Avoid the fine: Read the sign

Photo by Desirée Myers

Parking director explains
campus policy changes

By Jan Lucas

With sweeping changes just days away, faculty and staff are urged to avoid headaches—and tickets—by getting acquainted with TU’s new parking policies.

As classes resume and the campus “space race” begins anew, Pam Mooney, director of Parking and Transportation Services, explains why faculty and staff need to pay attention.

Mooney says the biggest changes—to take affect August 27—concern visitors and the TU departments and/or organizations that invite them to the campus. “Either the visitors or the hosts must pay for parking,” Mooney says. “Another change is that visitors will be directed to designated visitor lots.”   

The largest of these is the Towsontown Garage, followed by the Administration Building’s front lot, Glen Drive Lot 2 (department-paid visitor parking only) Lot 11 outside the Union Garage (eight spaces) and all Towson Center lots with the exception of gated Lot 21a.

“Departments and event organizers need to take appropriate steps to ensure that their visitors have a good experience on campus,” Mooney adds. “The first and last impression visitors have here involves parking. If they’re confused or frustrated, it affects their perception of TU events and of the university itself."

The reason for the policy changes is simple, she says. “TU faculty, staff and students are our core community. They pay for parking permits, and their needs come first. We will no longer displace them in favor of visitors.

"Additionally, everyone should pay his or her fair to cover parking costs—the burden should not be solely on faculty, staff and students."

Mooney points to campus parking signs as an effective way to avoid discovering a parking ticket tucked under one’s windshield-wiper blade. “The signs tell drivers where they can park legally," she says. " We’ve worked hard to ensure that signs are visible and that their messages are clear."

But what happens if you— or a guest—ends up with a ticket? Mooney says all parking citations issued on TU's campus are state violations that can affect a driver's state vehicle registration, campus bursar account and credit. They should be treated the same way you'd treat a ticket from Baltimore County: make arrangements to pay or request an appeal.

As enrollment rises, Mooney cautions that competition for parking spaces will continue to accelerate. “The policies TU is implementing now are similar to policies that have long been in effect on larger campuses,” she emphasizes.

“TU needed to take charge of its parking, to take control and impose some structure. We’re making big changes, but we’re trying to be fair and consistent.”

For details about campus parking changes (and vistor parking rates), go to TU Parking Update.

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