How come I can't park in a F/S space?

If you are a student, you must be wondering why you cannot park in a Faculty/Staff space when they are empty.

Well, those spaces have to remain available after hours for events on campus or even for your guests. When employees of the campus leave for the evening, there are many other uses for those spaces. This is why students must remain in their designated spaces.

Unregistered guests to campus may park in a Faculty/Staff space from 5pm-7am the next business day or in Torrey Lot until 9am.

Welcome Back!

Well, a new academic year is upon us! We are ready for your parking needs, bike registrations and questions.

This week, the office will be open from 8:30am-5pm. Starting Monday 9/8 the office hours will return to normal (8:30am-4pm), but we will still be here to assist you.

We are looking forward to a smooth and wonderful school year and we hope you will be too!

Parking-A Balancing Act

Did you know all the time and planning that goes into making parking spaces? It can become quite a balancing act to create spaces and be eco-friendly. Many communities are concerned about the negative impact on not providing enough parking for business (like our school) since it creates problems for their neighborhoods.

This type of situation does occur during events, banned students park on neighboring streets or park illegally at the village commons. Balancing student, employee and visitor parking is a great task that people take for granted.

So, next time you are mumbling under your breath that there isn't a parking space near your building please keep in mind the college tries to accommodate for vehicles being on campus. There is no simple, correct answer on how much parking is needed. Take advantage of the beautiful work that Facilities Management does for the college's grounds and take a brisk stroll past the wonderful landscape art they do.

Confusing Signs?

Sometimes things are forgotten about around here since everyone is extremely busy. Hey, we are only human! So, if you pull into a parking spot and the sign for that area just seems odd, not making sense or just too confusing, let us know!

At times, the markings on the ground are not changed to match the sign or vise versa right away.

So, if you park your vehicle in the morning and its a regular old sign and when you return to your vehicle and there is now a Handicap Sign and a ticket on your car, just let us know. Since its happened before, it could happen again.

Or you pull into a parking area and the arrow on the sign indicates Faculty/Staff parking on both sides of your parking spot, but there is also a service vehicles sign for the spot next to you which just makes it all confusing, give us a call.

It could be the spaces are in the process of being updated or things have been held up for one reason or another. But, we welcome any feedback about the parking areas.

Feel Free to Stop By!

If you ever have a question regarding parking, please do not hesitate to stop by or call the office. The Parking Office is open 8:30am-4pm, Monday-Friday (excluding college holidays, but we'll inform you when that will be) for your questions, concerns and other parking related issues.

If you would prefer to email the Parking Coordinator, she would love to hear from you. Her name is Charlyn Puza and you can email her at cpuza@mtholyoke.edu

Tips To Keep Your Car Cool

While some of us cannot avoid driving to work (since a bike ride is just impossible), here are a few tips to help keep your car cool during the hot, humid days of summer (thanks to greencars.org).

• Park in the shade in summer to keep your car cool and minimize evaporation of fuel.
• If you have a garage, use it as much as possible to keep your car warm in winter and cool in summer.
• If you have to park outdoors, windshield shades can cut down on summer heat and help keep the frost off in the winter.

Also, I would suggest leaving your windows rolled down a smidge to let the warmer air, that would normally be trapped in your vehicle, be able to vent out so you do not receive the hot air slap in the face when you return to your vehicle at the end of the day.

Building Mascot

You've seen him strutting around campus, you've read about him in the MHC News, you've probably heard about him from your friends, now *YOU* can stop by and meet the building's mascot!

After you are done taking care of your parking business, make sure to visit,McDougal (or Doogie for short) downstairs in Auxiliary Services Office (in the one-card office section).

He absolutely loves visitors and likes to give kisses too. So, don't forget about him! You won't regret it!

Blanchard Green Parking Spots

Be advised that the Faculty/Staff parking spaces the run along the Skinner green behind Safford Hall will be unavailable until December 2008. The 2-hour visitor spaces will remain available that are near Skinner Hall.

The spaces are unavailable for the renovation construction for Safford Hall.

Can I keep my car on campus for the summer?

If you are a student and will be on campus this summer, you may park your vehicle in a student parking area without a decal. Its our gift to you, *FREE* summer parking! But, please keep in mind......you cannot park in a Faculty/Staff space even in the summer. Those spaces are for employees who are here during the warmer months.

If you are a student but leaving for the summer, you may *NOT* leave your vehicle on campus while you are away. This is to avoid any issues that may arise with your vehicle. You may be thinking, what can happen? Well, if a water main breaks where your car is parked, we have no way of moving the vehicle except for towing it off campus - expensive! Or if a tree falls on your car, and you live in California....well, that's just an unpleasant thought. These are just a couple of the reasons we do not allow vehicle to be left unattended on campus.

Thanks for the question Erin! Keep 'em coming!

Parking Decals

Have you ever wondered how many vehicles are registered on campus? Well, you have come to right place. Below is a chart for the last few years from 2003-2006.

REGISTERED VEHICLES

PERMIT TYPE	2003	2004	2005	2006
STAFF/FACULTY	2016	2007	1401	1345
STUDENTS - RESIDENT	616	637	661	595
STUDENTS - DAY	79	86	71	94
EQUESTRIAN CENTER	11	18	10	2

Note that faculty/staff Decals are renewed every four years; during renewal years the numbers rise dramatically.

The parking office *NEVER* gives out more decals then spaces. We want to make sure there is a space for everyone, even if its not right outside your door. This is why we like to register your vehicle on campus (and so many other reasons too), to make sure the ratio of spaces & vehicles are working out they way they should.

TGIF!

What a beautiful site! Enjoy your Friday and first day of exams! Don't forget to take a moment, breath the lovely scented air and remember its almost over!

Now that I have a ticket......

You received a ticket. You would like to appeal it, huh? Sure!

Any ticket you receive on campus is appealable, but keep in mind they are not always granted.

You have 7 days after receiving the parking ticket to appeal it. You may pick up an appeal form at the Parking Office or check out the website to locate the online appeal form.

On the form, provide your name and email address so you can be notified of the outcome along with your appeal reason. You will be notified by email if your appeal has been granted or denied. Once the decision has been made, there is no re-appeal process. The decision is final.

The appeal board is made up of staff & students from all over campus, the parking office staff is not part of the decision making. If you are interested in joining the board, please contact the Parking Coordinator, Charlyn Puza or leave a comment. We welcome anyone who is interested to join.

History of a Parking Ticket

In 1926 American merchants listed downtown traffic congestion as their most serious difficulty. Unenforced curbside parking and lack of off-street parking facilities were listed as the primary problems. Customers went where they could park.

During the great depression city revenues dwindled. With parking meters, however, a new source of municipal revenue was found. Not only did the nickels paid in by parkers accumulate, but so did the fines imposed for over parking. By 1944, American cities were generating some $10 million annually from parking meters alone. Soon after came meter maids, who were paid less than police officers, to increase city revenues.^{[citation needed]} Complex parking rules, restrictions and regulations are now an integral part of modern life and landscape.

Typically a ticket is placed on a vehicle when the owner or driver is not present. There is no place for a signature, and in California the registered owner cannot be charged with a misdemeanor or other criminal offense for ignoring a ticket. A letter will usually be sent prior to any punitive action. Most jurisdictions, however, will have sanctions such as refusal to allow renewal of license plates if the owner of the vehicle has unpaid parking tickets. In some jurisdictions, such as New York City, a vehicle may be towed if it has overdue parking fines exceeding a specified balance. In many jurisdictions, such as Boston, vehicles with numerous outstanding parking citations are subject to booting.

American "Idle"ing

Do your share for clean air — Turn off your engine when waiting!

Exhaust fumes from gasoline and diesel engines contain harmful pollutants including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and fine particles that can make it difficult to breathe, cause resiratory infections and chronic bronchitis, and trigger asthma attacks. Unnecessary idling also wastes fuel and releases greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.

Massachusetts Anti-Idling Law prohibits unnecessary vehicle idling, requiring that the engine be shut down if the vehicle will be stopped for more than five minutes. There are three exceptions: (1) when the vehicle is being repaired and idling is necessary to make the repair; (2) the vehicle is making deliveries and needs to keep its engine running (e.g., to power refrigerators); or (3) the vehicles accessory equipment needs to be powered (e.g., to defrost your windshield while actively clearing off snow and ice). Leaving your car running to let the heater warm it up or air conditioning cool it down is considered unnecessary idling.

In order to reduce the health and environmental effects of vehicle exhaust, comply with the state's idling reduction regulation and law, and decrease fuel use - please limit idling to five minutes in campus and personal vehicles.

For more environmental tips, check out the Environmental Health & Safety website.

Don't Park on the Grass!

Please do not park on the grass!

Sometimes you may not even realize that you are parked on the lawn, but please be aware where your tires end up after you park. Or if that area near a building looks like a good spot to pull off so you can run in, please don't!

The Facilities crew works so hard to make this campus so beautiful, we don't like to see vehicles parked on the grass. This is also a ticketable offence, so if the officers drive by and notice a vehicle on the lawn, it will be ticketed (or towed).

Thanks for understanding! Since the snow it gone, the birds are singing and the grass is coming back to life; we just want to enjoy the perks of the warmer weather and help out Facilities with their green thumbs!

Don't Get Towed Away!

There is nothing worse then coming out of a building to find out that your car has been towed away because of tickets.

If you receive a ticket for parking on campus, please *DO NOT* ignore it. Contact the parking office to find out how to resolve your parking issues before it gets to the point that your vehicle may be towed away because of the amount of tickets you have for your vehicle.

If you are a visitor and have 3 or more tickets for your vehicle, you may be towed away. To avoid this situation, please contact the parking office to see how to remedy this situation.

Always remember, your host can obtain a *FREE* visitor pass to help avoid receiving tickets!

If you are a student and have received notification from the parking office that your vehicle has been banned from being able to park on campus, you may be towed away.

We don't like to ticket, so please park correctly so we don't have to issue any fines!

Program Your Phone

The parking hotline is 413-538-2514. We suggest that you program this phone number into

your cell phone for easy access. Please keep in mind that the office is only open from 8:30am-4:00pm.

If you need parking advise after hours, please call Public Safety at 413-538-2304. We also suggest that you program this phone number into your cell phone for many other reasons other then parking. Public Safety is "open" 24/7.

You never know when a parking question or problem may arise, so take action ahead of time and be prepared for that moment!

What a lovely sight!

While you are walking to class or strolling to your grab-in-go, make sure to look down and you will be surprise at what you see. Its starting to look a lot like spring time! Can you believe it? Its hard to imagine that these little flowers are determined to make their appearance even with the chill in the air.

Well, try and enjoy the little surprises that mother nature has blessed us with while you are heading to your destination today!

What is Parking?

By Definition-

parking

NOUN:

1. The act or practice of temporarily leaving a vehicle or maneuvering a vehicle into a certain location.
2. Space in which to park vehicles or a vehicle: ample parking behind the building.

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The MHC Parking Office is more then just a department that processes the parking tickets for illegally parked cars. The parking office handles all the decal registrations for students and employees, visitor passes for short and long term visitors, appeals, parking bans, designating parking for events and many, many other tasks.

We just don't want this to happen to anyone! So, please be careful!

Welcome to Parking!

Welcome to the grand opening of the Mount Holyoke College Parking Office Blog!

Here we plan to share parking news for students & employees and information about those of us working to keep our campus stress free about parking.

Feedback and input are always welcome!

Check back soon for more content!