With the closure of the West Garage (First Road Parking Garage), and the resulting moves, the overall picture is there’s not enough parking. SHARE members are dealing with chaos, significant time delay, safety threats. SHARE leadership continues to discuss these issues with management.
Below is the summary of parking problems that SHARE sent to management at the beginning of the problems. Below that is the more recent update from hospital leadership about what they are doing in response to everyone’s complaints, including SHARE’s, in case you missed it.
Summary Overview of Parking Concerns
Safety
Employees are quite concerned about walking to the Pine Tree Lot, especially the far-flung upper lot.
Some employees chose to pay extra to park in the West Garage to limit the amount of walking they have to do, because of their own physical limitations. Now they have to walk quite a bit further.
Snow and ice make the walk to the Pine Tree Lot treacherous, especially for those with physical limitations. Walkways are not kept clear, and crossing South Road does not seem safe.
People don’t take the offer of a ride from Security seriously. They feel like it takes Security a while to get to their department when called, and they can’t possibly have time to drive individuals to the lot.
Delays, Wasted Time, and Chaos
The Pine Tree Lot is full by 7:00am when the first shift is coming in because the night shift hasn’t left yet. When the second shift comes in before 3:00, they find the lot full of first shift cars. The fact that there’s room in the lot at 8am, doesn’t help those who have to be at work by 7:00.
When employees arrive and the lot is full, there’s chaos. They have to drive someplace else, and it’s time-consuming and confusing.
Employees are losing 20 minutes to a half hour of their personal time each day due to the increased time it takes to park. That’s unpaid time committed to work, and especially difficult for SHARE members with childcare responsibilities or a 2nd job on a schedule.
Traffic is backed up while cars wait to get into the Pine Tree Lot. This also creates delay for cars trying to get to the Plantation garage.
Walking to and from the Pine Tree Lot takes more time.
People have to try to get to work even earlier to get the limited spaces. That becomes worse and worse as people arrive earlier and earlier.
Now people who didn’t need to shuttle have to add waiting for a shuttle twice a day – to the Pine Tree Lot or to the Plantation garage.
Adding 300 more parkers to the Plantation Garage means more delay for the shuttlers. One SHARE members reports that his department had already shifted their schedules by 15 minutes to try avoid the rush at the Plantation lot. That was a solution to the disciplinary action they were getting from tardiness caused by shuttle delays. Now that 15-minute shift isn’t enough.
Why are employees being told they cannot park in the garage on weekends? Normally those who park at Plantation during the week can use the garage on weekends. Now they are being told they can’t.
Cost
There is a lot of concern and confusion. SHARE members who are paying the same and getting less are angry. Many are worried that they will have to pay more, owing to the confusion caused by the School email.
Transparency
There ought be enough information available that the community feels they understand what’s happening.
Seniority: Some of these parking questions are apparently decided on seniority.
Big picture: What happens when the VA opens? And the new building over the West Garage?
Cost: Years ago employees were told that parking would be free once the (west) garage was paid for. Since then employees wonder what they are paying for. Does the hospital or the School make money on parking?
Official Communication from Hospital Administration
In case you missed it, here is the latest official communication from UMass Memorial about these issues . . .
TO: UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus Caregivers
FROM: Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA, President, UMass Memorial Medical Center
Kathleen Hylka, Interim Vice President, Facilities, UMass Memorial Health Care
DATE: February 25, 2021
SUBJECT: University Campus Safety and Parking Update
This month’s changes in reserved and unreserved parking on the University Campus, combined with the winter weather, have prompted our caregivers to seek clarity and offer feedback about parking and pedestrian movement on campus. The safety of our caregivers, patients and visitors is always our highest priority, and the following information is designed to update you on the improvements we have made, as well as those under discussion, in response to your feedback.
Pedestrian Safety
Caregivers have raised concerns about the safety and current number of crosswalks, sidewalks and walking paths on campus, as well as the effectiveness of lighting and signage. Over the years, UMass Medical School has sponsored traffic studies to determine where to locate crosswalks based on the safest paths for pedestrians. Adding a crosswalk at or near the Pine Tree Lot entrance, as suggested by some, is unsafe, given the number of vehicle entry and exit points in that area. When crossing to and from the Pine Tree Lot, pedestrians must use the crosswalk to the Lazare Building or the crosswalk in front of the ACC Building.
To enhance safety as construction on campus progresses through the spring, additional lighting and flashing lights are planned for the crosswalk between the Ambulatory Care Center and the Remillard entrance, and temporary lighting has now been installed at the Lazare Research Building crosswalk. The school will continue to assess the need for additional lighting and signage, beyond those in the current construction plans.
Preparation for Snow Events
UMass Facilities staff meet prior to each forecasted snow event to plan their response. Pre-treating surfaces and other prep work will take place prior to the start of the storm, based on Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency alerts. The Pine Tree Lot will be cleared to ensure available parking for first-shift parkers, as this timeframe coincides with higher patient/visitor volume. Clearing snow overnight may require closure of the Pine Tree Lot, so signage will redirect traffic to available parking locations. Indeed, whenever the Pine Tree Lot is closed, we encourage parkers to pay special attention to posted signage about other parking availability.
First-shift parkers who wish to park in covered areas during snow events are encouraged to go to the Plantation Street Garage and use the shuttle, which runs from 5 am to 9 pm, Monday through Friday.
Parking and Safety Enhancements Since February 8
We have offered an additional 475 reserved parking spots to first-, second- and third-shift caregivers, based on date of hire or reserved parking waitlist. These caregivers have been informed that upon acceptance, their parking deductions will reflect the reserved parking fee.
In addition, in partnership with the school we have:
Introduced a late-night shuttle from the Pine Tree Lot to the Remillard entrance, initially operating Monday through Friday, 6 pm to 12 am, and now expanded to every day of the week, including holidays.
Stationed Valet, parking attendants and signage at entry gates to redirect parkers if the Pine Tree Lot is full. This will continue as we monitor the impact on the lot from the additional reserved parking spots noted above.
Operated the Plantation Street shuttle on the recent President’s Day holiday, helping us to determine, based on ridership, if future holiday shuttles are necessary.
Stationed Campus Police or security assistants at crosswalks during night shifts to ensure caregiver safety. A police vehicle rounds in lots with lights on to assist pedestrians.
Prioritized Campus Police escort rides and directed officers to remain until the parker is safely in their vehicle (unless the officer must respond to an emergent call).
Reconfigured a monitoring camera to remain stationary and fixed on the Pine Tree lot.
As we continue to work through all of these changes, please continue to pay special attention to signage at the entrance of the Pine Tree Lot.
It is important to note that, over the past four years, no calls have been made from the Pine Tree Lot emergency call boxes, nor have any violent crime incidents been reported occurring in the Pine Tree Lot.
Campus Police encourage caregivers to add the department’s routine business number to their mobile phones: 508-856-3296. If an emergency call box is out of reach, calling this number is the quickest way to contact Campus Police dispatch in an emergency on campus.
Parking and Safety Discussions/Assessments Underway
In partnership with the school, we are also doing the following:
Assessing adjustments to shuttle operating hours based on ridership levels
Assessing parking levels in each of the University Campus lots to determine spot allocation, understanding that we won’t know “normal” volumes until remote caregivers are back on-site and patient volumes return to pre-pandemic levels
Discussing the feasibility of expanding reserved parking for off-shift employees in lots closer to buildings
Assessing lighting in the Pine Tree lot and at crosswalks; recommendation expected in 1-2 months
Assessing current Emergency Blue Light call box locations; recommendation expected in 1-2 months
We hope this information is helpful and responsive to your valuable feedback, which we always welcome. Please continue to let us know how we are doing, and in turn, we will keep you updated on our ongoing efforts to maintain safety as our top priority.