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December 15, 1997
Encouraged by the success of a temporary attendant-assisted parking program at the East Remote lot, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) staff plan to start a similar program at one of the Science Hill parking lots.
"Science Hill has tremendous parking demand and not many opportunities for building more parking lots," said TAPS director Larry Pageler. "This program allows us to create 'virtual spaces,' taking advantage of the pavement we've already installed."
Scheduled to start on January 5, the program is expected to open up 26 new spaces in parking lot 114, which currently has room for 76 cars. Located between Sinsheimer Laboratories and McLaughlin Drive, lot 114 is one of three lots adjacent to Sinsheimer and the Science Library (map).
The drivers of the 26 additional cars will be allowed to park in the aisles of the lot. They will be required to leave their keys with an attendant, and attendants will move their cars if needed to let other vehicles out of the lot.
In addition to providing attendant parking, TAPS is also working with University Police to step up parking enforcement in the Science Hill area. "We've seen a very high number of illegal parkers, most without any parking permits at all," Pageler said. He anticipates that increased enforcement and the new attendant program should help alleviate parking pressures on that area.
The attendant-assisted program at Science Hill is scheduled to operate until mid-June 1998, but may be extended past that time, Pageler said. The program will be closed during winter and spring breaks. "A" and "B" parking permits will continue to be required.
As currently planned, attendants will be present at the lot from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The days and hours may change if needed to better serve the faculty, staff, and graduate students who use the lot.
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.
People using the lot probably won't find the program as convenient as a regular lot, but it should provide some relief from parking congestion, said Jule Tanner, TAPS assistant director.
The attendant-assisted parking program at East Remote has worked very well after a few changes were made in the first week, Tanner said. Those changes included adding attendants and extending key-claim hours at the lot to 8:30 p.m.
TAPS may consider installing attendant-assisted parking in other lots on campus, depending on the success of the Science Hill program, Pageler said. Attendant-assisted parking works best in lots with wide aisles where there's a slow and steady stream of users, he added.
TAPS has contracted with AMPCO System Parking to provide the attendant-parking services at the East Remote and Science Hill lots. AMPCO provides similar parking services for Berkeley, Davis, and UCLA.
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 at http://www2.ucsc.edu/taps.