FSEC offers consultant parking "wish list"
Web-based survey to solicit input about parking conditions to be posted soon

By DONNA LONGENECKER
Reporter Assistant Editor

A consultant hired by UB to evaluate parking and transportation issues on campus was provided with a detailed "wish list" of ideas by members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee at the group's Feb. 6 meeting.

Joseph P. Sciulli, senior operations consultant for Chance Management Advisors Inc. of Philadelphia (CMA), met with the FSEC to update the body on its ongoing three-phase study, begun last October. Sciulli described the process as an examination of existing conditions, including the number of available parking spaces and how they are utilized, as well as transportation operations in general. The results of the study will allow the firm to make recommendations that will support the future needs and growth of the university, Sciulli said.

"From what we've seen so far, it's a good system," Sciulli said. "UB is in a position to "be ahead of the power curve," when it moves into the planning stage in improving parking and transportation services, he added.

CMA is also about to embark on a key piece of the study, according to Sciulli—a Web-based survey designed to solicit opinions about parking conditions and collect specific data about where and when people park.

James Nadbrzuch, assistant vice president for student affairs, said the survey should be posted online within the next few weeks. The implementation date, as well as the site's URL, will be published in the Reporter.

Sciulli heard a variety of suggestions and concerns about the parking situation from FSEC members, ranging from the fierce competition for parking spaces near Alumni Arena and the Center for the Arts—especially when both sites are hosting events and students are attending evening classes—to a desire for the consultant to study traffic patterns and the "number of roads that lead to nowhere" on campus.

Senators echoed the frequently voiced concern around campus that guests and visitors often are frustrated by the absence of clear signage directing them to the paid parking lots and the lack of a clearly defined, central information center where they can obtain maps and other pertinent information.

Dennis Malone, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, described what he called the "parking vulture" problem of drivers who circle a parking lot for up to a half-hour or more waiting for someone to leave, or to find a spot close to their building.

"People are obsessed with the idea that they must have a parking space within 100 feet of a building," Malone said.

As an alternative to the parking crunch, John Ellison, associate professor of library and information studies, suggested developing a reward system for people who park at a remote site and then take a shuttle bus to the Spine.

Sciulli said that most of the concerns, including the issue of whether or not freshmen should be allowed to bring cars to campus (UB currently allows them to do so), are driven by a need to balance "practical and operational considerations with marketing and political considerations."

CMA also is investigating off-site parking possibilities, he added.

William Baumer, professor of philosophy, noted that while there isn't a shortage of parking spaces, with approximately 15,000 spaces available on both campuses, the issue was getting people into the spaces.

Convenience notwithstanding, environmental issues, such as snow, rain and high winds, also weigh heavily in choosing a parking space, as well as the perception—perhaps outdated, according to Sciulli—that the shuttle system doesn't meet the needs of those who park in outlying lots.