ACT Shifts Focus to Long Term

As far as he is concerned, the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee is over -- for good.

Instead, he is focusing his efforts on the new Advisory Committee on Transportation, of which he is the co-chairman. "We created a new committee to focus on more than just parking," Poarch said. "It's more about campus access and an increased dependence on park-and-ride and transit."

Composed of 11 members representing a wide range of campus interests, the new committee was formed in June by Nancy Suttenfield, vice chancellor for finance and administration.

The committee is charged with helping the Department of Public Safety develop a five-year transportation plan, which will be presented to the Board of Trustees for adoption in January.

The committee will draft the plan with the help of Kimley-Horn and Associates, a Raleigh transportation consulting firm hired by the University for $250,000.

TPAC was dissolved at the end of last year when its purpose was questioned after difficulties balancing the DPS budget. With advice from former TPAC members and the UNC Board of Trustees, Suttenfield changed committee leadership and refocused it on long-term goals.

Poarch said everything from the committee's size to its philosophy is different. "It is going to be much more structured than what we have seen in the past."

Last school year some committee members thought they strayed from their purpose as an advisory board to a policy-making entity. But this year, Poarch said, "We are going to deal with philosophies and not the nuts and bolts."

Poarch said the specifics of any plan would be up to UNC administrators.

All committee members presented their philosophies at the committee's first two meetings over the summer. The perspectives varied on how ACT should handle transportation issues.

Student Body Secretary Rebecca Williford, who filled in for committee member Student Body President Jen Daum, said her emphasis is encouraging students to live without a car on campus, according to minutes from the meeting.

Meanwhile, Sue Estroff, Faculty Council chairwoman and committee member, said she would like to see a moratorium on new buildings that lack enough parking spaces for the people who work in them.

Others hinted at night parking programs -- an issue Poarch said would come up again at a future meeting. Last year, the BOT rejected a hotly contested plan from the administration that called for a night parking plan.

Dean Bresciani, interim vice chancellor of student affairs and committee vice chairman, said ACT will mostly focus on long-term parking problems and solutions as officials develop the Master Plan, a long-term plan for campus growth.

Daum said one issue student leaders will face is the dwindling number of parking spaces on campus, despite increasing numbers of students living on campus.

"We will never have an ideal parking situation," Daum said. "But we are going to make sure we do the best we can with what we have."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.