Transport Policy 2010: FAQ’s

“I simply cannot travel by any other means than the car and cannot share journeys; it is unfair for me to be charged to park at the University”

This is a frequent and regular response to any suggestion of being charged for parking whether here at UEA or indeed any other workplace in the UK. Each response is specific to the individual and it would be inappropriate as to make a judgement as to the legitimacy of each claim.

In adopting its Travel Plan in 2002/03 the University community consulted on a range of options all of which would have produced winners and losers depending on the scenario. After a full year of consultation it agreed to adopt a daily charge linked to salary with “bands” to reflect levels of income; it was assumed most permit holders would fall into an average rate, with the very lowest and the very highest earners paying less & more respectively. Options based on distance, personal circumstances, etc. were considered and rejected.

The route chosen has proved to be successful; the number of regular single occupancy staff and student private car journeys has reduced by 20% and 17% respectively and car sharing has increased from 0.5% to 7%. Without management in the period 2003 to 2005 an additional 500 cars per day would be seeking parking and buildings such as the Medical School, ZICER and Thomas Paine would not have been granted planning consent. The Travel Plan has been reviewed and monitored since its adoption and changes have been made to meet specific and new challenges as they have been identified. The University is again facing a number of challenges which prompt Travel Plan intervention particularly in respect of meeting carbon reduction targets and it was not deemed prudent to abandon a Plan which has produced positive results. Arrangements for the future were developed within the confines of the Travel Plan which has served the University well rather than beginning again.

Finally, National & Regional Government Policies relating to the Environment, Transport and Planning do not allow organisations to evade action in respect of traffic management. The University has not shunned its responsibility and has invested and will continue to invest in a range of initiatives to help those who seek to travel more sustainably.

Who were the members of the Transport Development Group?

Group members were chosen either because they represented a particular group within the University community or were part of the charging process. Staff interests were represented by Human Resources and Staff Unions, Student interests by the Dean of Students Office and the Student Union. The Low Carbon Innovation Centre was included in the group to help assess environmental impacts. Further members chosen as they involved in implementing the Policy included ITCS, Security and Finance. The group was diverse with representation from all levels of the university community from students to senior managers, support staff and academics. The Group was chaired by PVC Tom Ward.

Drivers with a Disability

The Policy adopted in 2002 sought to be neutral; treating one and all equally and followed the lead set by Norwich City Council who removed the exemption from parking charges for most of their city centre parking in 2001. Part of the rationale for this action was due to a legal requirement that all public transport services including Park & Ride became fully accessible and no longer excluded those with a disability. This is a sensitive area but charges were reviewed within the confines of the established Plan and therefore no changes to this area of policy were suggested. It should be noted that the University has sought to provide a higher level of care for staff and students providing “disabled” parking permits to those who can show evidence of a disability or medical condition not recognised by the Blue Badge Scheme.

What was the rationale for free vacation parking and why has it changed?

The term time daily charge was proposed by a member of the local community who felt congestion, (a key concern in 2002), was not an issue outside of term time and therefore there should be fewer restrictions in place to manage car parking. The University’s Council at the time agreed with this position. Eight years later there are changed priorities including the loss of car parking bays and increased focus on tackling climate change through reduced emissions therefore it has been necessary to review car parking arrangements and increase car park charges; the response from the University community was to spread payments over the full year to reduce the impact. For example, the car park charge for Band A in 2011 will be £120. Had this been divided into term time only payments the charge would have been 80p per day or £16.00 per month. By spreading the cost over the full year the annual charge remains the same but the daily charge is 53p per day or 10.60 per month.

How many people actually sought to have the charge spread over the year?

This was the theme from a large number of those who took part in the consultation but it would be misleading to give a percentage taken from the overall consultation response as not all commented on the payment period. The staff union, Unison also requested on behalf of their members that consideration was given to “paying a smaller amount everyday rather than a huge amount in term and free parking during the vacation as they can budget their finances better”. Unite sent a brief submission which gave broad to support to the Unison response.

How have the salary band arrangements been decided?

The Executive Team had already agreed the level of increase to car park charges based on the revenue needed to provide for carbon reduction activities. The Travel Plan Development Group therefore only considered how best the salary bands could be adjusted to address in particular the concerns of the lowest paid. The group saw the widening Band A (the lowest car park charge band) from £10K to £15K thus allowing a larger number to pay the lowest car park fee creating a new Band D with the highest earners paying more achieved a more “just” solution.

The scheme continues in the general spirit decided by UEA Council that those who have higher paid roles should make a greater contribution. Charges will be based on spine points and will use basic rather than the previous year’s gross salary to set the level of charge. For most this will provide for a fairer assessment of charge with situations where a short-term increases in salary, for example an overtime payment, resulting in higher car park fees removed. Every effort was made to limit migration between bands and in particular migration to higher bands although clearly there will be winners and losers with this approach.

How will this affect part time staff?

A part-time staff member whose full-time equivalent spine point is £40k, but who works 0.5FTE and earns £20K, would be charged at the full-time equivalent rate. However as the expectation is that they will be working only half the hours (or fewer days) compared to the full-time equivalent, the charge will therefore be lower. Half day charges will apply, with any four hours of parking receiving a 50% reduction.

How do UEA parking charges and arrangements compare with other local organisations?

It is understood Aviva charge £35.00 per month irrespective of salary/status and operate a waiting list for permits; Norwich City Council removed all parking and therefore employees who choose to drive to work will pay a minimum of £6.00 per day in a public car par, alternatively they can use park & ride at £2.00 per day, again there is no relationship to salary or status. The NNUH charge is understood to be on average £14.37 per month irrespective of use but permit allocation is severely restricted with priority given to those on shift, emergency staff etc.

Finally, car park charges have been static since their introduction, yet in the same period bus fares have increased by 400%. Some of this increase has been offset by the partnership working with the bus company through the introduction of heavily discounted annual bus passes. However both the Zone 1 – 5 First Bus Annual Season tickets and the Annual Network Pass which covers all of First Eastern Counties Services remain more expensive than the cost of parking at UEA for a yea. This is in conflict with a Policy which seeks to address the problems associated with car, and in particular single occupancy, car journeys.

Will Group B Parking Permits still be valid?

As there will no longer be chargeable periods it will not be possible to retain Group B permits. Those who are entitled and eligible will be able to obtain a Group A permit and will pay the appropriate daily charge. The number of Group B permits held is very small and therefore inconvenience should be kept to a minimum.

How are car parking fees being used to support Bus Service 30?

The University is pump priming this service, (through revenue support), which is expected to be commercially viable within 2 years. This is the first time the University has actively entered into directly contracting bus services; success with service 30 may lead to other new routes in the future.

What about other initiatives?

The Carbon Plan and the Transport Policy 2010 lists a range of projects and actions to enable the University to achieve its carbon reduction targets. Some of these have been highlighted in the Transport Policy 2010 published earlier this year and in the communication document but further information can be found at the Estates & Building Web Site: www.uea.ac.uk/estates

Transport Policy 2010 has also prompted many in the University to forward ideas for projects, actions and initiatives. New and innovative ideas not explored or contained in the current or previous Travel Plans are always welcome.

Motorcycles

There will continue to be no charge for motorcycle parking and it is hoped that additional space can be found to accommodate motorcycles if numbers increase as a result of the new policy.

Car Share Arrangements

The University is keen to encourage more people to share journeys regularly or on an occasional or ad hoc basis. Sharing is the cheapest and most flexible form of transport around, it saves money on petrol costs, parking and maintenance, is good for the environment, makes boring solo journeys sociable, can reduce stress by allowing the individual to drive less and can plug the gap where public transport is less frequent.  Priority parking (until 10.30 am)and a guaranteed-get-you-home service in case of emergency are offered to those who become members of the SmartShare scheme in recognition of any inconvenience such an arrangement may incur.

Why isn’t the charge for parking related to the emissions of the vehicle with more efficient vehicles being charged less?

This idea has not been ruled out however the University is keen only to introduce arrangements which it can manage effectively, are transparent to users and not resource hungry. A mechanism which will allow the on-going flexibility of registering more than one vehicle but ensure the correct charge is collected to ensure fair play to all permit holders is being sought. Cleaner fuel cars may resolve concerns relating to harmful emissions but there is also a need to consider congestion, road safety and the use of land for car parks, roads etc. It is important to ensure we get the balance right.

What actions will you be taking to ensure all fees are collected; incidents including damage to equipment and tail-gating mean people often manage to avoid their charge and this isn’t fair?

We appreciate this is frustrating to the majority of permit holders who are responsible, honest and pay their fees. Risers rather than barriers at the exit to the car park have reduced the number of “tailgaters” particularly as some have damaged their vehicles engaging in this activity and CCTV is being employed to record occasions of what is essentially fraud. Permit holders who participate in such activities face losing their parking permits and non-permit holders may be subject to financial penalties. It is disappointing that a small number of the community are willing to sabotage car park equipment in order to avoid paying car park charges; this sabotage often leads to inconvenience for other users. The situation is being monitored and reviewed and viable solutions will be implemented.

 

Previous FAQ's
 

Q.  What happens if my campus card fails to open the barriers?

Please use the intercom at the barriers to seek help from the Security Team.  To help us to resolve your problem you may be asked to give your vehicle registration, payroll number or requested to bring your campus card to the Lodge for further investigation.

Q.  What happens if there is a problem with the barriers during a chargeable period?  Will I receive free parking?

A.  As with all equipment there may be occasional failures or we may wish to not to use the system on certain days.  If you arrive to find the system out of commission please use a scratchcard.  Signage giving instructions will be displayed to ensure you are fully aware of requirements.

Q.  Do I still need to display a permit?

A.  Yes you must display a permit at all times irrespective of where or when you park.

Q.  What if I encounter a problem at the barrier?

A.  A CCTV camera and intercom has been provided to ensure you receive help and advice.

Q.  I am a non-stipendiary permit holder and do not have a campus card, where do I park?

Non-stipendiary permit holders will be allowed to park in the Visitor Car Park, Boiler House Roof and the Central Car Park and roadside bays.

Q.  What do I do if the main car park is full?

The Main Car park during term time is often full by 09.45. The Security Team will ensure signage is in place to advise that the car park is full.

Staff and visitors are often able to find parking on the inner site but when this is not available you are advised to use the parking at the Village or Blackdale Annexe alternatively the displacement parking to the rear of the Institute of Food Research is available.  Please pay attention to signage.

Q.  When will payments for car parking be deducted? 

A.  Payments are deducted monthly in arrears, hence parking purchased this month will not be charged until next month. In the case of Direct Debits, deduction will usually take place on or around 20th of the month. 

Q.  Will I be told how much will be deducted? 

A statement will be sent by e-mail, internal post or in exceptional circumstance via second class post on the 1st of each month showing all your car parking charges and when the deduction will be made. 

 Q.  I often need to leave and return to campus  throughout the day, will I be charged each time? 

A.  No, you will only be charged for one full day (or a half day if your total time is less than 4 hours), not for each time you enter of leave.

Q.  Sometimes I park on the inner site in the morning but in the main car park in the afternoon will I still be able to do this? 

A.  Following a number of questions on this subject we request that car park users choose either the inner site or main car park on a day by day basis and do not mix the two separate systems of payment.  Therefore if you park in the main car park on your first arrival of the day, ensure that you return to the main car park & not the inner site.

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