Most people think that during the summer months, activity on campus slows down dramatically.聽 It does 鈥� but not for the university鈥檚 Transportation and Security (T&S) committee. 聽
The committee, with representatives from departments and employee groups across campus, reviews parking and transportation issues and concerns raised by faculty, staff and students throughout the year and makes formal recommendations to the university administration.
Anyone who鈥檚 worked or studied at Dal鈥檚 Halifax campuses is likely aware that parking is often a contentious issue 鈥� a limited resource with high (and growing) demand. That鈥檚 why one of the committee鈥檚 key goals is working to improve how Dal manages its existing parking.
Parking permits for 2013/14 go on sale Monday, August 26. For more details on parking, visit the .
Here鈥檚 a look at what you can expect in terms of parking on campus this fall:
A new approach for reserved parking 鈥� 鈥渓ots, not spots鈥�
Four of AV俱乐部鈥檚 reserved lots 鈥� Central Services Building, McCain, Risley Hall and Tupper 鈥� will be changing this fall. Starting in September, reserved permits for these lots will provide access to any space within a specific lot (or floor within a lot), rather than access to a specific, assigned space.
This approach 鈥� 鈥渓ots, not spots鈥� 鈥� has been in place in the Dunn parking lot for two years now, and Dal鈥檚 transportation studies have found that a higher percentage of the lot ends up filled on a regular basis than is the case for other reserved parking on campus. A reserved lot organized this way allows more people to make use of it: when the Dunn became reserved parking, Security Services sold 5 per cent more passes than spaces in the lot, and last year was able to increase that to 15 per cent 鈥� all without a single reported issue of a lot permit holder not being able to find a space.
Transportation and Security committee member and Director of the Office of Sustainability, Rochelle Owen, sees this new approach as a step in the right direction. 聽
鈥淥ver the past year, we鈥檝e been monitoring usage patterns in our reserved parking lots, and it's not unusual for one-fourth of a reserved lot not being used at any point throughout the day,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ased on what we鈥檝e seen with the Dunn lot, switching our reserved parking to lots instead of specific spots means more reserved pass holders are able to use the lot.鈥�
聽 鈥�
Current reserved parking permit holders are being contacted by email and given an opportunity to renew their permit for their current lot. Any additional reserved permits that become available will be sold in order based on the waiting list for that specific lot. Individuals who have questions can contact parking@dal.ca.
Outstanding parking tickets 鈥� time to clean the slate
Up until last year, Security Services issued parking tickets on behalf of Halifax Regional Municipality. Starting in 2012/13, Security began issuing its own parking tickets, using the revenue towards various transportation management studies and initiatives to make the best use of current and potential parking at AV俱乐部.
This fall, Security Services will not issue a 2013/14 parking permit until all unpaid AV俱乐部 parking tickets are paid in full. Unpaid AV俱乐部 parking tickets can be paid at the Security Services Office, located on the parking level of the Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue. Payment can also be made by mailing a cheque to Security Services, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2.
If you鈥檙e not sure if you have unpaid parking tickets, or not certain if your ticket is a AV俱乐部 ticket or an HRM ticket, email parking@dal.ca. (Security will also be contacting all 2012/13 parking pass holders with unpaid tickets by email.)
Keeping parking open for students, faculty and staff
Of last year鈥檚 4,000 parking tickets issued by Security Services on Dal property, the majority of them were vehicles that did not display a AV俱乐部 parking permit.
鈥淧arking is a limited resource on our campus, and it鈥檚 important that we do what we can to ensure that spaces set aside for faculty, staff and students are actually available for them,鈥� explains Jeff Lamb, assistant vice-president of Facilities Management.
Starting this fall, Security Services will introduce first-offense immobilization, or 鈥渂ooting,鈥� for vehicles without Dal permits parked in general spaces without authorization on the Halifax campuses. Individuals will be able to have the boot removed by Security Services, 24/7, at a fee of $75.
In recent years, Dal has increased the numbered of metered spaces to add to the various options for short-term and metered HRM parking available near campus. Individuals looking to park on campus can also purchase daily or weekly passes from Security Services via its office in the basement parkade of the McCain Building.
Security Services will be updating signage around campus to inform non-AV俱乐部 parkers of this change.
2013/14 parking rates
Campus parking rates tend to go up each year as a result of increased operational costs incurred by the university. The largest of these costs is snow removal, and since general parking spots are typically outside, they鈥檙e more affected by these costs.
Due to increased snow removal costs in 2012/13, this year鈥檚 rate increase is slightly higher than usual. General parking for faculty/staff (September 1 to August 31) will increase by $63.87 (a bit more than $5 a month) to a total of $325.48 for the year (tax included). Similarly, general parking for students will increase a similar amount ($57.43) to total $292.71 for 2013/14. These increases follow an agreed-upon smoothing formula between the University admin and the DFA.
A complete list of parking rates for 2013/14 is available on .
Vehicle registration on the Agricultural Campus
The demand/availability dynamic for parking is somewhat different on the Agricultural Campus, where parking has been free-of-charge for some time. That remains the case for this coming year. What鈥檚 changing, though, is that Security Services will be introducing a vehicle registration program.
Mike Burns, AV俱乐部鈥檚 director of security, says vehicle registration is really the only way of knowing who is parking on campus.
鈥淲e want to ensure that campus parking is available for AC staff and employees and not unauthorized vehicles,鈥� he explains. 鈥淎nd in emergency or other situations, we will now have a way of contacting vehicle owners. Right now, we have no way of reaching these people if there is some type of situation that requires them to move their vehicles.鈥�
Adding vehicle registration on the Agricultural Campus will also benefit faculty, staff or students who have reason to occasionally visit Dal鈥檚 other campuses. Agricultural Campus parking permits will be recognized on all Halifax campuses, and Halifax campus permits will be recognized on the Agricultural Campus. However, parking permits will be assigned according to an individual鈥檚 primary work or study location.
General parking locations
This October, construction for the new Collaborative Health Education Building (CHEB) will begin on the Carleton general lot, meaning the loss of 70 general parking spaces. However, many faculty, staff and students may not be aware of new general parking lots near the LeMarchant Mixed Use site (former arena site) and the new AV俱乐部 Ocean Sciences Building.
Getting a clean slate for 鈥渂ooting鈥�
Security Services will continue to use tire locking (also known as 鈥渂ooting鈥�) and towing as deterrents to unauthorized parking. While towing is still used in situations that impact personal safety or could damage university property (like blocking access to fire lanes or doors or obstructing the movement of traffic), booting is becoming more common on campus because it鈥檚 an easier option for everyone involved 鈥� all an individual has to do to remove the device is contact Security and pay a $75 fee (much cheaper than paying to get the vehicle out of impound).
A AV俱乐部-permitted car is immobilized via the 鈥渂oot鈥� on a fourth parking infraction and then on each subsequent parking infraction. That count can re-set back to zero once per year, however, on September 1 鈥� but only if an individual has paid off all his or her tickets. So if you have outstanding tickets and are concerned about being booted this coming year, now鈥檚 the time to pay them.
How to purchase your 2013/14 permit
Last year, Dal launched its long-awaited online purchasing system for parking. With 24/7 access, and the ability to avoid lineups, more than 70 per cent of permits were purchased via the website.
Permits for 2013/14 will go on-sale Monday, August 26. They can be purchased e (Net ID log-in), as well as from the Security Services office, parkade level of the McCain Building at 6135 University Avenue. Agricultural Campus faculty/staff will be able to register their vehicles online or in person. (Further details will be communicated directly to AC faculty/staff via email.)
More on parking: