The operation of the University’s newest parking deck topped the agenda of UNC’s Advisory Committee on Transportation when it met Wednesday afternoon.
The group, led by University police Chief Derek Poarch, looked at the parking rates and hours of operation for the parking deck at the Rams Head Center, scheduled to open in March.
Under the proposal, the Rams Head deck would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week except during holidays and special events. Parking would cost $1.25 an hour, and there would be no time limit for daily parking.
But patrons would not be allowed to keep vehicles in the deck for more than 24 hours.
In an attempt to prevent patrons from stealing time, customers exiting without a ticket would pay a $24 fine.
“(The policy is) to deter people from going in there and parking all day and then saying they lost their ticket,” Poarch said. “We don’t want to be in a position where people are abusing the system.”
Poarch said leaving without paying has been an ongoing problem for the Dogwood deck, located across from UNC Hospitals. He plans to tackle the Dogwood deck problem by installing cameras, because he said the $6 fine already in place is not working.
“We’re going to attack it financially at the Rams Head deck and attack it with technology at the Dogwood Deck,” Poarch said. “We’ll put cameras at the entrance that will take pictures, with the date and time, of license plates as cars go in and out.”
Another proposed item is an increase, from $1 to $1.25, in hourly parking rates in the Morehead, Swain and Highway 54 lots. Metered parking on campus would also reflect the hourly increase.
