Vision Statement

The University of Maryland College Park, Department of Transportation Services (UMCP-DOTS) is a self-support agency under the staff supervision of the Vice President for Student Affairs. In 2002, the Department of Campus Parking merged with Shuttle-UM, the University’s student-managed transit provider, to become the Department of Transportation Services. DOTS is dedicated to providing service to the campus community through planning, education, and enforcement. DOTS is the primary agency responsible for administering parking and transit management programs on the College Park campus.

The primary activities of the Department of Transportation Services include the registration of all vehicles driven on campus by, and providing transportation to, all students, faculty, staff and visitors. Additionally, the department has the responsibility of administratively processing parking violation notices issued for illegal parking on the College Park campus. Students who incur parking violation notices and wish to appeal the action must do so through the Student Ticket Review Section (STRS), or the Prince George’s County District Court. Faculty, staff, and visitors may request a review of a parking violation notice through either DOTS or the Prince George’s County District Court.

Departmental Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Transportation Services is to support the teaching, research, and public service mission of the University of Maryland, by providing cost effective services, programs, and products which anticipate the needs of our campus community as they relate to accessing institutionally supported facilities and destinations.

During the past twelve months, since the merger, our department has been in the process of determining our future direction and the above mission reflects this effort. In FY 2004 the campus will begin the implementation planning of the Facilities Master Plan. As this process continues, it is anticipated that this mission may change to more closely match the needs identified through this process.

The goal set by the Department of Transportation Services to meet the above stated mission is to coordinate the availability and safe use of campus transportation venues, which include parking facilities and transit vehicles, by students, faculty, staff and visitors. In order to accomplish this, the Department of Transportation Services is charged with operational objectives that include:

Ø Effective planning to ensure the maximum allotment of parking spaces and safe and dependable transit service routes provided;

Ø Creation and dissemination of administrative policies, procedures and regulations;

Ø Equitable availability of transit services, parking spaces utilizing permit assignments, standardized enforcement, and parking violation reviews;

Ø Facility management, including lot placement, construction, and repair and transit vehicle replacement and maintenance;

Ø Coordination of permanent and special parking and transit programs; and

Ø Public relations programs offering additional services and promoting community interaction through formal and informational exchanges.
DOTS’ Commitments

In order to accomplish its mission, the Department of Transportation is committed to the following:

1. The establishment of short-term goals, long-term plans, and the priorities necessary to give broad direction to all phases of the program.

2. Formulation of policies, procedures and programs necessary to efficiently manage and address the changing needs of the campus community.

3. Development of annual budgets and management of the collection and disbursement of revenue.

4. Provision of training and staff development resources in order to maintain an efficient public relations and customer service oriented office.

5. Proper registration of all University of Maryland, College Park affiliated individuals. This includes faculty/staff, students and regular or special visitors.

6. Consistent enforcement of all University, transit, and parking rules and regulations in order to ensure the availability of transport services and parking spaces and to maintain a safe campus environment.

7. Education of the University of Maryland College Park community regarding transit and parking rules and regulations, the availability of parking and transit services, and maintaining a safe campus environment.

8. Consistent and equitable administration of the parking violations review process.

9. Participation in long-range planning sessions designed to discuss campus trends, program changes, and capital projects in order to anticipate and address the impact upon parking and transit services.

10. Assessment of safety and maintenance requirements associated with campus parking lots, garages, and transit vehicles and to work with relevant campus agencies to resolve identified problems.

11. Respond to unforeseen and/or emergency problems, which impact upon the provision of parking and transit services on campus. This includes assisting or providing services that support the transportation program such as the availability of emergency response vehicles, lot attendant services (PITCrew), and construction projects that affect parking and the flow of traffic in and out of parking areas.

12. Development of a means to effectively manage the parking requirements and transportation demands associated with special events.

13. Act as principle coordinator of the State of Maryland Flagging Program, which is designed to collect campus-generated parking fines from individuals.

14. Organize Departmental Transportation Services Coordinator workshops in order to heighten communication between Department of Transportation Services and University of Maryland College Park faculty/staff.

15. Promote student development and learning and involvement opportunities for student staff who make up approximately 55% of our staff.

16. Dissemination of parking and transit services information to University of Maryland College Park, using various methods of communication.

17. Provide parking and traffic flow management information to campus decision- makers in order to help facilitate decisions for future campus development.

18. Initiation of service provision surveys in order to identify general concerns, to forecast trends, and to anticipate transportation needs of campus community.

19. Communicate with peer universities regarding their operational programs in order to potentially improve the University of Maryland College Park Department of Transportation Services operations.

20. Actively participate in professional organizations such as the International Parking Institute (IPI), the Middle Atlantic Parking Association (MAPA), American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) in order to stay abreast of the latest techniques and technology as they relate to parking and transit management in a university environment.