BPA FOCUS SAFER PARKING SCHEME Making their presence felt
barriers. And our security staff achieved community safety accreditations so their security skills improved and they became an eff ective deterrent.’ T e eff orts have paid off
because the campus car parks are now clean, well- managed and have a 24-hour security offi cer presence, a patrolling parking offi cer who can issue tickets and move people on, helping with parking issues. ‘T e crime rate has dropped
Chris Hoad...
innovative approach to parking challenges
Managing the parking needs of 17,000 students and 3,000 staff on a university campus that is surrounded by a densely populated residential area presents a number of logistical nightmares. So it is to the credit of
the parking team at Brunel University in West London that the campus car park has been awarded the Park Mark award, after vastly improving the provision and security of the facility. Head of security at the university is Chris Hoad, who explained that the campus had 2,315 spaces spread over 22 car parks. T is in itself
causes a problem because there are a lot of people trying to fi nd a parking space. Students who cannot fi nd a space often attempt to park in the streets around the campus, which can cause friction with local residents. T e distance between
parking areas spread around the campus was a second problem that needed to be addressed and the risk of opportunist crime, largely due to the public accessibility of the site, was the third. Hoad said: ‘We invested
heavily in technology, CCTV, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and entry
dramatically over recent years. We used to have one of the worse car crime rates in the greater metropolitan area; in fact we were a real car crime hot spot.’ Hoad acknowledges that
crime can still be an issue, largely due to the nature of the university population. ‘Both students and visitors
to our conferences have a tendency to leave briefcases, laptops or mobile phones lying around in their cars, and unfortunately there are opportunists around who will do a quick smash-and-grab before disappearing into the residential area. ‘International students, in
particular, can be naïve but we are working closely with the local crime
GOOD WORK IN WOKING
Woking Borough Council’s fi ve parking facilities have been re-assessed and subsequently re-awarded Park Mark under the Safer Parking Award Scheme by BPA development manager for the south east, Mike Bibby, and Surrey Police’s accredited assessor, Police Constable Stephen Cake. Bibby reports: ‘The awards
16 JULY 2010
were granted for a further 12 months. Once again, Woking BC’s commitment to the scheme has been proven with all recommendations made by us last year completed, together with relevant recorded crime related incidents reduced by 12. ‘With an annual vehicle throughput of just under two million across the fi ve facilities, this is an excellent
achievement. The
shoppers’ car park was refurbished last year, creating an extremely comfortable environment for users, and received
prevention offi cer and the Safer Neighbourhood Scheme to raise awareness.’ So successful has the team
been that they are being held up by the Tactical Policing Headquarters (TPHQ) at Scotland Yard as a model to other boroughs of a higher education establishment working with the local community. ‘We are working towards
breaking down barriers between the local residents and students and smoothing relations between them. ‘We realise there is a big
diff erence in living styles but the senior management of the university is really behind the project,’ said Hoad. Under the scheme the
students are encouraged to look for alternative travel methods, particularly the use of bicycles. T e award of the Park
Mark refl ects the thought and commitment on the part of the parking team and the university. Hoad spells out the reasons for success: ‘Technology – particularly the CCTV and lighting around the site – a constant human presence and liaising with the police and local community.’
recognition with a BPA award for a refurbished car park.’
He also
praised the council for
its excellent management practices, the high standard of the parking facilities and the
commitment of the personnel.
www.britishparking.co.uk
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