Reserved Stall Survey

My next assignment was a survey of all reserved spaces on the Tempe campus. You might ask why is this necessary. Well each reserved space is priced according to which lot or structure it is located in. Say you want a reserved space in the Apache road structure. Well the price for an annual permit is $780.00 and the reserved fee is 1000.00 so the total for a reserved space in the Apache structure is $1780.00. This is why it is important to have an accurate survey of reserved spaces. So we can cross check to see if that person has renewed their reserved permit.

I walked to every lot and structure to do this survey. I was given a lot count to use as a reference point. This count sheet was so off that it generated a new project for me, which I will blog about later. I had to record location of stall, the number and description of the sign. I also hand to list ant stalls that had RESERVED painted on it but had no sign.

ADA Parking Survey

The first real project that I was asked to complete was a survey of all handicap accessible spaces. The ADA has added a new suggested dimension for these spaces and ray needed to know how many spaces would be lost in each lot and how many would be lost campus wide. The new dimension is derived from the fact that most ADA vehicles have side lifts instead of end lifts. 

To accommodate this ADA suggested an increase to the width of the space to eleven feet and to reduce the width of the hatch area to five feet. So off I went with my sketch pad, ruler and measuring wheel. I surveyed every lot and parking structure on the Tempe campus that had Handicapped parking. In each lot I measured and sketched the current layout. Then I would make the suggested modifications and record whether we lost or gained spaces. The results of this survey was that the new dimensions would cost PTS a loss of too many spaces so no changes are planned at this time.

Cross Training part 3

The final area that I was cross trained in was Permit Sales. This department is tasked with selling all permits issued by PTS. There are numerous permits such as: Annual, Semester, Vendor, Reserved, Driving on the mall, parking on the mall, Motorcycle, Staff transit pass, U-Pass, and Validation stickers. These can be purchased in person or online. Some can be purchased online and then picked up in person, although most of these are mailed.

Permit sales agents handle various forms of payment such as: cash, check, credit cards, sun cards, and inter-departmental purchase orders. They are also tasked with being the front line of PTS customer service. I feel their most important function is as provider of information. At least 2 out of every 5 customers I dealt with were there for information. This is a great way to give PTS a better reputation, as most people do not have a high opinion of PTS.

Cross Training part 2

The third area that I was cross trained in was enforcement. The Tempe campus is divided into five zones and each zone has up to two enforcement officers assigned to it at any given time. Enforcement officers travel by foot, bicycle, and golf cart. Those officers in golf carts also provide roadside services. This includes helping students, staff, and faculty with lockouts and dead batteries as long as they are on ASU property. 

Whenever a vehicle is found to be in noncompliance with parking policy, the permit number and or  license plate are entered into the PTS database to verify information and to see previous infractions. If this is their first infraction they are giving a warning. If it is not they are then issued a citation, and or booted. If they are booted, depending on the amount of the citation and the amount owed for previous citations, they could also be towed. Enforcement officers are also tasked with doing lot counts, transportation and delivery services for PTS staff.

Cross Training part 1

The first area of operations that I was cross trained in was parking booth control.  This involves making sure that all of the entry and exit machinery is functioning properly, assisting customers with finding parking, and giving them directions to where they need to go.  The primary purpose of the parking booth attendant is to collect money for said parking.  The Tempe campus has two separate types of payment systems for parking and visitor lots.

The first system is ASU's own and is used in the Apache road structure and the Rural road structure.  The second system is used in the Fulton center garage.  The reason for this is that ASU has the service contract for the Fulton center, but does not own that garage.  The ASU system is one where you pay upon exit.  The Fulton center, you have to go to the booth paid for the hours you apart and receive an exit ticket.  Which you then enter into the exit gate's for the arm to go up to let you out.

The second area that I was cross trained in was cashiering.  Parking and transit's cashiering operations count and distribute funds as necessary throughout the day.  In this department, all money brought in at the visitor parking booths and parking meters is counted, recorded, and prepared for deposit.  This department also is tasked with providing additional change for any and all parking booths as needed throughout the day, as well the collection from and maintenance of all parking meters.

My first week

During the first week of my internship at the Tempe division of parking and transit services was spent being cross-trained in several departments. I was cross trained in enforcement, cashiering, and Booth operations. I was assigned to an experienced staff member, who trained me in each of these areas. The reason for the cross training was so that I would be able to fill in for anyone who was out sick or on vacation. As I had already been trained in permit sales I was not further cross trained in that area.  During the course of my internship I did fill in for both enforcement and permit sales.

The associate director for parking and transit also explained to me at this time that he had a special project that he would need me to handle in the upcoming weeks.  This project was to survey, evaluating, and analyze the impact on our current handicap parking space inventory by implementing the new ADA suggested measurements for handicap parking spaces.  This was the one of many projects that I would do in the course of my internship