Southeastern Louisiana University

New signs clarify traffic flow, rules in parking garage

Contact: Christina Chapple

11/5/08

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     The new signs will clarify traffic flow and rules in the four-story garage -- and also make those rules enforceable, said Mike Prescott, director of the University Police Department.

     Drivers now officially know, for instance, that the speed limit is 5 miles per hour, the garage is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and skateboarding and rollerblading are off-limits. Other signs point to entrances and exits, one-way routes, and elevators and stairs.

     The signs, he said, will enhance safety for the upperclass commuters authorized to park in the garage as well as community members who use the facility for athletic or other campus events.

     UPD Officer Kevin Knudsen, who oversees parking at Southeastern, said he has seen the number of student complaints and parking citations drop since the university opened the garage last January and instituted the Lion Traxx shuttle service.

     With an additional 99 spaces on the garage’s fourth floor now available since the completion last month of the West Strawberry Stadium renovation, Prescott said twice daily checks show that the garage is being well-utilized, especially from mid-morning to early afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when many students schedule classes.

     However, he said that commuters can usually find spaces on the third and fourth floors, even during peak class hours.

     Among the signs added to the garage is the designated stop for the three Lion Traxx shuttle busses. Gary Prescott, assistant director for shuttle services, said the number of riders catching shuttle rides from parking areas to classrooms has tripled since the new service debuted late last year.

     While approximately 500 students a day were initially using the shuttles, riders have now hit a daily average of 1,550, Gary Prescott said, adding that the Lion Traxx’s current record is 1,720 riders in one day. Even with one of the three buses in for repairs during October, 1,200 students were hopping on board daily, he said.

     Now that the garage and shuttles are fully operational, parking will be diligently enforced, including immobilizing the vehicles of repeat offenders, UPD Director Prescott said. He said the UPD “booted” approximately 60 improperly parked vehicles in October.

     “We are enforcing the parking rules and we will boot cars parked improperly,” he said. Owners of immobilized vehicles have to report to the University Police Department in Pride Hall and pay outstanding fines in order to have boots removed.