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A campus committee has recommended that the University contribute as much
as $1 million to fund parking and transit improvements at Carolina for the
2001-02 parking permit year, which begins Aug. 15.
In its Feb. 28 meeting, the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee
(TPAC)
recommended that half of the $1 million go toward improving on-campus
transit. The remaining $500,000 would help pay for Chapel Hill Transit to
implement fare-free bus service this summer, a move being considered by local
officials. (See box that follows for details.)
The $500,000 for on-campus transit would become a permanent part of
Carolina's annual budget, whereas the fare-free transit portion would be a
one-time "bridge" contribution for 2001-02 that would prevent the need for
employees to pay for a share of going fare-free that year.
TPAC also is calling for another $500,000 to be raised for 2001-02 by
increasing revenue from miscellaneous sources such as conference parking fees
and meter rates.
TPAC decided not to recommend any measures that would increase employees'
2001-02 parking costs. A new transit fee to help fund fare-free bus service had
been one option under consideration. The decision not to recommend such a fee
came in light of committee members' concerns that raising employees' costs
would be too much of a financial burden this year, given slim prospects for pay
raises in a tight state budget year and the chance of higher health insurance
premiums.
"It sure doesn't seem like a good year to do something like this," said
Derek Poarch, TPAC member and director of public safety.
Other members said the University should do its part to shoulder the cost
of improving on-campus transit because employees use it as part of their
jobs.
"This isn't a frivolous thing," said Dorothy Verkerk, assistant professor
of art. "It's like paying an electric bill."
Except for proposed changes to miscellaneous sources, University
administrators will decide whether to enact TPAC's recommendations. Changes to
miscellaneous sources must be approved by the University Board of
Trustees.
TPAC's recommendations came after its representatives met with the
executive committees of the Faculty Council and Employee Forum, which both
argued that employees should not have to pay for work-related transit
improvements. TPAC also held two campuswide forums to gather feedback from
employees.
Looking beyond 2001-02, TPAC recommended that employees should help pay for
fare-free transit in 2002-03 if it does not take effect until then. That help
would be $500,000 - the same as the amount generated by a recent
student-approved increase in the student transit fee - and would come through
either an employee transit fee or higher parking permit prices. TPAC will make
new 2002-03 recommendations if fare-free fails to materialize for that
year.
The committee's work comes against the backdrop of projections that say the
demand for parking permits at Carolina will outstrip supply by more than 3,200
by 2007-08. The shortfall is expected to peak at 4,935 in 2005-06.
The shortfall will result from growth fueled by enrollment increases and
campus construction. The need for more research space is driving much of that
construction, which in part is being funded by some $500 million brought to
Carolina by last fall's bond referendum.
A new campus master plan - expected to go before the Board of Trustees
later this month for approval - will guide that growth and subsequent growth
for decades to come.
The plan calls for four new parking decks that together will add 3,200
parking places. But that increase won't keep pace with demand.
Air-quality regulations and construction and maintenance costs discourage
thoughts of more decks, campus planners say, as well as the inability of campus
streets to handle the additional cars that would come with more parking
spaces.
And cost and congestion aside, the philosophy driving the master plan is to
make south campus more like north campus by adding greenspace and
pedestrian-friendly routes. That philosophy has been established at dozens of
meetings between master plan consultants and hundreds of faculty, staff and
students to reach a consensus on the kind of campus they want to see shaped
here over the next half century.
Planners say that means Carolina will have to push alternatives to parking
on campus, such as more bus ridership, park-and-ride usage and
bicycling.
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