two weeks of school remained open after the two-week deadline this year because the number of cars drastically exceeded available spaces, Tanner said. More than 150 cars have parked there each day this year.

Once the attendant parking program starts, TAPS plans to close the dirt area and hopes to keep it that way. "We're hoping that we can find a solution that will afford us not to become dependent on the dirt area as an overflow option," said Tanner.

In the last two years, TAPS has sent overflow parking to the Barn Theater, which only accommodates 90 cars. When that lot fills, cars have been diverted to college lots or other lots on campus in what's been a frustrating and time-consuming process.

A task force has been assembled to look at resolving parking problems at East Remote and throughout the entire campus, Tanner added.

Solutions might include expanding remote parking and encouraging and expanding the use of alternatives to cars, said TAPS senior analyst Kira Stoll. Another TAPS goal is to see that the campus core becomes more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The attendant-assisted program is scheduled to operate until April 1998, but may be extended past that time if there is still a need to accomodate overflow cars, Tanner said. The program will be closed during winter and spring breaks. Parking permits will continue to be required.

TAPS currently has no plans to institute attendant-assisted programs in smaller campus lots or in central campus, Stoll said. Attendant parking is considered to be most efficient on larger, flat lots like East Remote.

As currently planned, attendants will be present at the lot from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The days and hours may change if needed to better serve people who use the lot. TAPS' assessment of the East Remote lot indicates that it does not fill up before 10 a.m.

To reclaim their key, drivers must show a parking "claim check" to the attendant. Drivers returning after the attendant kiosk is closed must reclaim their key from the TAPS Transit Office at the base of campus, or use a spare key to move their car and reclaim their key the following day.

TAPS has contracted with AMPCO System Parking to provide the attendant-parking services. AMPCO provides similar parking services for Berkeley, Davis, and UCLA, said Stoll.

For more information or to request additional materials, call TAPS at (408) 459-2190, send e-mail to taps@cats.ucsc.edu, or refer to the TAPS Web site.

Additional links:

To the Currents home page

To UCSC's home page