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Commuter Alternatives Program offers solutions


To reduce traffic congestion and the number of vehicles parked on campus, a new program called the Commuter Alternatives Program (CAP) will reward Carolina faculty, staff and students who do not drive a Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) to commute to campus.

The program is free, also would apply to the proposed night parking program and only requires that the CAP registrant commute to school or work and not hold an SOV permit.

CAP encourages all forms of alternative transportation including, bicycling, walking, transit, park and ride, carpool, and vanpool.

Employee benefits

As part of the program, participating permanent University employees and UNC Healthcare employees will receive:

* A book of nine, one-day temporary permits good for one day per month for the months of October, November, December, February, March, April, May, June and July. For employees with work locations on main campus, the one-day temporary permits will be for use in the S-11 parking lot. For employees whose worksite is at a remote location, the one-day temporary permits will be for use in the R-lot adjacent to their work facility.

* Access to Emergency Ride Back service (see ** in the "Fine print" box) to park-and-ride lots served by Chapel Hill Transit and locations within the Chapel Hill-Carrboro city limits. To reach Emergency Ride Back, call 962-7867 (962-PTOP). This service is provided Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

* A park-and-ride decal permit for each vehicle registered; and

* CAP members will be eligible for prize drawings and receive coupons for use with local merchants.

Park and ride

* All CAP participants will receive park-and-ride window stickers for display at the following park-and-ride lots: 54, Eubanks Road, Franklin Street, Carrboro Plaza, P Lot (located at Facilities on Airport Road) and Southern Village.

* Temporary employees will be eligible for a special temporary park-and-ride sticker.

Employee registration

* Beginning April 22, departmental parking coordinators will make the CAP application available to employees in their departments.

* After employees complete the application, it will be returned to their parking coordinator for processing. Employees qualifying for the program will receive a CAP permit and package when permits are distributed in early August.

* After July 1, employees can register by submitting a completed application to Parking Services in the Department of Public Safety (DPS) or by completing an application on the DPS web site, www.dps.unc.edu

* CAP participants registering after July 1 can receive their permit package in person at DPS or through campus mail.

Rules and regulations

* Invalid use of daily CAP permit (failure to scratch proper date or display of a daily permit with a number that does not match the number of the park-and-ride window sticker) could result in a $30 citation.

* Individuals who drop out of a car/vanpool must return all CAP daily permits. If permits are not returned to Parking Services, they will be placed on the lost/stolen list and display of such a permit could result in a $250 citation.

* If the car/vanpool disbands, all daily CAP permits must be returned. If permits are not returned, they will be placed on the lost/stolen list, and display of such a permit could result in a $250 citation.

* Employees whose primary worksite is at a location adjacent to a park-and-ride lot will not be eligible to park in the lot adjacent to their worksite with the park-and-ride sticker. Park-and-ride lots are for use by those taking advantage of transit for their daily commute and are not meant as primary parking for those working adjacent to the lot.

Car- and vanpools

Carolina and Triangle Transit Authorities are working together to help employees find others interested in car and vanpooling.

Regular carpools

* Two-to-three employees riding together to commute to work.

* The permit is received through the departmental permit allocation process.

* The permit can be payroll deducted from each carpooler's paycheck if desired.

Deluxe carpool

* Four or more employees riding together to commute to work.

* The single zone permit is received through a special Parking Services carpool allocation on a seniority system based on the total number of years of state service of all members of the carpool from the following lots: BG (Bell Tower), CD (Craige Deck), CG (Helipad/Women's, Children's/Neuroscience), FG (EPA), N1 (440 W. Franklin), N2 (Morehead/ Porthole), N3 (Peabody/Alumni/Emerson), N4 (Cobb/Conner), N5 (Park Place), N7 (Nash Lot), NG1 (Swain Lot), NG3 (Steele/ Caldwell), PD (Cardinal Deck), S1 (Public Safety Building), S4 (Stadium Drive), S6 (Mason Farm/South Chiller), or W (McCauley).

* If carpoolers prefer, they can opt to use the departmental allocation for one member of the carpool.

* The permit will be payroll deducted from all members of the carpool.

Vanpool

* Seven or more University/UNC Hospitals employees riding together in a Triangle Transit-approved vanpool to commute to work.

* A free, single-zone permit is received through a special Parking Services vanpool allocation.

For more information on ride-matching services, see www.dps.unc.edu or call 549-9999 or 843-4414.

Sponsored by Department of Public Safety Writer: Debby Freed, Transportation Demand Management coordinator


Fine print

*Remote locations:

AOB/Hedrick Bldg

Art Studio

Bolin Creek

Chapel Hill North

Cheek-Clark Building

Cogeneration Facility

Cone Tennis Center

Elec.Dist. Operations Service Center

Frank Porter Graham

Friday Center

General Storeroom

Giles Horney

Goodman Building - WUNC

Health and Safety

Surplus Warehouse

UNC Press Warehouse

Victory Village Child Care Center

725, 729, 730 Airport Rd.

**Emergency, as described in Emergency Ride Back Program 7/98: General Policies with expansion to include CAP participants, is the immediate need of the employee or commuting student registered with CAP who lives or has parked his/her vehicle at a park-and-ride lot with transit provided by Chapel Hill Transit or requiring a ride to a location within the Chapel Hill-Carrboro city limits to have access to his/her car/residence in order to respond to an immediate family-related emergency which is sudden, unexpected, unscheduled, unanticipated, and which has resulted in, or could result in an, injury or serious illness to an immediate family member or dependent living within the household.

Emergency service is available to student CAP participants who have dependent family members and who have parked at a park-and-ride lot with service provided by Chapel Hill Transit or who require a ride to a location within the Chapel Hill-Carrboro city limits.


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