TransportationSystemsReview-Comments Recvd 5/7-5/9

University of Oregon Transportation System Review Project

Comments Received

Received May 8

Name: anonymous
Comment:
1. Encourage flex-time options, 4-10's YES!

2. Autzen Park-n-Ride is a great idea. The route to Autzen can accommodate lots of traffic. The extra usage of it by UO would probably not disrupt am or pm traffic. I would park there every day if it was free. I would only use the People Mover on really lousy weather days. Most of the time I would walk from Autzen to my building. It's very enjoyable, even in the rain.

Now, if I had to PAY to park there, I'll be honest and say that I probably wouldn't do it. Why should we have to pay just to park in that huge empty lot that's not being used for anything anyway? That breeds resentment. Not good. I'd just as soon spend the money on gas and have more flexibility with my time. Or I'd just use the free Park-n-Ride at Santa Clara. Maybe we could park at Autzen for free and only pay for the People Mover. We could have a UO pass displayed (in the window) if you wanted to monitor the vehicles. If we wanted to use the People Mover we could buy a pass for it every year or every term like we do parking passes.

The hassle of keeping track of the 25 cent reverse ticket pay check thing is a drag. Sorry. (Wouldn't this be a nightmare for payroll?)

Name:
Comment: I agree that something needs to be done to revamp the current parking situation on campus. In the past couple of years I have tried using LTD's Park N. Ride. The Express run from River Road to the UO was really very nice. In order to use this options I have to drive 6 miles just to ride the bus for 5 miles. For someone that lives 11 miles from campus and has young children, relying on alternative transportation increases the stress in an already busy and stressful day while decreasing the amount of family time. It is very difficult to find a group of people that are willing to take your child to and from daycare or school -- plus what about emergency situations -- what if you are the carpool driver and you have an emergency situation that takes you away from work all day -- what about the other people in your carpool? There is a bus stop relatively close to my home but in order to take advantage of this I would need to leave home around 6:30am (in the dark during winter months) in order to get to work by 8:00am. This same trip only takes 15 minutes by car. Since the bus only stops at this particular stop once an hour and discontinues service around 6:00pm I would have to leave work around 4:30pm in order to make the proper connections. This bus goes through Veneta on the retune trip which increases the travel time considerably. This does not allow me any time to make stops for errands on the way home. This also makes for a very long day, allows for very little family time, or any life outside of work!! My family is very important to me and I do not appreciate a system that wants to penalize people for putting their families first or a system that tries to make people feel guilty because of where they have chosen to live or for wanting a life outside of work!

Received May 9

Name: Mike Eyster, University Housing
Comment: I write regarding the work of the CPC working group on campus transportation planning. I understand (although I haven't seen anything in writing to verify it - even in the March 1996 Transportation Systems Review CHOICES document) that the working group has decided to recommend that the Bean lot be no longer available for use by residence hall students. Since I haven't seen this in writing, I don't know in fact that the committee is really planning to recommend it. On the chance that the committee is planning to recommend it, I am writing to oppose that recommendation. My reasons follow:

1. I have worked on five other campuses. The U of O is distinguished from the other campuses in the following ways:

a) Although faculty, staff, and students on all of the campuses complained about parking, the situation at the U of O is much better than any of the others. One point being, that people are always going to complain about parking. Even if the Bean lot is used exclusively for faculty, staff, and day commuters, the complaints won't stop. Complaints will then be that faculty, staff and commuters have to walk too far to get to their jobs/classes. The more important point being however, that parking at the U of O is a breeze compared to most campuses. I frequently have to use my car to attend meetings off campus during the day and find myself looking for a parking space at peak parking hours (10:00 AM - Noon and 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM). I have NEVER been unable to find a parking spot in the Bean lot, the Agate lot, or one of the lots at Hayward (even on days when the Hayward lots are closed for a track meet). It's true that sometimes I am required to spend up to five minutes checking several lots before finding a spot. THIS IS NOT UNREASONABLE! Some people seem to have the idea that a low-cost parking spot close to their destination at any time they choose to park there is an inalienable right. Our private sector professional colleagues as well as the Oregon public in general would find the heavy dedication of resources we have committed to trying to please (primarily faculty and staff) to be self-serving and a waste of public resource.

b) Although I can not state with absolute certainty, I believe that the rates we charge faculty, staff, and commuters for parking at the U of O are lower than anywhere else I have worked. In addition, the parking reserve fund has been used for purposes other than supporting parking on the campus. Perhaps it is time to significantly increase parking rates, make sure that parking funds are dedicated to improving parking, and start the process of planning for a parking structure.

2. Two of the criteria of The Long Range Campus Transportation Plan, seem to me to argue against outlawing residence hall student parking from the Bean lot. They are:

a)Transportation modes that provide inexpensive, safe, and convenient access to campus facilities shall be employed.

b) Transportation facilities shall aid in preserving or creating a high-quality campus environment.

While it is true that clearing the Bean lot for faculty, staff, and commuters may make the lives of these people easier by reducing the five-ten minutes they have to search for a parking space if they arrive on campus during the peak parking hours, is it reasonable to banish residence hall students to the Autzen parking lot in order to accomplish this? What about their inexpensive, safe, convenient access to campus facilities (like their home!). For residence hall students, their residence hall IS HOME. How would our faculty and staff feel if they were told, you can't park your car near your home, you have to park it at Autzen stadium? Since so many of our students are required to work to afford their education, they are required to have quick, easy, and safe access to their automobile.

3. Finally, I want to commend the efforts of Jan Oliver to try to find a solution to this problem. However, I also need to point out that prior to several weeks ago, residence hall student participation in this planning has been non-existent (to my knowledge). Since they are the primary group that would be negatively affected by this proposal, I would like to suggest that any proposal involving substantial changes in the use of the Bean lot be postponed until next fall and that the Residence Hall Governance Committee (RHGC) be invited to participate in these discussions.

If it is true that the committee is considering recommending elimination of the Bean lot as the primary location for residence hall student parking, I would like to ask that the committee reconsider this recommendation. At minimum, I would like to ask that any implementation be postponed until
after 1996 and that residence hall students be given an opportunity to participate from the ground floor.

Thank you for your consideration and for taking on such a controversial task as trying to solve this problem.

Name: Ryan Ositis
Comment: Parking at Autzen with a "People Mover" running to campus?! Where are we, Disneyland? This idea is very "futuristic," but would be impractical on days when Football games are being played. Where would you park on weekends? Also, you want to run the Peoplemover over the footbridge? How do you intend to compensate for width? A People Mover is pretty wide, as I remember. Do you intend to allow foot traffic on the Autzen FOOT Bridge? Build the damn parking garage. It's a popular issue at the moment.

Name: Charnel Orr
Comment: This incredible. Trams to Autzen? What's next? Subways to Junction City? Just fund a parking garage. It should have been done long ago.

Name:
Comment: I am pleased to read of your plan for decreasing single person per car commuting and parking here on campus and I hope these changes will decrease the overcrowded parking conditions as well as maximize the positive impact on the local environment. The bike paths certainly offer one of the most promising and convenient alternatives; however, there are two weaknesses in the biking system that I would like to see addressed both by the university and the city of Eugene. The first issue is the security of the bikes parked here on campus--my greatest hesitation with riding my bike daily is having to park the bike outside, in high-traffic, low-security spots for the duration of my ~10 hour day. During the winter months this hazard is increased of course by the longer number of hours of darkness. More security patrol of the campus that would be sensitive to this issue is desirable. Another possiblility would be restricted access bike storage areas which could monitor access via student id's and PIN codes.

A second concern is the safety of the bike paths themselves. More lighting along the riverside paths in particular could increase the safety of bikers in these areas. As a female, traveling alone at
night is an ongoing concern.

I appreciate your efforts in addressing this problem common to campuses nationwide.

Name: Stacy Vennema
Comment: While the general concept of expansion of parking to Autsen stadium is a good idea, resticting the lot near Bean to only daytime use it unwise, wasteful, and unsafe. I live in the dorms, and for the most part travel by foot or bus. On those rare occations when I use my car neither buses nor tram service will be running. This means that I would have to walk home late at night on a path where improved lighting will only serve to pick me out as an easy target for muggers. Moving my car every weekend would waste more gas than my occasional use warrants. Why not leave the Bean lot as it is, or restrict it to housing residents and carpools. The expanded bus and tram service will best serve day-trippers, since such expansion affects people traveling during the day and early evening, and will little aid those with nowhere to park at home. Even if you do choose to expand service so that it runs all night, it would still be unsafe since women would be stuck waiting for it in a deserted parking lot late at night.

Received May 9

Name: John Manotti, UO Foundation
Comment: I think the report is very well done and shows a lot of good work by the committee. Thank you.

I submit that one reason many people do not ride bikes to their work place is because of the dress code dictated by their work environment. It's probably impossible to change dress codes in our lifetime but if there were more facilities (showers-lockers,etc) available for bikers to shower and change near their work place building I suspect there may be an increase in bike use??

Name: Kathie Stanley, Student Academic Affairs
Comment: The Transportation Review Working Group can be commended for its work on this very controversial, often emotional issue. While I appreciate the broad scope of their report, I am, however, concerned about the way in which the real problem, lack of available parking, is buried beneath the suggestion that increased awareness of and offering incentives for carpooling, riding the bus and riding your bicycle (Sections I and II) will somehow increase available parking to the level necessary to accommodate current users.

Due to financial, logistical and political constraints, it seems unlikely that a parking structure will be built on campus. Given this fact, finding ways to create more parking spaces in existing lots (eliminate car storage) and utilizing Autzen Stadium (Section III) are the most productive suggestions in the report. (I think it only fair I note here I was a member of the ad hoc committee appointed by Jan Oliver to look at the issue of car storage on the Bean parking lot. I would also like to clarify, our group did not recommend eliminating overnight car storage on the Bean lot, but rather we were asked to make a recommendation of storage alternatives if that decision is made.) I think it is important to remember that while it will be impossible to hold every group of users harmless, we should also not hold any SINGLE group responsible for the solution.

The most exciting idea is the People Mover to and from Autzen. While the considerations (many listed in previous comments) and constraints may seem enormous, I would much rather see time and money spent investigating this, rather than financing a half-time parking coordinator or a marketing plan to increase use of LTD. The tram will not only help facilitate the use of an off-campus parking lot, but will be beneficial for numerous campus events that currently put added burden on the parking problem. Ideas such as these offer the types of incentives needed for people to park off campus. If parking at Autzen is safe (for both car and driver), economical and convenient, the on-campus parking problem will be greatly reduced.

Finally, I support charging less for parking at Autzen, and charging more for a parking permit at one of the premium lots, IF the amount of availible parking spaces increases. I do not, however support the idea of charging more for permits under the existing conditions.

From: Peter O'Day
Comment: I think the idea of carpooling & reserved parking fees for de facto reserved spaces can be very useful. I am opposed to a parking garage. I think we could get more people to bicycle here if we make more secure bicycle parking.

Folks who have expensive bikes or attachments would bike to campus more often if there are suitably safe place to store bikes. While I realize this is part of the report you sent, it seems like it is underemphasized.

How can we improve security?
--Bicycle lockers for fac & staff near each building
--TV surveillance of large bike storage areas
--Encourage each dept/building to make internal space available for bike storage
--Encourage housing office on campus to include category for bike storage on housing cards for apt rentals (to encourage landlords to make space available)
--Work with City Council to make bike routes more safe -- Move existing bike routes away from busy streets (High, 13th, 18th, 24th ...) and make parallel streets more bike friendly -- Alder, 12th, 23rd..) Place four-way Auto-but-not-bike stop signs at every block on these bike-friendly streets to discourage all discretionary car traffic; also make auto speed limit 10mph on these streets. This would reverse that ridiculous 13th Street parking solution.

Name: Jennifer Taylor
Comment: I am senior and current resident hall student who plans to return to the resident halls next year. While I am proud to live in the residence halls and think highly of them, I am concerned and angered by Housing's suggested solution to the parking dilemmas on this campus. It is an ill-conceived idea that needs to be abandoned.

By forcing residence hall students to park at Autzen Stadium, you are compromising the safety of some 3,000+ students. Many students must use their cars at night to get to jobs off-campus or to run other necessary errands. Others just wish to go somewhere to have a fun evening or visit family and friends. Thus, students are forced to travel to and from Autzen during the dark, often alone. No amount of safety precautions, such as extra patrols, shuttles, video cameras, emergency call boxes, or locking gates, will help minimize the danger that you are putting these students in. How do you expect to keep tabs on Autzen Stadium when OPS can't even keep a decent watch on the Bean parking lot, much less respond promptly to emergency calls from students in trouble? Most students would rather walk the distance to campus alone than wait around for shuttles, OPS and Saferide, which is a hazard to their safety and well-being.

To partially amend the situation, you suggest allowing some residents to park in Bean, such as R.A.s and returning students. This is an unfair form of favoritism. Why should I have the privilege of a safer, closer parking lot instead of a freshman student?

We are paying a lot of money for the services we receive through the residence halls. I expect my safety and the safety of other dorm residents to be your top priority. Make it so.

If you desire to use Autzen Stadium to expand student parking options, make students who drive to campus everyday, who refuse to take public transportation or ride bikes, park at Autzen. At least that way they will be walking to campus during the day along with other students. They are the ones causing the parking problems, not us. Plus, the need for heavy-duty patrols, security cameras and gates will be unnecessary and will be a savings for a university that is already working under a tight budget.

Don't hurt those who wish to be a part of this university by living at the residence halls.

Name: Karen Duncan, Office of the Registrar
Comment: Anyone who's worked on campus and also tried to be the parent of a young child or the child of elderly parents knows how much more difficult either responsibility is made by the parking situation here. I can't count the number of times I've had to leave work to attend to something critical to my family and haven't been able to find a parking space anywhere in the campus lots. I also can't count the number of City of Eugene parking tickets I've received and paid. I wish I could set up an account with the city, or at least deduct the $10 whack of each ticket from my taxes!

I wonder how much faculty and staff time is wasted looking for parking, getting to the office or just giving up and leaving? There have been many times when I could have returned to work for a couple of hours after a dental appointment or something similar, but have chosen not to because I knew there would be no place to park.

I can't believe Mike Eyster's claim that he's never had to look longer than five minutes for a parking place! Come on, Mike. There have been many times that I couldn't find a parking place in any lot, even at Condon School.

I support the proposal to limit the Bean lot to daytime parking, but I would go further and suggest that students who are resident on campus not be allowed to park their cars in campus lots at all. I think this is common at other schools, and probably time the UO looked seriously at this option.

The study is fine, and I really appreciate the work the various committees and task forces have done. However, I would much rather see the University community address real solutions for real people rather than concentrating on how to make us all better by getting us to ride buses or bikes.

Name: Marge Vinton
Comment: I believe that creativity is what is needed to induce faculty, staff and students from their cars. Any plan that uses "the big stick" approach is, in my opinion, doomed to failure. If I'm to be persuaded to use alternative transportation to get to and from work, I'll need to know that my choices will allow me the same flexibility that I now have with my car.

At the present time, it's not possible for me to use, for instance, LTD unless I plan on adding a couple of hours a day just to get to and from work. Flex time, extended LTD schedules and express bus service (especially betweem 7-8 AM and 5-6 PM) would at least help me to consider changes in how I get to and from my job. I haven't been on a bicycle in years and don't intend to start now!

Proposed parking permit price increases won't deter me from bringing my car. Increased fines for illegal parking are a good answer, in my opinion. Are students bringing cars and parking them, using the lots as storage facilities? If they leave them for extended periods in a particular parking lot, should they be asked to pay a higher parking permit fee? I think so.

Carpooling is not a workable solution. I have found that conflicting work hours, personal and family appointments, vacations and sick days soon cause such a deterioration in the car pool concept that it collapses within a few months.

My ZIP address is 97402. I've reviewed the LTD schedule and the other options that might be available to me at the present time and have decided that my car is the only option at the present time.

In the future, additional parking with Sacred Heart Hospital, a parking lot at Riverfront Research Park, expanded LTD service: There must be an answer, but raising parking permit fees isn't it.

Name:
Comment: I want a parking space not an "alternative transportation method". I want to be able to come to work at 8:00 am (when my pay starts) instead of 7:30 am--the only time I am almost assured of finding a parking spot. I want to be able to schedule a doctor or dentist appointment before 4:30 pm or be able to meet someone for lunch off campus (after 10 years Burger King has lost what little appeal it once had). I want to visit my child at her school or go a parent-teacher conference in the middle of the day. What I REALLY want is a parking structure with my very own personal parking space--I've already paid for it (how was it I ended up funding the athletic department again????).

Name: Melissa Marie Fedak
Comment: The alternative transportation proposals are valid, but regardless of other opportunities, excess people will still drive to campus. The main problem then is the lack of space to park. One proposal is that residents will not park overnight at space near Bean, but make use of the empty spaces at Autzen stadium. But this, in the end, causes far more problems then it does solutions. Using Autzen is a sound and realistic idea, but if Residents can use the extra space at Autzen, why can't Commuters instead?

Comparison between Autzen parking as used for Commuters and as used for Residents:

SAFETY
Commuters: will utilize parking in the daylight hours, where more more people are present on the route.

Residents: usually only use cars late nights (often AFTER Saferide hours) or weekends when the route from Autzen is long, dark, and a great deal less protected.

If a PEOPLE MOVER is utilized:
Commuters: The Mover will only have to work limited daylight hours.

Residents: The Mover will have to be used 24 hours for full security and if a problem occurs, there is no safe, fast alternative transportation. (A Commuter could easily bring a bike or walk without worry except for being late to class.)

OFF-CAMPUS JOBS:
Commuters: Commuters have off-campus parking at their home or apartment, so, in a sense, have two choices of where to park.

Residents: The Dormitories ARE the home and many students have no other choice of where to park. Also, most students have off-campus jobs making more inconvenient than it already is for students to go back and forth from their singular car space.

GAMES AT AUTZEN:
Commuters: I assume (I could be mistaken) that games generally aren't during regular school hours. If they were, Residents would have to face the same problem when a Game occurred.

Residents: Asking Residents to move their cars on weekends is an extreme inconvenience and difficulty. Many students go out of town or go on vacation or just can't be reached to move their cars to make room for patrons of Autzen.

If Autzen is used, Commuters would have a better chance of finding a spot with only a smaller inconvenience of distance (Campus is still a good 10 min walk from the Bean complex). Residents, on the other hand, would still retain a place relatively close to their dorm to keep their car until they move out of the housing system.

Also, it is easier for Commuters to bus to Campus then it is for students to bus to their jobs, being off-hours all over Eugene. If you weigh the inconveniences, the Residents would suffer much more than Commuters.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to voice our opinions. I would like my comment displayed on the web-page if possible.

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