End-of-year Report of the Traffic Appeals Board

To the University Senate, June 20, 2007

The Traffic Appeals Board is composed of six members: two faculty, two management or classified, and two students. The current (2006-2007) members are faculty: Barbara Oppliger and Andre Moran; management: Karen Chaix and Shirley Brabham; and student: Rachel Dallas. The ASUO did not forward any names for membership this year and Ms. Dallas was reappointed to serve. The Board has met twice during this academic year and will meet again in the summer.

The main task of the Board is to consider appeals referred by the Traffic Petitions Officer and, by a majority vote, determine whether the Board upholds the decision of the Petitions Officer, or dismisses the violation, or imposes an alternative penalty (fine). The average number of appeals at each meeting has been twenty.

Main concerns of Board members continue to be the number of violations that are the result of poor signage in University parking lots: signs too small, too unobtrusive, and too mixed in message; violations related to meter malfunction and difficulties in event parking. There have been fewer appeals this year and therefore fewer meetings. At this time there are no clear statistics on a cause for this: fewer overall citations given or violator satisfaction (if such a condition is possible).

This year's Board has not made any specific recommendations but has noticed a large number of violations for "improper parking'' or parking "over the line" and not in designated spaces. Perhaps this is related in some instances to oversized vehicles on the campus.

The Traffic Appeals Board serves an important university function. This is a hard working Board and its members seem to enjoy serving on it.

Ruth South, Traffic Petitions Officer

Barbara Oppliger, Chair