Edith Cowan University Car Parking - Case Study Example

Edith Cowan University Car Park Name Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive summary 3 Introduction 4 Discussion 4 Student parking 4 Staff permits 5 Temporary permits 7 Guest and visitor permit 7 Infringement and Penalties 8 Recommendations 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Executive summary The Edith Cowan University has an effective parking rules and regulations that are enforced through the use of the land and Traffic-by laws (Edith Cowen University, 2014). The campus has different parking zones aimed at enabling the staff, students and visitors to pack their cars. The parking administrator is responsible for handling the issues of the parking. Payments are usually made online. A vending machine is also available at the parking area for the purpose of enabling the purchase of the parking tickets. It is also important to note that the university has strict laws when it comes to the parking. Penalties are usually imposed on the offenders who infringe the by-laws that have been set up. It is however recommended that the university should increase its efficiency in order to improve on the quality of services. Introduction Edith Cowan University has a parking lot which ensures a safe parking for students and the members of staff. A parking permit is usually required at all times. This is a mandatory requirement for the students and the members of staff. The parking at the campus has been clearly identified into different zones. This has been achieved through the use of yellow, blue and red colors. It has also been outlined in the map of the campus. The campus usually encourages the students to use the public means of transport for the purposes of reducing the carbon emission. Bike trails are also available at the entrance of the buildings (Vanderplank, 2013). The land and traffic by-laws are responsible for governing the parking at the administration. The security and traffic services staff of the university is responsible for administering the bylaws. A red parking permit is usually purchased by the students who intend to park at the campus car park. A valid parking permit must also be displayed during the parking hours. The paper thus discusses Edith Cowan University car park. Discussion Student parking The payment for the student parking is usually made online and the details of the student are forwarded to a third party for processing. The details are usually used for the purpose of issuing the parking permit. It is also important to note that the details of the students are not distributed to any other parties. Daily and weekly parking permits are available for the students with the daily permits being sold at $3.00 and the weekly at $6.00. The students living in the student housing are also required to display their student housing permit and their parking permits. The transfer of permit from one vehicle to the other is allowed and it is usually done by filling the online form free of charge. A student online replacement parking permit form should be foiled in case of a parking ticket is lost or a replacement is required. The process however, attracts a fee of $5.00. When a permit holder ceases to be a student, they are entitled to a refund of the parking fee paid. However, the refund is subject to the HECS policy. It is also important to note that the student parking fees can only be purchased using credit cards. Despite the parking permit, the students are required to park in their designated areas. It is also mandatory for the students to display their permits on the bottom left corner of the windscreen on the passenger side. The parking rules and regulations are also for the purposes of ensuring that the process is orderly (Currie, 2010). Staff permits The members of staff can purchase their parking permits through various ways. One of the methods is through deduction of payment or online purchase through the gateways. The members of staff can also purchase their parking permits at the rate of $3.00 per day or $6.00 per week. The members of staff who are eligible for payment through the deduction of their salaries are supposed to fill an online form that must be delivered to the traffic services. The blue parking permits are usually for the members of staff and the yellow permits are also reserved for all the members of staff. The members of staff are also allowed to transfer their parking permits through the change of vehicle or online address. The staff members are also entitled for a second permit incase the regularly use another vehicle. However, they are not supposed to park both vehicles at the same time. However, it is important to note that the second permit attracts a charge of $5.00. In case the member of staff ceases to be an employee of the university, they are entitled to a refund of the parking fee paid. The refund can only be made against the original receipt used to purchase the permit. The use of online method of paying for the parking permits plays an important role in terms of increasing the efficiency of the process. Forging of the parking tickets is not allowed and it is considered a serious crime that may lead to termination of employment of the staff members. STAFF STUDENT Temporary permits The temporary permits are available to both the students and members of staff free of charge. However, they have to be permit holders and their normal vehicle is not available. The temporary permit is usually valid for up to five days and it can only be used by the current permit holders. The campus support office that is located in each of the campuses is can be visited by the contractors who require the temporary permits. Guest and visitor permit The guest and visitor permit can be purchased using several ways. The permits can be purchased online or from the Co-Op Shop or food outlets. The visitors can also purchase the parking permits directly from the vending machine through that is available at the car park. The personal contacts together with the registration number of the vehicle are usually required from the visitors. The guests are allowed to park the vehicles on the student or staff zones. The cost of one day permit is $3.00 while the cost for one week is $6.00. The parking scratches only allow the visitors to park in the student or staff areas but not in the visitor’s area. The visitors parking area has been clearly marked for the purpose of enabling the visitors to know the parking area. The cost of parking at the visitor’s area is $ 1.00 per hour. In case of change of vehicle or address, the visitors are supposed to update the information online. This is for the purpose of avoiding any penalty. The map for the parking area of the visitors is available in the campus for the purposes of enabling the visitors to park their vehicles at the correct parking zone. The presence of a map is useful for the guests as it avoids any inconveniences. However, it is also important to note that the university does not have any reciprocal arrangement with any other universities in Western Australia (Kenworthy, 2011). Infringement and Penalties In order to avoid the penalties and infringement, it is important for the student, members of staff or visitors to abide by the traffic by-laws. Prior to parking at the campus, it is advisable for anyone to read and understand the lands and traffic by-laws. The failure to display the permits amounts to infringement despite its possession. Placing the permit under the windows tinting is not allowed and it may also lead to infringement. Placing notes at the dashboard is not allowed and it is instead advisable to obtain a temporary parking permit. It is also advisable for the visitors to display their permits whenever they park at the visitor’s area. The parking permits must be displayed clearly at all times for the purpose of avoiding any infringement. It is against the land and traffic by-laws for the parking to be carried out in the areas that are not designated for parking. This includes the verge, grass, road and pathways. The parking infringements are usually paid online or at the student service center. It is also important to note that the cash payments are no longer accepted at the university. This is mainly for the purpose of ensuring that the process is efficient and effective. The rules and regulations that have been put in place at the campus therefore play an important role in terms of ensuring that the parking is convenient (Xu, 2013). This also enhances the revenue collection process as the online payment methods are transparent and effective. Appeal against the parking infringement can be made within 14 days after the issue of the infringement issue. Although the appeals are usually forwarded to the parking administrators, the applicant has a right to a hearing by the magistrate. The appeal procedures have to be followed strictly during the process and the verbal appeal is not acceptable. The appeals can be lodged online by filling the penalty forms. The parking areas are clearly marked and it is mandatory for the permit holders to park at the correct parking zone. On the other hand, it is also important to note that anyone park their vehicles from 8.00am to 8.00pm should ensured that they have clearly displayed their parking tickets. The breaches of the by-laws are usually dealt with strictly and penalties are usually imposed for any breach. The parking arrangements are usually applied throughout the year and there is no relaxation even in case of a holiday. The website of the company contains all the bylaws that are applicable during the parking process. In case of any loss or damage to the vehicles, the university does not accept any liability. The owners of the vehicles are required to take the liability in case of damages or loss (Button, 2010). The university is authorized to impose penalties in case of infringement of the lands and traffic by-laws. The maximum penalties that can be imposed on the offenders are usually $250. However for the purposes of ensuring fairness, the offenders are usually allowed to pay a modified penalty of $25 to $60. However, the penalties are usually dependant on the nature of the penalties. The fines enforcement registry is usually responsible for the collection of the fines at the university. It is thus important to note that the measures that have been put in place by the university have enhanced the efficiency of parking. Recommendations The parking services at the university are good but it is recommended that more measures should be put in place to improve on the quality of the services. It is recommended that the parking area should be increased for the purpose of accommodating more students. It is also recommended that the management should take the liability in case the cars that are parked are damaged. The university should consider making a reciprocal arrangement to ensure that the members of the other universities can park their cars whenever they visit the institution. The university should also continue using the technological means for the purpose of receiving payments. The penalties that are imposed on the offenders should be increased for the purposes of discouraging the infringement. It is recommended that the university encourages the use of public means of transport to avoid congestion at the parking area and also reducing the carbon footprints due to the pollution by the vehicles. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the university has put in place effective measures that guide the parking at the university. It is evident that the parking has been divided into different zones to accommodate the students, members of staff and the visitors. The lands and traffic by-laws are used at the university for the purposes of guiding the parking operations. It is also evident that the parking rates that are offered to the students, members of staff and the visitors are also reasonable. The payment methods are also effective in terms of enhancing accountability and transparency during the process. References Edith Cowen University. (2014). Edith Cowen University car parking. Retrieved on 4 April 2014 from, Vanderplank, K. (2013). First year experience (FYE): International students’ experiences. eCULTURE, 4(1), 3. Xu, J. H. (2013). Innovative Design of Portable Public Transport System for University Students. Advanced Materials Research, 605, 114-118. Button, K. (2010). Transport economics. Edward Elgar Publishing. Currie, G. (2010). Quantifying spatial gaps in public transport supply based on social needs. Journal of Transport Geography, 18(1), 31-41. Kenworthy, J. (2011). Peak car use: understanding the demise of automobile dependence. World Transport Policy and Practice, 17(2), 31-42. Read More