"Points of Pride"

Parking and Transportation Services does much more than just sell parking permits. Parking has an environmental commitment and legal mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all vehicles traveling on and around the UCI campus. This commitment is at the heart of every program and service we offer. Programs to reduce costs and emissions benefit our customers and our campus community in many ways, although some are not readily apparent. Some programs offer direct subsidies or reduced costs, and other save resources in other ways, and, ultimately we all benefit. Besides the programs you are aware of, we invite you to find out more about Parking's commitment to excellence through our "Points of Pride."

Our Recognition

Awards

To fulfill the mission of environmentally sustainable transportation, Parking offers a number of low-cost, low-impact programs for all members of the UCI community. In recognition of Parking's achievement and commitment to sustainability many recent awards have been given.

2009 Perfect 10 - Transportation Category - Sierra Club
2009 Environmental Achievement Award - US EPA Region IX
2009 Rideshare Diamond Award - OCTA/MTA/VCTC
2009 Best Work Places for Commuters - US EPA National Transit Research Center
2008 GEELA Award - Climate Change - State of California
2008 Clean Air Award - Innovative Transportation Program - SCAQMD
2008 Award - Innovation and Collaboration from the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation's Business Accelerator Program for ZotWheels
2008 Best Practice Award - TDM Category - UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability
2007 Best Practice Award - TDM Category - UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability
2007 Best Practice Award - Fleet Category - UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability
2004 Mercury Mobility Chairman's Award - OCTA
2000 California Team Excellence Award - Bronze Level - CCE
1999 Award of Merit – International Parking Institute
1997 Quality Cup Award – Rochester Institute of Technology/ USA Today

Our Partners

Campus

Through various campus and off campus partnerships, Parking is able to extend its mission to serve the UCI community. Our partnerships include:

UC Athletics and Long Beach State Parking and Athletics are engaged in a Clash of the Cans food drive in a Black and Blue rivalry series competition
Center for Service in Action and their Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week 2009, Campus CANnections Non-Perishable Food Drive, for Clash of the Cans (http://www.volunteer.uci.edu/)
Wellness and Safety Partnership to disseminate information on pedestrian and bicycle safety as well as providing shuttles for the annual Wellness and Safety Fair
UCI Medical Center to run a round trip shuttle to and from the Orange facility
ZEVNET program which provides an electric vehicle to commuters arriving at the Irvine Train Station
Environmental Health and Safety who supplied the ZotWheels program with helmets for the membership kit and provides training for bicycle safety
UCI Police Department for education and enforcement of bicycle regulations
ASUCI which runs the campus shuttles in partnership with Parking
Facilities Management to research clean energy initiatives and environmentally sound products
UCI Volunteer Center (now Center for Service in Action), Mesa Housing staff, and Kevin Ansel in Student Services take donated used bicycles and fix them up and donate to organizations such as the Shelter for the Homeless in Midway City and Olive Crest Homes and Services for Abused Children in Santa Ana.

Outside the University

Community Action Partnership of Orange County and the Orange County Food Bank will be the recipients of the 2009 Clash of the Cans food drive
Albertsons Markets helping to collect donations for Clash of the Cans
Automobile Club of Southern California is a partner in A Green Commute is a Safe Commute campaign, offering vehicle inspection services to keep you and your car safely and cleanly on the road
Sustainable transportation partners such as the OCTA, VPSI, and Zipcar create cost-savings and emissions-savings for the UCI community

Research Teams

Parking and Transportation has a stake in the future of transportation and in the future of students attending UCI. We are pleased to help support campus research and fund students to work on real world problems. Parking is proud to support meaningful projects and partner with campus research teams such as:

Professor Michael McCarthy and MAE 189 class. The goal of the class project is to retrofit a gas powered Hijet Micro truck into an all-electric vehicle. This partnership supports education while saving money. [View informational poster (pdf)]
Professor Stephen Ritchie and Institute of Transportation Studies graduate students in the creation of roadway vehicle detection systems.
The creation of a civil engineering design team made of UCI students to develop plans for a future infrastructure project which reduces expenses and offers real world experience for students entering the job market.

Our People

The Parking staff is committed to providing the UCI community a safe and efficient way to get to a desired destination, whether it is class, work, or a special event. The staff of Parking takes great pride in their ability to serve you with excellence in all aspects of our work.

Committed Staff

Living Our Values 2009 award winners for UCI Stars in the staff category. Parking employees Desiree Fleming, Christine Dacanay, Jennifer Cartnal, and Stacey Murren make quilts to raffle to benefit cancer research at UCI Medical Center
Two staff members are church pastors
Many other staff members volunteer time and money to organizations that serve Orange County and the greater community

Motorist Assistance

Did you know that Parking and Transportation Services offers a Motorist Assist program to every permit holder? This is a free service, too! Take advantage by calling (949) 824-2691 if you find yourself in a jam. A Parking representative will be dispatched to your car in minutes to help you:

Get your keys out of a locked car
Charge a non-working battery
Fix a flat tire
Put some gas in your tank if you have run out

Parking's representatives are professional, knowledgeable, and friendly so don't hesitate to contact us if you need to use this free service.

Student Workers

If you are a student and looking for a job in a friendly atmosphere that will work around your school schedule - look no further than your Parking office! Parking hires over 150 students year-round offering a wide variety of duties and promotional opportunities. Because of their positive experiences as student workers, Parking employs a number of UCI graduates who have chosen a career at the University.

Sustainable Operations

Parking is on the cutting edge of sustainable operations in all of its divisions from office management, enforcement, online permit purchasing, to maintenance and construction. Research and testing is being done continuously to find the most efficient and sustainable products. By considering itself one part of a greater university, Parking decreases its own impact on the environment and is able to help the university to operate in a more sustainable manner.

Operations

Infrared asphalt repair product to repair only what is damaged, saving construction emissions
Cistern systems in place to reclaim rain water from the parking structures
Water-based paint usage
Green Purchasing

Enforcement

Parking Enforcement Representatives use License Plate Recognition technology which:

Eliminates paper permits
Eliminates issuance of unwarranted citations
Reduces the number of patrol vehicles

Our Commitment To Keeping UCI Moving

By managing its physical inventory of parking spaces wisely, Parking is reducing traffic on and off the campus, maintaining the right balance of parking spaces to parking need, and eliminating the additional cost of new lots or structures.

We have a holistic approach to parking which is exemplified in our commitment to "Keeping UCI Moving."

Our approach is to encourage people to leave their vehicles at home by offering subsidized public transportation and ways to get around the campus without a car.
As an example, the complimentary Holiday Shuttle program for all UCI affiliates is successfully reducing traffic to John Wayne Airport and the Irvine Train Station during the busy Thanksgiving and Winter Break travel periods, taking hundreds of UCI passengers to their travel connections.
Additionally, parking is zoned so that the greatest number of people can park in the fewest number of stalls; a concept called shared parking.
Because of efforts to reduce vehicles on campus, new lots and structures do not need to be built. New lots and structures are funded through parking permit sales and their construction paves over open spaces. Because parking is efficiently used at all times, your permit rates stay at one of the lowest rates of all the UCs and UCI remains a campus with an enviable amount of open space.

In addition, Parking's resources help to defray costs of other campus services by directly funding other units, portions of the general campus fund, and various campus projects throughout the year. All of Parking's initiatives keep UCI moving!