Car Park Policy

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Introduction

All users of University Car Parks are deemed to have received and read the Terms and Conditions. Access to car parks, irrespective of method of entry, is deemed to be acceptance of these Conditions. Illegally parked vehicles may be clamped. Anyone found abusing the system may have their means of access revoked and may be subject to legal and disciplinary measures.

The car parking scheme has been operational since September 2004.

After 12 months of operation a Review Group chaired by the Acting Vice-Chancellor was established, with representatives of all staff categories, including Trades Union representatives, the Students' Union President and a lay member of the Council. This group made recommendations which were approved by Planning Committee in April 2005 and subsequently presented to and approved by Council in May 2005.

Operation Hours

All sites except Belfast Frederick St Car Park operate the full scheme. Belfast offers parking for staff and student only who are Blue Badge Permit holders or via the needs based assessment procedure (View the Procedure).

All car parks except Belfast Frederick St Car Park are open throughout the year, excluding 25th December.

Frederick St Car Park opening hours are 6am to 10pm daily and access is permitted as follows:

NBA permit only - Monday to Thursday 6.00am to 7.00pm , Friday 6.00am to 5.00pm.
UU Car Parking Permit Scheme members will be permitted to access Frederick Street Car Park using their staff pass at off peak times weekday evenings and on weekends during the following times: 7pm to 10pm, Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 10pm Friday and all-day (6am - 10pm) Saturday and Sunday.

Car Park charging will apply between the following times:

Monday to Thursday - 7.00am – 7.00pm
Friday - 7.00am – 5.00pm

All other periods will be free of charge. However, irrespective of time of entry or exit, where a parking stay extends before or after the free period, charges will apply for the time before and/or after the free of charge period . Barriers and CCTV will remain in operation 24 hours per day to maintain security.

All vehicles entering or exiting University sites will have to go through vehicle barriers. Access through the barriers will be permitted by a variety of means; permits, top–up cards, tickets or credit and debit cards.

The University reserves the right to close part or all of a car park without prior notice.

Overnight Parking

Overnight parking at Ulster University campus car parks is not permitted except under special circumstances. Examples of exceptions include university related overnight travel. If you require overnight parking due to university-related travel or for other exceptional reasons, you must send an email to carparks@ulster.ac.uk to request permission in advance.

Charging

All staff/students and visitors must pay (within the times outlined above) to use the car parks on all campuses. Access to the Belfast campus is restricted to scheme members and pre-booked visitors.

Disabled staff and students will be eligible for a permit subject to presentation of a valid Blue Badge and a nominal £1 annual fee. Disabled visitors may park in designated disabled spaces and will have to pay the appropriate tariff. Vehicles parked in disabled spaces not displaying a valid blue badge will be issued a parking notice.

Public transport vehicles, mini-buses and private multi-purpose vehicles with a seating capacity of 15 or more, branded light good vehicles, vans, lorries, contractors construction plant, etc. will have free access. University owned/leased vehicles will also have free access.

Taxis will have 30 minutes to drop off and pick up passengers free of charge before having to pay (during charging periods as outlined above).

Bicycles and motorcycles have free access provided they park in a designated bicycle/motorcycle space.

Staff and student owners of motorcycles must register their vehicle with the Car Park and Traffic Management Office by completing the Motorcycle Registration Form and email the completed form carparks@ulster.ac.uk

All vehicles entering the campus (during charged periods) will have a period of up to 30 minutes, free of charge, to drop off/pick up passengers, make collections/deliveries and exit the campus by presenting the ticket, taken on entry, at the exit barrier.

A variety of different methods of payment are available. These include: permits, daily tickets, top-up cards or credit and debit cards.

Annual permit costs are inclusive of all University holidays, with no refunds being available for any holiday or University closure periods. The purchase of a permit, ticket or top-up card only provides the right to hunt for a space on the University Campuses. It does not guarantee a space.

Application for car parking permits should be made via the Online Store, and other forms can be downloaded from the Car Park and Commuting Website or obtained from the Car Park and Traffic Management Office located on each campus.

Current Tariffs and Methods of Payments

Staff Permits

A staff annual permit costs £75 per annum for those up to and including spinal point 23 (equivalent to a charge of less than £1.50 per week) and £150 for those on spinal point 24 and above (equivalent to a charge of less than £3.00 per week). Staff are determined as an individual who has an 'e' code, is employed by the university and paid through the university payroll scheme.

The cost of parking will be deducted directly from employee scheme members' salaries – monthly or weekly depending on salary/wage payment frequency. The regular amount may vary but will generally be 1/12 or 1/52 of the annual amount due. The University will assess the amount paid at the end of the year and may take an additional payment to make up the amount due. Staff permits will operate from the date the member of staff signs-up until they serve notice in writing of their intention to leave the scheme in accordance with section 5 of this Policy.

Staff wishing to avail of direct deductions should e-mail carparks@ulster.ac.uk.

Those staff wishing to buy their permit directly should complete their purchase via the Online Store.

The Staff ID card will be activated and used as a proximity card at the campus control barriers to permit entry to and exit from the campus. The proximity card must be presented each time a staff permit holder wishes to enter or exit the campus. Staff new to the car parking scheme will be required to attend the Car Parking office to validate their staff card, before it will permit access at the campus control barriers.

Staff may wish to avail of the car sharing scheme whereby they pay a proportion of the tariff due depending on the number within the group - 50% of tariff for a group of two, 33% for a group of three and 25% for a group of four or more.

A Staff Car Sharing Supplementary Form should be completed by each person in the group – up to 4 on a form - and handed in to the Car Parking office after application has been made for a staff permit.

Disabled staff will be eligible for an annual permit at a cost of £1 per annum subject to the presentation of a valid Blue Badge and completion of an application via the Online Store.

Student Permits

Students can purchase a 12 month permit for £75, a 9 month permit for £60, a 6 month permit for £40, or a 4 month permit for £26 (equivalent to a charge of approximately £1.50 per week). The duration of the chosen permit will run from the date you request the permit to start.

Applications should be made via the Online Store.

The duration of the chosen permit will run from the date indicated by the purchaser, on the application.

Permits can be activated within 48 hours of payment providing students have been a member of the car parking scheme in the previous 12 months, and they have not changed their student ID card.

For students new to the car parking scheme, they will be required to attend the car parking office to validate their student card, before it will permit access at the campus control barriers.

Where students are car sharing one student should complete the On-line Application with the Group jointly completing the Students Car Sharing Supplementary Form. The charge for a single or shared application is £75 for a 12-month permit, £60 for a 9 month permit or £40 for a 6-month permit. Each student must present their student ID card to be programmed for car sharing.

Disabled students will be eligible for an annual permit at a cost of £1 per annum subject to the presentation of a valid Blue Badge and completion of an application via the Online Store.

Other Users/Non-University Employees Tariffs

Regular car park users who work on campus but are not University staff can purchase an annual Other Users permit at the cost of £150. Alternatively all non-UU employees and students can opt for hourly/daily tickets. Other User is determined as an individual who is not directly employed by the university i.e. is not a member of staff with an 'e' code or not an enrolled student with a 'B' code; but who requires regular access to the university to undertake work which is in support of and for the benefit of the university.

Disabled Visitors

Disabled Visitors may park in designated areas providing they display a valid blue badge and will have to pay the appropriate tariff.

Vehicles parked in disabled spaces not displaying a valid blue badge will be clamped and subject to a £50 release fee.

Hourly or Daily Ticket Tariffs

Infrequent users/Visitors can purchase hourly or daily tickets at the following prices:

Hourly or Daily Ticket Tariffs
Time	Cost	Non-Student/Staff (Derry~Londonderry)
First 30 mins	FREE	FREE
Up to 2hrs	£0.80	£2.00
Up to 3hrs	£1.20	£3.00
Up to 4hrs	£1.50	£4.00
Up to 5hrs	£1.80	£5.00
Up to 6hrs	£2.00	£6.00
Up to 9hrs	£2.50	£9.00
Up to 24hrs	£3.00	£10.00

Drivers using this method of payment press a button and take a paper ticket at the barrier on entry to the campus. Prior to returning to their car drivers must present their ticket at the Pay station, (if over 30 minutes), pay the appropriate tariff, take their validated ticket, return to their vehicle and present their ticket at the exit barrier. Drivers have 30 minutes grace from paying at the Pay station to exiting the campus.

Pay stations are located near the main entrances to/exits from main buildings.

The positions of Pay stations are shown on campus car parking maps.

Pay stations will take notes, coins, credit cards, issue change and provide receipts. Pay stations also accept Euro notes. Change is given in sterling regardless of tendered currency.

Alternatively drivers can present their credit card both at the entrance and exit barriers. There is no need to go to a Pay station. The system will calculate the tariff due and deduct this amount from the card account.

NOTE

If you forget your proximity card permit scheme members may pull a ticket to enter and attend the parking desk on campus and ask for an exit ticket for that day. On the 4th occasion in a rolling year you will have to pay the daily tariff for that visit/day.

All drivers must be in possession of a relevant, valid driving licence for the vehicle they are driving.

All vehicles and drivers must be covered by relevant and adequate insurance cover at all times.

The system incorporates anti-abuse measures which prevent cards being used more than once in any direction without having been used in the opposite direction in between i.e. your card cannot be used for entry unless it has been used to exit beforehand. Also cards will only operate when a car is present at the barrier.

All car park users are expected to fully co-operate with the Car Park and Traffic Management Office /University Estates Patrol Staff to achieve the aims and objectives of this car parking policy.

Failure to comply with the agreed car parking arrangements, and where there are no mitigating circumstances, will be treated as a misconduct issue and the appropriate action taken by informing the relevant Provost/Faculty Dean/Department Director.

Cancellations

When you no longer require a space at the University you must notify Car Park Management and submit the relevant cancellation form via the car parking e-mail, carparks@ulster.ac.uk – the Car Park and Traffic Management Office who will deactivate your card, and arrange for any relevant deductions to be stopped.

Staff must complete and submit a Staff Permit Cancellation Form one full month before they wish to leave the scheme. After leaving the scheme staff are not permitted to rejoin for a further 3 months.

Students who have purchased a permit can only claim refunds for a full six-month period. The cancellation will be effective one month from the date of receipt of the cancellation form. The cancellation form will therefore need to be received before the beginning of the 5th month for a 12 month permit and before the beginning of the 3rd month for a 9 month permit. A completed Student Permit Cancellation Form should be submitted and the cancellation will take effect one month from the date of receipt of the cancellation form. No refunds will be given on 6 month permits.

Other users who have purchased a permit can only claim refunds for a period of six-months or longer. The cancellation will be effective one month from the date of receipt of the cancellation form. The cancellation form will therefore need to be received before the beginning of the 5th month. No refunds will be given for periods of less than 6 month duration. A completed Other Users Cancellation Form should be submitted and the cancellation will take effect one month from the date of receipt of this form. No refunds will be given on 6 month permits.

Short Term and Long Term Sickness

Generally no refunds are given for short-term sickness less than 1 month in duration.
Staff who expect to be absent for periods in excess of 1 month, due to illness, must terminate their participation in the scheme and re-apply on their return. In exceptional circumstances refunds may be given retrospectively to staff absent for more than 3 months who have not terminated their participation in the scheme.

Tariff Increases

Tariff increases are governed by the Ulster University, who reserve the right to vary tariffs giving one months’ notice. Any changes will be publicised before coming into effect.

Reserved Car Parks

A small number of reserved car parking spaces are available primarily for guests/visitors at each campus. These spaces are available on a first come first served basis. Users of these reserved car parks will still have to take a ticket at campus entrances and either pay the tariff at the Pay station or have their ticket validated by their host.

Reserved spaces for visitors or staff can only be booked using Car Park Reservations.

Spaces for visitors should ideally be booked at least 48 hours in advance. Once a reserved space is booked an E Ticket will be sent to the person who made the reservation which can be used to access the reserved parking area. The E Ticket will usually be sent 48 hours in advance of the date of the reservation.

Owing to the limited spaces set aside for reserved parking the upper limit that can be reserved for any single event/day is as follows:

Reserved spaces
Location	Spaces
Belfast (Frederick St Car Park)	10
Belfast (Curtis St / Block BA)	3
Coleraine	19
Jordanstown	37
Derry~Londonderry	14

Motorcycle Parking

Motorcycles have free access and should park in a designated motorcycle space.

For access at Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry campuses and Jordanstown Sports Village, motorcyclists should use the extreme left hand lanes, which are wider and have a cycle route identified on the approach to the barrier. They do not need to take a ticket.

For Frederick St Car Park at the Belfast Campus, motorcyclists must contact University Security using the buzzer at the entrance barrier. There are 10 spaces available and spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis and entrance will be limited to 10 users at any one time.

Electric Vehicles (EV)

EV charging points are available at Belfast, Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry campuses and further information can be found on the sustainable travel web pages.

The EV charging spaces should only be used for charging your vehicle and when finished charging we ask that you move your vehicle to another (non EV charging) space.

Please e-mail carparks@ulster.ac.uk to become a registered user of the UU EV charging scheme or to report a fault.

Remote Validators

Senior Officers, Faculties and Departments who have frequent visitors and who wish to bear the costs of their guests have the option of purchasing and using a remote validator.

Tickets should be validated for guests only and should never be validated for University staff or students. Anyone persisting in this practice will be subject to the University's disciplinary procedures.

Each car park remote validator owner must maintain a list of all transactions validated, including the staff member requesting the validation and the name of the guest, including their organisation details.

The host will instruct their guest to take a ticket at the entry barrier as any other guest/occasional user, but rather than going to a Pay station before returning to their vehicle, the host swipes their guests ticket through the remote validator and this enables the visitor to present this ticket at the exit barrier and leave the campus free of charge (providing it is within the 30 minute 'grace' period).

The system recognises the ticket has been validated by a particular validator, calculates the amount due (based on entry and exit times held on the ticket) and this amount will be deducted from the host's account/cost centre.

The cost of repairs and replacements of validators will be the responsibility of the Senior Officer, Faculty or Department.

Remote validators are available by completing the Remote Ticket Validator Request Form, and returning to the Car Park and Traffic Management Office, at the initial cost of £750.00 each, with running costs then being deducted when used from the appropriate cost centre.

NOTE: Remote validators can only be issued following approval by the relevant Senior Officer and the Assistant Chief Finance and Information Officer. Holders of ticket validators must accept liability for all costs incurred by their remote validator.

Conferences and Events

If you wish to offer complementary car parking to delegates attending a conference you should contact car parking staff who can explain the various tariff options available.

Where pre-issue tickets are required the Advance Issue Complimentary Ticket Form should be completed and sent to the Car Park and Traffic Management Office a minimum of 3 working days before the tickets are required for issue to delegates. The sponsor's cost code will then be debited by the relevant amounts.

Misuse of Permits/ID cards

When an ID Card permit or other parking permit is issued, it is issued for the sole use of the person(s) who completed the application. It must not be lent to other people or used to admit or grant exit to other vehicles because they either do not have a permit or have forgotten their permit. Anyone persisting in this practice will have their permit withdrawn pending investigation, and may be subject to legal and/or disciplinary action as appropriate.

The following acts will be subject to legal and/or disciplinary action as appropriate:

Students discovered to be passing/selling their permits to staff.
Staff discovered to be passing / selling their permit to a third party.
Staff discovered to be using student permits.
Students discovered to be using staff permits.
Using your student/staff card to discount another person’s parking fee.
Using someone else’s blue disabled badge for parking.
Users discovered to be generally misusing permits or tickets.

Anyone discovered to be fraudulently applying or using any type of permit to evade or unfairly reduce their tariff will have their permit revoked.

‘Found’ permits should be handed in to the Car Park Staff at the main reception on campus. Anyone discovered to be using a lost permit will be subject to disciplinary action.

Permits are not transferable.

The University reserves the right to withdraw the use of parking facilities where there has either been misuse of tickets, permits or parking facilities, including 'tail-gating' through barriers.

Immediate Clamping for Illegal, Unauthorised, Careless Parking, Tailgating

Wheel Clamping will be enforced and offenders will be clamped immediately if their vehicle is parked outside designated marked parking spaces or if the vehicle has been involved in tailgating and returns to campus. Tailgating is where a car closely follows the preceding car through an exit or entrance barrier without presenting a valid pass or ticket.

Persistent offenders or anyone removing a wheel clamp without authorisation will have their parking permit for the University withdrawn.

The University will not accept any liability for damage caused by wheel clamping or by the unauthorised removal of a clamp.

Details of the vehicle will be recorded and an infringement notice issued. The vehicle will be immobilised via the use of a wheel clamp.

Warning notices advising of wheel clamping and action required by the driver for release will be prominently displayed in accordance with good practice.

Inside the attached infringement notice will be a ticket, which will enable the recipient to pay the release charge at a Pay-on-Foot station and obtain their clamp release receipt. Pay-on-Foot stations accept cash, coins, and credit/debit cards. To have a clamp released telephone 028 70124331 and follow the directions provided. To maintain equitable and efficient operation and management of University car parks, a firm and consistent approach will be adopted for ALL offenders.

The University reserves the right to monitor and/or stop any vehicles observed tailgating. All such vehicles will be subject to exclusion until the £100 penalty is paid. Any excluded vehicle returning onto university premises will also be subject to being clamped until a release fee of £100 is paid. Note that the University also reserves the right to exclude permanently from all university premises any vehicles involved in tailgating.

An appeal procedure is available, however the payment must be made in advance. If the appeal is successful the clamping/tailgating penalty will be refunded. Appeals should be addressed in writing to the relevant Campus Provost and made within 14 days of being issued the infringement notice

Car Park and Traffic Management Office/Estates Patrol Staff are also empowered to move or tow vehicles causing an obstruction or parked in contravention of the parking regulations.

Only Emergency Services (Ambulance, Doctor, Fire and Police), public transport vehicles plus branded delivery vehicles which are loading or unloading will be exempt from clamping if not parked in a designated space.

Parking and Clamping

All persons parking vehicles on campus do so at their own risk. The University will not accept liability for loss, damage or theft of bicycles, motorcycles, vehicles, and any attachments there to, contents, etc; however caused.

Estates Patrol Staff

Car Park and Traffic Management Office/Estates Patrol Staff have authority to direct traffic on the campus, regulate entry to car parks, exercise control over parking, and ensure compliance with the University's parking arrangements.

Car Park and Traffic Management Office/Estates Patrol Staff are also empowered to affix penalty notices and attach wheel clamps to vehicles parked in contravention of the parking regulations.

General Points

Vehicle Permit Holders should notify the Car Park and Traffic Management Office of any subsequent changes in vehicle details.

The pre-paid permit entitles only one vehicle at any one time to use the car park.

All barriers are monitored by CCTV and each barrier has an intercom for direct voice contact to the Control Room, should assistance be required. All such conversations are recorded.

All Pay Stations are monitored by CCTV and each has an intercom for direct voice contact to the Control Room, should assistance be required. All such conversations are recorded.

Patrol Officers will constantly monitor designated parking areas and the rules governing illegal/ unauthorised parking will be strictly enforced.

Any members of staff or students discovered to be abusing the system will have their permit withdrawn and their card removed from the system. They may not be eligible for any further permit. If you forget your proximity card, permit scheme members may pull a ticket to enter and attend the parking desk on campus and ask for an exit ticket for that day. On the 4th occasion in a rolling year you will have to pay the daily tariff for that visit/day.