UT Health San Antonio Parking Services is taking steps to address a rise in parking violations on both the Long and Greehey campuses as a result of construction on the Greehey Campus and more UT Health San Antonio students, faculty and staff returning to work in person.
“With all the dynamic changes occurring on both the Long and Greehey campuses, UT Health Parking Services is diligently working on concerns and issues that have arisen, including vehicles improperly parked in reserved spaces and the ongoing concern of parking availability,” said UT Health San Antonio Director of Parking and Transportation Forrest Hummel. “We are working with the UT Health San Antonio Parking and Traffic Safety Committee to find ways to improve our services and minimize the inconvenience to our community.”
Parking issues
Among the most pressing parking concerns is illegal parking in reserved spaces — especially in lots 1, 2 and 7 on the Long Campus.
“Reserved spaces are actually leased by individuals, and those spaces are not available for anyone to park in at any time, no matter what the hours are,” Hummel said.
Due to ongoing construction, parking on the Greehey Campus has also been impacted. While there is ample parking available in Lot 17 where the Orange shuttle services the Long Campus and the Blue Express shuttle services the Medical Arts and Research Center, the Dental School Building and the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, some choose to park instead at lots 19 and 19A, where there are limited slots. Those with permits who can’t find an available space park illegally.
Proposed solutions
To address the parking issues, UT Health San Antonio’s Parking Services recently transitioned a public safety officer to a new position as a parking enforcement officer.
“The dedicated parking enforcement officer who started the role a month ago has issued 868 total citations and has provided quicker response times and an increased presence for visual deterrence,” Hummel said, adding that a second parking enforcement officer will be added to the team in 2024.
Additional efforts to curb parking violations include:
- Those with repeat violations will be reported to their supervisor or academic dean.
- Some lots will be re-striped to address faded reserve markings.
- An automated mobile license plate reader system will be purchased.
“A parking enforcement patrol vehicle with the license plate reader will patrol both campuses several times a day and will be able to take the information from our permitting system and identify a vehicle based on its license plate and produce a citation that will be automatically emailed to the violator at that time,” Hummel said.
Another planned transition is going from a hang tag permit system to using vehicles’ license plates as permits in 2024. This will enable people to go online and provide information on vehicle updates and changes.
“In the long term, having this updated technology will greatly improve the efficiencies of our current system,” Hummel said. “We’re really doing our best to minimize the inconvenience of having to come to the parking office to get a permit. And if we can get most of it [done] online, I think it will benefit everyone.”
For any parking service-related questions, please contact parking@uthscsa.edu or Forrest Hummel, director of parking and transportation at Hummelf@uthscsa.edu.
