UF has a parking problem. Among the violators: UF employees driving UF vehicles

Anybody who drives on the University of Florida campus can tell tales of parking and traffic issues. A new phase of safety enforcement, set to begin July 10, aims to mitigate part of the problem in a new way: by cracking down on improperly parked UF-owned vehicles.

The Office of the Vice President for Business Affairs, back in March, urged those on campus to not park in places that block access to sidewalks, bike lanes and other restricted areas, such as grass. Such violations cause accessibility and safety issues for people with disabilities, for pedestrians, and for cyclists. Unauthorized parking also can restrict and delay first responder access during an emergency.

After reviewing the situation, UF officials have continued to find violators. So now the university, for the first time ever, will be addressing its own bad parking habits by issuing fine-free citations. All other vehicles, such as personal cars and delivery vehicles, have always been subject to parking tickets and will continue to be.

“It’s time to restore order and control, but in the interest, mostly, of safety,” Scott Fox, senior director of Transportation and Parking Services, said.

“We have some concerns about bicyclists that can’t use bike lanes, and sidewalks that we sometimes see people parked on… Our goal is really to help staff who operate vehicles on our campus make better parking choices,” Fox said.

An educational period will start July 10, aiming to bring new awareness to the rules and encouraging drivers to correct bad parking habits. UF’s Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) will place notes on university-owned vehicles that are parked where they shouldn't be.

Citations for vehicles violating parking mandates will be issued beginning July 31. Any vehicle owned by the university and parked in an unsafe manner − including service vehicles, delivery vehicles and golf carts − will receive citations.

No fine will accompany these citations. Fox said the goal is not to generate revenue, but to document the parking offenses and emphasize the importance of parking safely.

TAPS will email departments or colleges whose vehicles are cited, thus documenting the parking offense and allowing the issue to be handled internally, per department.

“We want them to realize that some of their parking choices, the ones we want them to reconsider, can actually break up sidewalks and damage our landscape – all those things are important,” Fox said. “We respect the vital work that we do, and we want to encourage them to continue to do that work but make the best parking decisions they possibly can along the way.”

He believes these enforcement efforts, with a goal of campus-wide compliance, will be most needed in the northeast corner of campus, including the academic core and historic district. Those crowded areas, with lots of activity, are where department vehicles are commonly seen violating the parking rules, Fox said.

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Parking resources

An app, called the UF Parking Application, has been created by Business Affairs Technical Services (BATS) to help drivers find legal parking. The UF Parking Map and Campus Closure websites provide additional information about parking, restrictions, rules and regulations, citations, reservations, construction and road closures.

Another app was created by UF alum Drew Gill in 2022. EZ Park UF started as a group project for his human-computer interaction course, in which students were told to address a problem relevant to UF students.

Map and list views on the app show campus parking lots and list their limitations. Search features allow users to search by decal color and time/day.

The app also provides information on what times and days decal restrictions are in effect, the availability of electric vehicle charging, and information about guest parking. Users also can get directions to a preferred lot.

“We conducted interviews with potential users about what was currently difficult about the current parking system,” Gill said in a 2022 news release. “We sought to change the way students would find parking on campus so they could save time every day they came on to campus. After releasing it, I’ve realized it could be very helpful for UF Health employees and UF visitors as well.”

This app is available on Android through the Google Play app store. It is no longer available on iOS through the Apple app store.

The Office of the Vice President for Business Affairs says it will continue to monitor the parking situation throughout the summer and take further action during the fall semester if no change is seen.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF soon will ticket UF-owned vehicles that are illegally parked