Enforcement. You may have heard that word around campus recently, but what is it? Why is it happening? And most importantly, how is it going to affect your parking at USM?
In our efforts to keep everyone up to date, Parking Services has put this together to clear up confusion, explain what parking enforcement will mean for the campus community, and clarify exactly why we’re doing any of this in the first place.
So what is parking enforcement? As the name implies, enforcement is the piece of parking management that ensures policy is followed and appropriate consequences are issued when necessary. Parking enforcement will ensure all vehicles on campus are permitted or have a paid parking session. Enforcement is also the process through which we will issue violations, fines, and further consequences (such as booting, towing, referral to Community Standards, etc.) for vehicles found breaking parking rules.
USM partners with ParkEngage for our parking and enforcement systems, utilizing LPR (license plate recognition) equipped cameras in all parking lots and garages to track traffic on campus and ensure all vehicles have a valid permit or parking session. There will also be a “boots on the ground” manual enforcement team to make sure rules are being followed within the parking lots as well.
Parking Services encourages ALL members of the campus community to visit our website and review our campus parking rules, as well as your permit specific rules. Rules and policies can change between school years, so we recommend reviewing your parking rules regularly.
You might already have a theory about why we are enforcing parking so let us assure you that enforcement has many positive effects for everyone who parks at USM.
First and foremost is safety. Safety is our top priority in every decision our office makes and enforcement is a critical piece of creating a safe parking environment on campus. Most parking rules and policies are already designed for safety and as we established earlier, enforcement ensures those rules are being followed.
Like most college campuses, there is a high volume of pedestrian traffic in both Portland and Gorham. Enforcement of parking rules helps ensure pedestrian safety as well as vehicle driver safety. In his recent article “Protecting Pedestrians Through Parking Enforcement,” Jay Landers explains that “Parking enforcement can prevent vehicles from encroaching on crosswalks and intersections, enhancing visibility and reducing the risk of accidents.” Enforcement is necessary for creating a safe parking environment on campus.
Second, enforcement is critical for parking data collection. Both our LPR cameras and manual enforcement personnel provide a constant stream of new information about how our parking lots and garages are being used. While it might seem odd to think of it this way, parking spaces are a limited University resource and must be managed as such. Having accurate and instant data is the most effective way to manage this resource.
In an era of increasing technology our data collection methods have become even more accurate and up to date. Data collection and analysis has become a standard aspect of parking management, as highlighted in a 2024 UbiPark article: “Comprehending parking data facilitates the allocation of resources. Through meticulous analysis of utilisation rates and peak periods, entities can adeptly manage staffing levels, ensuring optimal operational support during periods of heightened demand while minimising expenditure during lulls.”
By collecting and analyzing parking data through enforcement, our team will be able to better allocate resources and funding, reassess the effectiveness of rules and policies, and provide more customer service as we gain a better understanding of our communities needs and concerns. Data collection may sound boring, parking data collection even more so, but it is necessary for improving your experience parking on campus.
While analyzing parking data is critical for improving the parking experience on campus, enforcement on its own is also proven to improve customer satisfaction. By ensuring vehicles are following the rules we are able to reduce traffic congestion and driver stress while increasing available parking spaces.
Enforcement means overnight restrictions in certain parking lots are being followed, therefore providing enough parking in the mornings. Enforcement means vehicles parked in fire lanes, ADA disability spots, hashmarked spots, and other direct obstructions to traffic flow are eliminated. Enforcement means a higher quality of parking experience for everyone on campus.
Our team in Parking Services recognizes that parking in general can be challenging. We also know that the transition from no enforcement to full enforcement will be a learning process for everyone on campus. We hope this article helps you understand why enforcement is not only necessary but also a benefit to you and your experience on the USM campus.
As always, please feel free to contact Parking Services with any questions or concerns at usmparkingservices@maine.edu or (207) 780-4718.