Florida A&M University’s Police Department has decided to invest between $39,000 and $42,000 to purchase T2 Parking meters, new vehicles and surveillance cameras on its patrol vehicles on campus to make parking more effective.
The new T2 system allows students license plates to register as a parking decal.
FAMU PD discovered the old parking process was an inconvenience to students and faculty.
The new T2 parking is a well organized and eliminates the hassle of student receiving tickets because of a discrepancy with sticker decals.
FAMU PD discovered this problem when parking became apart of their department in 2014. The department noticed these issues when students, faculty and staff would be in parking services standing in long lines for parking decals.
Students, faculty and staff had difficulty receiving parking decals in a timely manner and were not receiving decals until late September or early October. Also the sticker decals would also fall off or not attach properly to the mirror.
Police Chief Terence Calloway noticed the old system was a hindrance to students and his department. He believe this new system will allow parking to become easier for students and faculty and staff.
“Students are allowed to walk up to the T2 parking meters and pay with a debit card or cash which is convenient. This new system is more effective, more efficient, it’s not to hammer people or get more tickets it’s just the whole process of trying to make thing better for faculty staff and students,” Calloway said.
Although parking services claims this system is more effective, parking services cannot detect whether or not the T2 system has helped decrease the amount of ticket write-ups because the system is not fully operating.
Currently Parking Services are not ticketing non-registered vehicles because the system is not at its full capacity. Once the system is fully operating, parking services has ensured that tickets will be written for non-registered vehicles.
Allison Mcnealy, parking services supervisor believes the system will be running at its full capacity soon and students and staff will paying more attention to where they park around campus.
“The system is not fully set up, but the system is projected to be working fully in the next few weeks and students will definitely get a heads up when the system is back to full capacity,” Mcnealy said.
T2 parking meters have been installed on Wahnish Way in front of Gaither Gym and on Gamble in front of FAMU villages. They are also in front of the girl housing facilities Diamond and Mcguinn.
Also with this new systems, students are able to register two cars instead of one.
James Vaughan, parking services driver, believes the new system is quicker to detect parking violators and to print ticket.
“The T2 system helps with discrepancies because the system is a lot faster and its real time, in the field I can see how many tickets a person has collected with their vehicles and allows the other PST’s to see if I write a ticket and comment,” Vaughan said.
Officers have expressed that many of their first encounters with students is at their car when they receive a ticket.
Parking Services is looking into setting up a booth during Set Friday so students can ask questions and become educated on all the new system rules and regulations.
Any person with questions or concerns about parking services please visit www.famu.edu and search parking services.