News Release
August 2003
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)- Moravian College will implement a new parking
policy beginning August 15 that will improve parking conditions on
campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods. The new policy addresses
three major goals: add new spaces; better utilize existing spaces;
and emphasize existing and revised parking policies.
Earlier this year, Moravian's parking task force adopted the new policy
after consulting with Trans Associates (parking consultant) of Harrisburg
during the fall of 2002. The College took the initiative in response
to articulated concerns about parking on the part of various college
constituencies and neighbors. The six-member College task force engaged
the campus and surrounding community in the process, working closely
with a six-member neighborhood task force, and the consultant-to ensure
all the key issues were addressed.
The College has operationalized the recommendations of the task force
groups and the consultant, resulting in a number of actions. During
the fall, the College will increase the number parking spaces on campus
by creating new parking areas north of Elizabeth Avenue.
To improve the utilization of existing spaces,
the College has changed the way its lots are designated, creating
categories-resident, premium
resident, faculty/staff/commuter, and faculty/staff. "This action
is intended to reflect the parking practices of various constituencies,
separating transient, daily in-and-out parking from parking of potentially
longer duration," said Sean Tallarico, director of campus safety,
and chair of the parking task force.
The College hopes to reduce the number of people who park in its lots
with expired stickers by switching from decals to hanging tags/stickers. "Once
decals are applied to bumpers, they remain there, providing license
to park in our lots for some who have long left Moravian or sold their
cars or both! The intention is to require all faculty, staff, and students
with cars to have one hanging tag to which a yearly decal will be affixed," said
Tallarico.
All College-affiliated cars are now required to
display the hanging tags/stickers, even if parked in the street. "This will provide
the College with more accurate information about parking practices
and more control in terms of addressing parking issues related to street
parking," exclaimed Tallarico.
To garner greater compliance with the new policy, fees and fines for
violations will be increased. Campus Safety will be conducting license
plate checks on a regular basis in order to ascertain who is parking
on streets adjacent to the College. Even those parked on the street
must have a hanging tag/sticker.
Unless granted special written permission for one of three reasons
(medical, employment, distance), no freshmen are allowed to have vehicles
within a half-mile of campus.
To ease parking at both the Main Campus and Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus
in historic Bethlehem, the College has secured a reduced parking rate
for Moravian Students with the Liberty Center Parking Garage, located
at the corner of Main and North Streets. In order to make the garage
option more attractive for students, Moravian will add the garage to
the Moravian bus route starting with the fall term.
The Parking Task Force will evaluate the effectiveness of the new
policy during the Fall of 2003 as part of an ongoing strategy to inform
the College's parking master plan.
