SECTION: GENERAL INDEX: A-19

SUBJECT: CAMPUS PARKING AND TRAFFIC POLICY

POLICY

The University has established this policy and associated procedures for the safety and security of the campus community as well as to manage limited parking resources for the benefit of all.  In accordance with the Texas Education Code, Section 51.205, it is unlawful for any person to park a vehicle at a public university of higher education except in the manner designated by the university and in the spaces designated.  All laws regulating traffic apply to the operation of vehicles within the property of the University.  All university faculty, staff, and students shall register their vehicles and properly display a valid parking permit.  

This policy establishes procedures specifically for the campus in Victoria.  University employees and students conducting business at other off-campus sites, including the Victoria College, UHS at Sugar Land, and UHS at Cinco Ranch are expected to comply with any parking and traffic policies at those locations.

PROCEDURES

Administration

Parking and traffic control on the UHV campus is administered through the Department of Business Services in University West building, Suite 107.

Parking related inquiries at UHS at Sugar Land should be directed to Security by calling (281) 275-3302 or 3304.

Parking related inquiries at UHS at Cinco Ranch may be directed to the administration offices by calling (281) 395-2800, extension 6000 or 6021.

Parking related inquires at the Victoria College should be directed to the Business Office by calling (361) 573-3291.

Damages or Loss to Vehicles

The University of Houston-Victoria will make a reasonable effort to protect vehicles parked on the UHV campus by providing random security patrols of the parking lots.  The university does not assume responsibility nor carry any insurance for damages or losses to vehicles or personal property.  In the event of a theft or accident, drivers are strongly encouraged to immediately file a police report with the City of Victoria and to report the incident to Campus Security, (361) 570-4830 or email securityofficer@uhv.edu.

Where To Park on the UHV Campus

Please refer to the Campus Map for the location   of parking lots "S", "T", "U" and "Q."

Students

• May park in any unreserved spot on either the Victoria College or UHV Campus.

• May park in “Yellow” reserved spots ONLY if the spot is clearly marked as being unreserved for portions of each day and the student is parking during the unreserved time.  (Example:  Parking in reserved space at 6:30 p.m. is allowed when space indicates reserved parking from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)  

• May park in UHV visitor spaces after 6:00 p.m.

UHV Employees

• May park in any “Yellow” employee reserved spaces in any UHV lot, including Parking Lot Q, T, and U.

• May park in the shared VC/UHV parking lot “S”directly north of the University West building - Central Receiving entrance.

• May park in any Victoria College or UHV unreserved student parking spot.  Whenever possible, employees should first attempt to   park in the UHV reserved spots set aside for that purpose.  

• Employees are not permitted to park in any of the Victoria College reserved spaces with the exception of UHV/VC employees.

• May park in UHV visitor spaces after 6:00 p.m.

Officials from other UHS Components

• Parking permits from other University of Houston components will be honored.  UHS component visitors may park in any UHV reserved spot, provided the vehicle is displaying a valid parking permit from the other UHS component.

• May park in lot “T”, Special Events, with or without a permit.

UH Alumni or Students from other UHS Components

• Park in any available UHV visitors space or parking lot “T".

Visitors

A campus visitor is defined  as an individual who is not a student or employee of UHV or VC.  Visitors include prospective students, guests, alumni, persons from other UH components, vendors and the general public.  Visitors may park in the following areas:

• Any designated UHV visitor spot for 60 minutes or less
• Parking Lot "T"

Permits

A parking permit does not guarantee a parking space but allows an individual to park if space is available.  A separate parking permit is required for each vehicle for identification and tracking purposes.  Parking permits for the UHV campus may be obtained by faculty, staff and students from the Visitor Information Kiosk located in the University Center building.

Before a permit is issued, employees and students will be required to

• Clear any outstanding parking/traffic fines  

• Provide license plate number and year/model/make and color of each vehicle for identification purposes.

In addition, registration must be activated.  This will be verified by the University at the time of issuance.  

Permit Placement

It is the permit holder's responsibility to properly display permits at all times while parked on campus.  Permits may be displayed in any of the following locations:

• Hung from the rear view mirror with the permit number facing the windshield and clearly visible from the outside of the vehicle.

• Applied to the back bumper or back windshield glass on either the passenger or driver side.

• Permits are not required for non-motorized vehicles, motorcycles or scooters.  

Permit placement instruction will also be provided within the parking/traffic rules that accompany the permit.

Types of Permits Issued

All permits are issued at the Visitor Information Kiosk, University Center building.  Types of permits include:  

• Employee Parking Permit – Issued only to UHV permanent employees including staff, faculty and adjunct faculty, unless noted otherwise below.  

• Student Parking Permit – Issued only to registered active students attending UHV and to individuals classified as student employees by HR, regardless of the weekly hours worked.

• Temporary Parking Permit – (1) Issued to all temporary employees, either on payroll or hired through an employment agency.  A temporary permit will entitle these employees to park in any UHV unreserved parking area.  (2) Temporary parking permits are also available to employees and students driving a loaner or rental vehicle.  A temporary permit will entitle employees and students to park in their normal designated parking areas.  (3)  Temporary parking permits are also available to campus visitors who will be on site longer than one (1) hour and construction/service providers working on campus.  A temporary permit will entitle campus visitors and construction/service providers to park in areas designated by the permit approver.

• Disabled Parking Permit - UHV, as a state institution, follows the same guidelines as the State of Texas.  For individuals with disabilities, application must be made through the individual's local tax assessor office for the specially designated state license plate or hanger which displays the disabled symbol recognized throughout the State.  Temporary disability parking permits are also available and will be issued to any person with a short term disability (broken limb, recent surgery, etc) when presenting medical documentation or other evidence of need.

Common Parking and Traffic Violations

At each campus location, rules, regulations and violations may vary.  It is the driver's responsibility to be aware of each campuses parking and traffic regulations.  Common violations at the UHV campus include:

• Expired permit

• No permit, or permit improperly displayed or hidden from view

• Unauthorized parking in restricted areas including:

  • Reserved (yellow curb) areas
  • Visitor parked over one (1) hour in a Visitor's Parking space
  • Disabled (if not displaying State-recognized permit or special license plate)
  • Fire Zones (red curb) or by a Fire Hydrant
  • Sidewalks, grassy or other non-designated parking
• Failure to stop at a stop sign.
• Failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
• Excessive speed.  The campus speed limit is 20 mph.
• Improper parking, not parked correctly in designated parking space.

Sanctions and Penalties

Fines - Traffic or parking citations may be cleared by paying a fine or successfully appealing the fine.  The schedule of fines are based upon violations received each academic year (beginning 9/1) and are as follows:  

Vehicles parked on the UHV campus without a current decal will be traced through the Department of Public Safety for ownership name and address.  The cost of this additional step will be added to the parking violation charge.

Financial Stops - Students - Upon receipt of a parking violation, the Department of Business Services will place financial stops on the students’ account records through the Bursar’s Office for the amount of the violation.  This action will cause registration transcript requests and other privileges to be denied pending payment of the fine or a successful appeal of the violation.  

Suspension of Parking Privileges - Any individual receiving more than four (4) violations during an academic year (Fall through Summer) is subject to having UHV campus parking privileges suspended for a minimum of 30 days and up to the remainder of the academic year.  

Unpaid Fines – Employees - Prior to the end of each fiscal year, employees with outstanding violations will be notified by Business Services.  If an employee does not pay, the cabinet-level supervisor will be informed and, at the discretion of Business Services, no further permits will be issued to that employee until there is a resolution of the matter.

Towing - Vehicles of students and employees may be towed.  Costs of towing and storage are the responsibility of the owner of the towed vehicle.  The owner will also be responsible for any towing company response fee in the event that a tow truck has been dispatched, even if the vehicle has been removed by the driver prior to the response.  The Department of Business Services may be contacted for the name and telephone number of the towing company and location of the storage yard for vehicles towed.

As a matter of practice, the University will always attempt to contact the permit holder before towing.  However, the university has the right to tow any vehicle without prior notification.  Reasons for towing include:  

•  The vehicle is parked or left unattended in any location that blocks or impedes traffic or causes other safety hazards;

• The vehicle has significant leakage of oil, transmission, antifreeze or fuel spilling unto the grounds;

• The vehicle is considered abandoned.  Abandoned vehicles are defined here as non-permitted vehicles left on campus more than 72 hours without prior notification to Business Services;

• The vehicle has four or more outstanding parking  violations.

Where To Pay Fines

UHV Fines - Pay fines to the UHV Cashier, Suite 115, University West building.  Fines may also be mailed to:

            University of Houston-Victoria

            Finance Department – Cashier Parking

            3007 N. Ben Wilson

            Victoria, Texas 77901

Parking Appeal Procedures

Students or employees who receive a parking violation on the UHV campus have 30 calendar days to appeal from the citation date.   The right to appeal is lost after 30 days.  

• Appeal procedures apply to students and employees.
• If appealing, do not pay the fine until the appeal is heard and the outcome is determined.  For students, a financial stop will be placed on the student’s record and remain until the issue is resolved.
• Complete an appeal (Attachment A).  Attach a copy of the citation, and forward to Business Services within 30 calendar days of the citation.
• If this is the individual's first or second appeal of the academic year, the Campus Safety & Risk Manager or designee can  review the appeal and make a decision to waive the citation or enforce the penalty.  For subsequent appeals, a three person committee, including at least one student, will review appeals.  
• If the appeal is successful, appropriate parties will be notified by the Department of Business Services.  Allow 30 days for the appeal to be heard.
• If the appeal is not upheld, the fine must be paid.

Note:   Citations issued in error by the University may be voided anytime at the discretion of the Campus Safety & Risk Manager(or designee).

Special Events Parking

Parking spaces for both students and employees are limited throughout the campus, especially at peak class load times. Parking Lot "T", at the east entrance and abutting Ben Wilson, is unreserved and   has been designated for special events, employees and students.  No parking permit, either regular or temporary, is required.  All special events sponsors shall provide event visitors with a copy of a campus map and directions to designated parking lot(s).

Specially Reserved Parking

The intention of the following procedures is to limit specially reserved parking to infrequent special functions that involve external representatives who contribute considerable time, effort and resources in behalf of the University.

Current campus parking areas are readily accessible to primary facilities with short walk distances involved.  With few exceptions,   visitors should  routinely be directed to Parking Lot "T" where no permit is required for such purposes. Guests with disabilities should be directed to the closest handicapped accessible parking.  Visitors may also park in the specially marked visitor spots in UHV lots if the visit will not exceed one (1) hour.

Specially reserved parking is authorized for the following visitors and functions:

• Regents (current and former)

• UHS Chancellor and Vice Chancellors

• Any UH Component President

• State Elected Officials

• Board of Regents Meetings

• Quarterly President’s Advisory Committee Meetings (PAC)

Reservation of spaces will otherwise be an exception approved by the President or designated administrator in charge at the time.  Exceptions will be generally limited to relatively infrequent activities involving UHS and other external representatives e.g., Presidential Search Committee or Art Acquisitions Committee.

When possible, arrangements should be worked out so that spaces do not have to be reserved all day.  Also, when an attendant is required, it will be sufficient for the attendant to be on hand for no more than 30 minutes before and after the event. 

Approved:

Signature obtained            8/16/05
Tim Hudson, Ph.D.           Date
President

Next review date: August 2007
Origination: Business Services Department