Vehicles on UCSB Walkways

      


Behrooz Parhami: 2007/06/19  ||  E-mail: parhami@ece.ucsb.edu  ||  Problems: webadmin@ece.ucsb.edu

Other contact info at: Bottom of this page  ||  Go up to: B. Parhami's personal page or his home page

      

On June 19, 2007, Professor Parhami's UCSB ECE website moved to a new location. For an up-to-date version of this page, visit it at the new address: http://www.ece.ucsb.edu/~parhami/petpeeve2001.htm

 

Since 2001, Professor Parhami has alerted UCSB administrators to the dangers of excessive, and unwarranted, vehicular traffic on campus walkways. Changes in policy and enforcement, if any, appear to have had no discernable effect. The following correspondence and photos are posted here to raise the level of awareness to the danger of uncontrolled vehicular traffic on campus walkways. The problem is not limited to the daytime or weekdays; in fact, it is worse during late night hours and on weekends, perhaps due to even laxer enforcement.


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Background and History up to December 2001

Professor Parhami's concern with vehicular traffic on campus walkways began in early 2001, when he noticed unusually heavy traffic on these walkways. One incident, for example, involved a large truck moving on the walkway to the north of UCen (not the access road there, but the walkway between the road and the building) during a particularly busy hour, displacing dozens of people every few meters, as it moved toward the west end of the building. There were also, routine, almost daily, encounters with UPS trucks that drove merrily along the sidewalks on the east side of our campus, stopping in front of every permanent and temporary building to deliver envelopes and small packages (usually small enough to be hand-carried). After each delivery, the driver would hop onto the truck and drive a few meters to his next stop along the walkway. Finally, on several occasions, Physical Facilities vehicles were seen taking shortcuts through the walkways to get from one part of the campus to another, instead of driving along existing roads on the campus periphery.

When the discussion of parking availability and rates ensued on campus, Professor Parhami commented to Chancellor Yang that perhaps the replacement of parking lots and access roads with buildings was in part responsible for the increased vehicular traffic on walkways and suggested that planning for new building should include provisions for adequate replacement of parking spaces and access roads that are lost. It occurred to Professor Parhami that campus walkways should enjoy the same status as city sidewalks; try driving or biking on a sidewalk along State Street in Santa Barbara to find out how violations of this type should be treated on campus. Several e-mail exchanges with the campus administrators produced no change, leading to greater involvement by Professor Parhami in documenting and reporting the abuses. What follows is a partial record of the latter efforts.

All of the correspondence items below produced replies acknowledging the importance of the problem; the replies, however, are not posted because they are deemed private correspondence. Through these exchanges, Professor Parhami learned a great deal about administrative buzzwords such as "rolling stock" (wheeled means of transportation) and "hardscape" (as opposed to softscape?).

While we await action by the campus administration to limit driving on walkways to genuine emergencies and deliveries of heavy or bulky items that cannot be transported with dollies and similar equipment (with the latter done through explicit permission acquired for each trip, preferably during off-peak hours), we can help the situation by confronting the violators. If you can, please write down the date and time, campus location, type of vehicle, any information identifying the owner (e.g., name of company), and its license plate number and send the information in an e-mail message to Mr. Tom Roberts, Director of Parking and Transportation Services at tom.roberts@park.ucsb.edu. Please send a copy of the message to Professor Parhami, so that he can keep track of the extent of violations.


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Letter to Chancellor Yang on 2001/12/7

I have written to you previously about the dangers of motor vehicles gratuitously using campus walkways, especially during times of peak pedestrian traffic. Such frequent misuse, combined with students (inappropriately) skateboarding or biking on walkways, constitute a recipe for disaster. Please do not wait for an accident to happen before ordering appropriate action.

I have been observing unwarranted use of walkways by vehicles around the Engineering I building where I work. I have witnessed near-accidents on three occasions. Today, I encountered three new incidents that prompted me to write this note to document the extent of misuse.

Walking from the Engr. I building toward the library on my way to a final exam (around 8:45 AM), I noticed a UCSB light truck (license plate 1110658) following the red path (1) on the following diagram on its way to the west end of Broida Hall. The path contains two sharp and partially blind turns. I don’t know if the truck absolutely had to be there, but even if it did, it could have gotten to that point through a much shorter direct path from the road on the east side of the library.

Returning from my exam around 12:10 PM, I came across, and had to share the narrow walkway with, a huge UPS truck following the blue path (2) on the diagram. I have noticed the same inappropriate use of the walkways by UPS trucks on at least a dozen occasions before. Why can’t courier services park on roads and use carts or dollies to make their deliveries?

The final straw came two minutes later near the Engr. I building. Approaching the building from the west side, I saw a large unmarked truck leaving the vicinity of the Nic 2 coffee cart, following the green path shown (3). The roadway on the north of Engr. I building is at most 100 ft. away from this location and the pastry containers that the truck was hauling away have wheels.

I apologize for taking your time for such a matter, but I believe that safety on campus must take precedence over the convenience of these drivers.


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E-note to Julie Sears and David Gonzales on 2002/3/6

Whatever talk you had with UPS apparently did not work. Yesterday (3/5/02), around 12:10 PM, on my way to a meeting, I encountered a UPS truck (license plate 5J13190) driving on the walkway next to the iQUEST building, west of Davidson Library. The driver delivered a single package which he carried under one arm (i.e., not a bulky or heavy one) and left. On his way out, he had to drive through a very large crowd on the E-W and N-S walkways and the adjoining bike path. One female student playfully climbed onto the step in the rear of the truck as it was moving southward and jumped back down after a few seconds; I wonder if the driver even saw her, because he certainly did not stop or slow down.

Per the campus map that you gave me, that area is not part of the "vehicle-free zone"; perhaps it should be. I urge you to take one of your PF trucks and do a test-drive in that area during interclass recess periods or the lunch hour to see if the practice is safe. To me, it is a matter of common sense; walkways should not be used for routine driving, even if they are not officially declared out-of-bounds for vehicles.

Sending these complaints is taking up a great deal of my time. It is not part of my job to report these. Because I walk on campus only once or twice a day, I only see a small fraction of these incidents. However, I will not stop until I see some effective countermeasures implemented. Just because an accident has not occurred in the past should not lead us to complacency. Student and staff lives are in danger!

To Daily Nexus Editor: Please assign one of your writers/reporters to investigate this problem, talk to students, etc. I'll be happy to give you some background and my views on the problem. This is an important issue for all of us on campus.


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E-note to Tom Roberts on 2002/5/1

Having read the announcement of your appointment as Director of Parking and Transportation Services, I am writing to welcome you to UCSB and to alert you to a problem that has occupied me for the past year or so. I have communicated these concerns to Mr. David Gonzalez and to Chancellor Yang, but the problems fall most directly in your jurisdiction. So, here they are.

It seems that campus walkways are being increasingly invaded by vehicles of all sorts, most notably those used by UPS, FedEx, and our own Physical Facilities. While driving on the walkways to deliver large pieces of equipment or furniture on an occasional basis is understandable (in the same way that a moving van may park on a city sidewalk for a short period of time), routine driving to deliver envelopes and small boxes to each temporary building, stack the Daily Nexus in the newspaper racks, restock vending machines, etc. is in my view unacceptable. I frequently see Parking Services staff checking parking permits and issuing citations around campus, but I have never observed one of these trucks or other vehicles stopped and the driver asked about the nature of his business that necessitates driving on the walkways.

I am following up on this issue as a faculty member who is concerned for the safety of faculty, staff, and most importantly students who frequent these walkways more than any other group. In case Chancellor Yang or Mr. David Gonzales have not provided you with my past comments on this topic, I would be happy to meet with you in this regard.


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E-note to Tom Roberts on 2002/5/15

Thanks for your response to my concerns about vehicles misusing the campus walkways and your willingness to take action despite the finding that your staff "is not allowed under California law to write moving violations." What you suggest is certainly a step in the right direction, as I had never seen anyone even questioning these drivers, most of whom drive on the walkways simply for their convenience (in some cases, I have observed them drive on walkways that are parallel to, and only a short distance away from, roadways).

I would like to propose, however, that we should work toward a more comprehensive long-term solution. Some elements of, and justifications for, such a solution are discussed below.

1. When your staff cite parking violators, this is because (one would hope) illegal parking is unsafe and/or intrusive, not simply because it generates revenues for Parking Services. Taking this view makes it obvious that driving on walkways is at least an order of magnitude more hazardous and annoying than illegal parking. So, Parking and Transportation Services must make this a priority.

2. The increased misuse of walkways is probably related to the dearth of parking spaces and access roads created by the increased density of buildings on campus. In fact, discussion of parking issues is what prompted me to write about traffic on walkways in the beginning. So, the problem must be viewed in the context of an overall plan for traffic flow and safety on campus.

3. There is a campus map, designating a small area of the campus as "Vehicle Free Zones," that I have been told is supplied to businesses and others who deal with the campus. By implication, this map suggests that the rest of the campus is not vehicle-free. I suggest that this map be updated to include all the walkways on campus as vehicle-free zones.

4. It is understandable that occasionally vehicles may need to get close to buildings or other areas to deliver or drop off heavy pieces of equipment, furniture, etc. I suggest that any vehicle driving on a campus walkway for this purpose be required to obtain a special authorization from Parking and Transportation Services separately for each instance and that it use flashing light or other warning devices. Note that in my view, stacking the Daily Nexus in newspaper racks, resupplying vending machines, or routine service calls by the Physical Facilities staff do not qualify for such an exception.

I am copying this note to Chancellor Yang, because he shared some of my concerns and at one point encouraged me to follow up on these with you after your arrival on campus, and to the Daily Nexus to raise the awareness of campus citizens (especially students who face the greatest danger). Perhaps as a short-term solution, each of us can simply write down the license plate, time, and location of each vehicle that we see driving on a campus walkway and report them to you in Parking and Transportation Services.


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E-note to Tom Roberts on 2002/8/16

I wrote to you previously about abuses of campus walkways by motorized vehicles large and small. I am writing again to indicate my disappointment with the progress in ensuring the safety of the campus community as they frequent these walkways. The many construction sites around our campus have only made the problem worse. This is a good time to take stock of the situation before the onset of fall quarter activities which will involve more people on these walkways, including incoming freshmen who may not be as alert to this situation.

I suggested previously that the parking personnel should start issuing tickets to these violators. Many of these violations (see examples below) can be viewed as parking violations; so no new authority seems to be needed. I would go further and suggest that issuing parking tickets on a regular basis, while serious moving violations go unpunished, is quite silly. Please also reconsider my other suggestion that any driving on a campus walkway require authorization on a case-by-case basis (that is, authorization for a specific date and time).

The following represent about 10% of the cases that I have personally witnessed over the past few weeks.

Case 1: A mail services light blue Ford van (License E388957) was parked on the walkway to the west of Engineering I, next to the Nic coffee stand, on three consecutive days around 8:40 AM: 8/14,15,16/2002. Engineering 1 has a loading area to the north of it. Upon noticing the van on the way to my office, I checked the loading area to see if by any chance it is completely full. Each time, there were only 1-2 cars in the area. In particular, a restricted service stall was available on all three days.

Case 2: Two Physical Facilities vehicles (a sedan and a small van) were driving together on the walkway to the west of Engineering II on 8/14/2002, around 8:40 AM. The date may be off by a day, as I did not take notes on that day. The two vehicles came to a stop and parked near the middle of Eng II's western face and the crew inspected the bike path in that area. I did not see any heavy equipment or tools used during this visit.

Case 3: A mail services van (License 909453) was parked next the temporary building 698 just to the west of Engineering 1 around 8:50 AM on 7/29/02. I observed as the driver and another person delivered a couple of small items to the building on a dolly (nothing heavy or awkward to carry). The point where this van had parked is at most 100 ft away from a roadway.

Case 4: A red Chevrolet Prism (License 4SDX087, with an A parking sticker) was parked on the walkway between South and Girvetz Halls, near the Academic Senate offices, for most of the morning on Sat. 6/29/2002.


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Photos of Actual Incidents in October 2002

The following photos of vehicles driving or parking on campus walkways were taken by Professor Parhami during routine walks to classrooms or meetings, with no special effort to catch violators in the act. Thanks are due to Mike Moore for scanning and editing the photos.

 

  

2002/10/18, around noon: Vehicles parked in front of the Engineering Annex (north face of Bren Bldg. is seen in the background).

 

  

2002/10/18, around noon: Vehicle parked in the Bren Building courtyard.

 

  

2002/10/18, around noon: Vehicle parked on the south side of Broida.

 

  

2002/10/18, around noon: Vehicle parked to the northwest of Webb Hall

 

  

2002/10/18, early afternoon: Van driving on the walkway to the west of Engineering I and MRL.

 

  

2002/10/18, early afternoon: Trucks using the west pedestrian entryway of Engineering II as a loading dock and, in the process, blocking it almost completely.

 

2002/10/21: FedEx truck using the south pedestrian entryway of Engineering II as a loading dock.  Just before this photo was snapped, a pedestrian leaving Engineering II almost collided with a fast-moving bike because the truck was completely blocking her view of the bike path.

 

2002/10/23: Van parked to the north of Bren Building.

 

2002/10/24, around 8:30 AM: Truck taking a long and winding path on walkways as it stacks the Daily Nexus in numerous racks around the campus. Here, it is shown to the northeast of Davidson Library, going toward Buchanan Hall.

  

2002/10/24, around 8:30 AM: Truck leaving the area to the west of Buchanan Hall after stacking the Daily Nexus in a rack.

 

2002/10/24, around 8:30 AM: Facilities Management truck on its way from the walkway to the east of Webb Hall toward Davidson Library, as it passes to the south of Broida.

 

2002/10/24, around 8:30 AM: Truck parked on the walkway to the west of Kerr Hall.

 

2002/10/24, around 8:30 AM: Vehicles parked on the north side of the Arts Building (the corner adjacent to the bike path and Storke Tower).

 

2002/10/24, around 8:30 AM: Truck parked on the north side of the Arts Building (the corner adjacent to the bike path and Storke Tower).

 


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Letter Printed in 93106 on 2002/11/4

[The following letter is 93106's shortened version of the e-mail message of 2002/8/16 to Mr. Tom Roberts, the full text of which appeared earlier on this page.]

I wrote to you previously about abuses of campus walkways by motorized vehicles, large and small. I am writing again to indicate my disappointment with the progress in ensuring the safety of the campus community as they frequent these walkways. The many construction sites around our campus have only made the problem worse.

I suggested that parking personnel start issuing tickets to these violators. Given that many of these violators park on walkways for extended periods of time (e.g., to make deliveries), no new authority seems to be needed. I would go further and suggest that issuing parking tickets on a regular basis, while serious moving violations go unpunished, is quite silly. Please also reconsider my other suggestion that any driving on a campus walkway require authorization for a specific date and time.

Roberts responds [to 93106]: 

We do have a problem of service vehicles parking on campus [walkways]. But that is often because their designated spaces are taken by folks with special area permits, the amount of which we have now reduced. We are inventorying the number and location of service spaces. We want to give delivery people a map showing where they can park and off-load; then we will enforce the restrictions as part of a comprehensive solution.


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Letter Printed in Daily Nexus on 2002/12/5

UCSB Sidewalks Are Not the Play Things of Drivers

Editor, Daily Nexus

Most of us have dodged cars and trucks driving on campus walkways on numerous occasions. For more than a year, I have attempted to alert UCSB administrators to the dangers of excessive and unwarranted vehicular traffic on campus walkways. Changes in policy and enforcement, if any, appear to have had no discernable effect. Frequent offenders include courier services, whose drivers feel entitled to drive on walkways to deliver small packages to buildings located along walkways, Physical Facilities vehicles that use walkways as shortcuts, and the Daily Nexus distributor, who drives on walkways to stack the paper in numerous racks around the campus.

Campus walkways should enjoy the same status as city sidewalks. One does not see cars and trucks on State Street sidewalks in downtown Santa Barbara, yet our walkways are sometimes more crowded than most city sidewalks. [Bikers and skateboarders also create dangers on walkways, but that is a different story. (Sentence removed by editor.)]

It is only reasonable to expect that driving on campus walkways be limited to emergencies and deliveries of heavy or bulky items that cannot be transported by other means, with the latter done in nonpeak hours to the extent possible and with specific exception granted for each trip. General deliveries, routine service calls, and restocking of vending machines do not qualify for exceptions. It is quite silly to issue parking citations to people who have parked in legal parking stalls but happen to have the wrong kind of permit or have exceeded their timed permit by a few minutes while serious moving violations go unpunished. I have never witnessed any of these vehicles stopped to have their reasons for driving on walkways questioned, yet I witness parking citations being issued almost daily.

While we await action by the campus administration to restrict driving on walkways, we can help the situation by confronting the violators. I have prepared a Web page

http://www.ece.ucsb.edu/Faculty/Parhami/petpeeve2001.htm 

outlining my efforts on publicizing this problem and containing actual photos of some of the offenses in late October 2002.

If you can, please write down the date and time, campus location, type of vehicle, any information identifying the owner (e.g., name of company), and its license plate number and send the information in an e-mail message to Mr. Tom Roberts, Director of Parking and Transportation Services at tom.roberts@park.ucsb.edu . Copy your message to me and add a note stating whether you want it made public via the Web page above.


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Did the Dreaded Accident Finally Happen?

On January 10, 2003, Professor Parhami learned of an accident between a bicycle and a vehicle that occurred at an unspecified date on the bike path between Web Hall and Davidson Library. Professor Parhami is unaware of accident details or identities of the parties involved. It appears, however, that this Web page is being used as an information source in the legal proceedings. It would be indeed regrettable if the information herein were used to advance the cause of a frivolous lawsuit. On the other hand, it appears that our society is moving in a direction that lawsuits, or threats of lawsuits, are required to garner attention or to produce action. Even in purely academic settings (such as student admissions or faculty advancements), it is not unusual for a discussant to try to advance his or her ideas by mentioning that doing otherwise could lead to a lawsuit; then, s/he gets the full attention of the other participants in the discussion.


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Photos of Continuing Violations in 2003 

UPS van jumping the curb as it leaves the walkway to the south of Engineering II on 2003/4/11. The van was parked on the walkway, thereby almost completely blocking it, for at least 15 minutes.

Unmarked truck on the grass to the west of Engineering 1 on 2003/07/16, around 9:50 AM. This truck, apparently belonging to a company that services the vending machine at the west entrance to Engineering 1, was previously reported to campus authorities as a security concern (given that it is completely unmarked). Later, it became clear that it belongs to a vendor. Either no one informed the company that the practice of driving on the walkways and parking on the walkway/grass is unacceptable or they ignored the warning. It is doubtful that they ever received a parking ticket either, despite the truck being in the area for 20-30 minutes at a time, several times a week. Many other vehicles routinely park in this general area. For example, a black Chevrolet van (License 384326, UCSB vehicle ID 8193) was parked on the walkway between MRL and Engineering 1 buildings (behind the tree visible to the left of the van above) around 9:45 AM on 2003/07/24. The following two photos contain other examples.

Vehicles parked on the grass (or what is left of it) to the west of the MRL building on 2003/07/21.

Vehicles parked on the grass to the west of the MRL building on 2003/07/22. Professor Parhami was told a while ago that an official UCSB vehicle parking illegally must display a banner on the dashboard that identifies the unit to which the vehicle belongs and provides a phone number for contact in case of an emergency. None of the vehicles in the previous two photos had such a banner.

UPS van on the walkway to the north of South Hall on 2003/07/18, a few feet from the roadway.

Another example of a walkway and steps misused as a loading dock (2003/07/18).

This fence-enclosed area holds several temporary buildings, including one with a loading dock marked "Physics Receiving." This means that cars and trucks routinely drive there (photo taken on 2003/07/18). However, there is no clearly marked path for the vehicles to follow and no sign warning the pedestrians on the walkway about vehicle crossings. It appears that the intention was for vehicles to use the roadway to the north of Engineering 1 and MRL buildings, turn right onto the dirt area visible at the left of the photo, and then carefully cross the walkway to get into the enclosed area. Most vehicles, however, opt to drive over the smoother north-south walkway to the west of Engineering 2, sometime at high speeds. Furthermore, it appears that some enterprising students have discovered that they can park in the area, behind one the buildings (so as not to be visible from outside), and walk to their classes, without getting parking tickets. 

This area to the east of the Arbor is one the busiest walkways on campus. A few feet  ahead of the van shown is a roadway that ends abruptly, without a curb or any warning to the drivers that they are entering a no-vehicle zone. The hot dog vendor located there routinely drives on the walkway to load and unload supplies. On 2003/07/10, Professor Parhami observed a white Toyota Tundra (license plate reported to the campus authorities) driving from the road to the south of Kerr Hall unto the walkway leading north toward North Hall. It parked at the point were the walkway passes under the building. A couple emerged from the vehicle, unloaded two bikes from a bike rack, and engaged in conversation next to the vehicle. Professor Parhami suggested that the couple may have been unfamiliar with the campus, thinking that the walkway there was a continuation of the roadway. Professor Parhami then proposed that a curb be built in that area to clearly mark the end of the roadway, making it impossible for vehicles  to accidentally, and unknowingly, drive unto the very busy walkway.

Van driving on the walkway between Chemistry and new Engineering Sciences Buildings on 2003/10/16.

Truck parked on the walkway to the south of Ellison Hall on 2003/10/16. Doesn't Ellison Hall have an entrance for deliveries?

Recycling 5-wheeler on its leisurely trip along the walkway to the west of Engineering II on 2003/10/20. This is perhaps the most violated walkway on campus, with trucks, vans, and bikes moving there at all times.

The Daily Nexus distributor stops on the west side of Engineering I on 2003/10/20 . . .

. . . and continues on toward the library on the walkway to the south of Broida. One year ago, these violations were brought to the attention of campus administrators and the Daily Nexus (see photos from 2002/10/24 earlier in this page), yet they continue daily.

This walkway to the west of the MRL building is immediately adjacent to a roadway; why couldn't this service van park on the roadway which is no more than 50 ft ahead of its current location? While some service vehicles may be justified in using the walkways, the violations are too numerous to be legitimized by the needs of service vehicles. In fact, on 2003/11/17, around 8:15 AM, Professor Parhami observed a black van park at approximately the same location as this white van. The driver emerged, walked briskly to the south side of MRL, picked a flower, walked back to the van, and drove away; this happened too quickly for a photo to be taken or even for the license plate to be jotted down.

Automobiles routinely park on the east side of this temporary building immediately to the west of Engineering I. This photo was taken on 2003/10/24.

Truck driving from the south side of Broida toward the Davidson Library on 2003/11/4.

Bicycles also abuse campus walkways on a daily basis; here, two bike riders negotiate a busy walkway to the south of Broida on 2003/11/25.

Huge trucks should probably be banned from the narrow roadways of our campus, let alone on walkways. Vendors should be asked to use smaller vehicles for campus deliveries. This photo was taken on 2003/11/26 to the west of Engineering II.

The north side of Physical Sciences North, on 2003/12/10.

Here is a repeat violator; an unmarked vendor truck jumping the curb on the west side of MRL, after parking on the busy walkway to the west of Engineering I for about 15 minutes.

Huge Coca Cola truck seen parked on the south of Engineering II on 2003/12/18, completely blocking a walkway and crosswalk and forcing pedestrians to find their way through bushes and dirt. Again, why can't vendors be asked to use smaller vehicles for campus deliveries?

The walkway and steps to the west of Engineering II continue to be used as loading dock in this photo of 2003/12/29.

Let's end the photos for this year with the same UPS van that began the sequence of photos for 2003, shown here in exactly the same south walkway of Engineering II (2003/12/29).

Thanks are due to Lisa Dahlen and Libby Straight for help with scanning of the photos above.


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And They Are Still Going Strong in 2004 

UCSB van parked on dirt, between two trees, after driving on the walkway to the west of Kerr Hall (2004/01/08).

FedEx van driving on the walkway to the west of Kerr Hall (2004/01/08). This and the previous photo were taken by Professor Parhami as he walked to a meeting and on the way back.

And of course the Daily Nexus distribution truck continues its early morning grand tour of the campus walkways; it is shown here on 2004/01/12 to the west of Engineering I.

Here is an SUV (apparently not a vendor or maintenance vehicle) driving merrily on the walkway to the west of Webb Hall on 2004/01/14

Bren Hall courtyard on 2004/01/14. This area is literally inside the building and is not intended for vehicles, except in emergencies.

Even this serene core area of our campus, to the east of North Hall, between the Arbor and Cheadle Hall, is not immune from vans, trucks, and other vehicles (2004/01/16).

Auto on walkway to the west of Webb Hall, as it approaches the busy walkway connecting Engineering I to the Davidson Library (2004/01/28).

Truck parked to the south of Physical Sciences North building (2004/01/28).

Van parked on the walkway between Physical Sciences North and Phelps Hall (2004/01/30).

Another shot of the now familiar Daily Nexus distribution truck on the walkway connecting Engineering I to the Davidson Library (sometime between 2004/01/30 to 02/07).

Truck driving northward on the walkway to the west of Davidson Library, right past a sign announcing that no bicycles are allowed in the area (2004/02/07).

Van using a bicycle path to get around pylons, presumably placed to discourage autos from driving on the walkway to the west of Engineering II (2004/02/23). It appears that Transportation and Parking Services has given up on using these pylons (they are no longer there), given that they were routinely moved aside by drivers who wanted to use the walkway.

Van parked on the walkway to the west of Engineering II, next to the "Physics Receiving" temporary building (2004/02/23).

UCSB Dining Services van parked next to the steps to the west of Engineering II (2004/02/23).

Van driving from the walkway to the west of Engineering II onto the bike path leading to Engineering I (2004/04/23).

Unofficial bike path to the north of the Physical Sciences South building (2004/02/24); sometimes, there are more bikes than pedestrians on this walkway.

SUV and truck parked to the south of Broida, next to the large classrooms (2004/02/26). This scene occurs several times per week.

Large, unmarked delivery van almost completely blocking the walkway, already narrowed by construction fencing, to the west of Engineering I and MRL (2004/03/03).

Thanks are due to Lisa Dahlen and Libby Straight for help with scanning of the photos above.


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Why Should Things be Different in 2005?

Early morning on March 31, 2005, looking north from the walkway passing under the Physical Sciences North Building.

Early morning on April 1, 2005, looking northwest from the Engineering I Building. The truck is used to distribute Daily Nexus and appears in the  following photo as well (real photo, not an April fool).

The Daily Nexus distributor leaving the Engineering I area via the walkway to the east of Broida Hall (April 1, 2005).

At noon on April 4, 2005, looking south toward Broida Hall. Driving on lawns may be justifiable in emergencies or for some grounds work, but the driver of this particular vehicle drove on the walkway to the south of the Physical Sciences North Building, entered the lawn, and stopped; he then got out and sat down next to the vehicle to have lunch.

Around noon on April 5, 2005, looking southwest toward the UCen Building. This van is parked on the walkway between the Music Building and UCen. There is a parking area right behind the van and another lot nearby behind the photographer.

This photo of a parked UPS van, blocking the south pedestrian access to the Engineering II building, was taken in the early afternoon on April 20, 2005. Either campus officials did not inform UPS, which has been parking and driving illegally on campus for years, that this practice is unacceptable or UPS continues to ignore the warnings.

The Daily Nexus distribution truck, caught one more time around 8:15 AM on April 27, 2005, on its grand tour of the campus walkways (shown here to the south of Broida Hall, driving from Engineering I Building toward Davidson Library).

Large delivery truck parked to the west of Engineering I building, early AM on May 4, 2005.

Vehicle driving from the south of Phelps Hall, through the covered walkway, and into the courtyard, around 2:00 PM on May 4, 2005.

Truck parked on the walkway to the west of Engineering II Building in the early morning of May 5, 2005, around 20 meters from a parking area for service vehicles. All spaces in the parking area were available at the time this photo was taken.

On a rainy day (May 5, 2005), the driver of this van preferred the covered walkway at the west entrance of Engineering II Building to the wide open service parking area that is about 30 meters away.

Vehicles parked near the Engineering Science Building, around noon on May 11, 2005.

Truck parked to the south of Broida Hall, in the afternoon of May 12, 2005.

This particular truck usually prefers to park on the walkway to the west of Engineering II Building. It is shown in this photo on May 16, 2005. Clearly visible behind the truck is a service parking area with 8 of the 10 spaces available.

This vehicle entered the northbound walkway leading from the UCen to North Hall around 12:45 PM on May 17, 2005. It drove (with only short stops to allow bikes and pedestrians to clear its path) from the UCen to the Arbor (see the next photo) and continued on to the walkway that goes through North Hall (see two photos down), obviously using this busy walkway as a shortcut for getting across the campus.

The vehicle described above as it goes through the busy narrow walkway at the Arbor.

The vehicle described above as it continues through the walkway under North Hall.

Van parked on the walkway to the south of Broida Hall around 7:00 PM on May 17, 2005.

Vehicle parked in the northwest corner of Phelps courtyard, around 7:00 PM on May 17, 2005.

The walkway to the north of the Physical Sciences North building is a favorite parking spot for many vans and trucks (May 24, 2005).

Huge truck leaving the vicinity of Engineering II via the walkway to the west of the building (around 6:30 PM on May 27, 2005). The truck's tire marks on the walkway are shown in the next photo.

Tire marks left by the huge truck shown in the previous photo may help to explain the uneven and damaged surfaces of many campus walkways (May 27, 2005).

Van parked on the walkway to the south of Broida Hall, around 7:30 PM on June 6, 2005.

Truck driving on the walkway to the south of Phelps Hall around 8:30 AM on June 7, 2005.

Truck driving on the walkway to the north of the Physical Sciences North Building around 8:30 AM on June 7, 2005.

Truck driving on the walkway to the west of the Engineering II building around 8:30 AM on June 7, 2005. Note that the incidents depicted in this and the previous two photos were shot on the same morning as Professor Parhami walked from the parking lot to the north of Phelps Hall to his office in Engineering I.

FedEx vehicle parked on the walkway to the east of Webb Hall around 10:30 AM on June 9, 2005.

Light truck moving toward the west end of the Engineering I building around 6:00 PM on June 13, 2005.

Van parked to the south of Broida Hall around 6:00 PM on June 13, 2005.

Large truck parked to the west of the Engineering II Building around noon on June 14, 2005 (please see the next photo).

Close-up of damaged steps due to the truck in the previous photo and similar vehicles using this area to the west of the Engineering II building as a loading dock.

UPS van parked to the south of the Music Building, near UCen in the early PM on June 14, 2005.

Van driving on the walkway to the west of the Engineering II building (late PM on June 14, 2005).

Vehicle parked to the west of the Engineering I building, adjacent to MRL (late PM on June 15, 2005).

Truck driving on the walkway to the west of the Engineering II Building around noon on June 16, 2005.

Truck on the walkway to the west of Engineering I, early AM on July 8, 2005.

DHL delivery van to the north of Physical Sciences north, mid morning on July 26, 2005.

The walkway, to the east of Building 406, between Broida Hall and Davidson Library, looks busier than a street in this photo taken in the early evening on October 10, 2005.

Truck parked next to a temporary building close to the southeast corner of the Chemistry Building, around 8:20 AM on October 11, 2005.

Heavy truck on the walkway to the west of Engineering I, around 8:25 AM on October 11, 2005.

Unmarked truck parked at the southeast corner of the Chemistry Building, next to Chem 1179 classroom, around 6:00 PM on October 12, 2005.

Two vehicles parked on the walkway to the southwest of the Chemistry Building, around 8:30 AM on October 18, 2005.

Immediately after the previous photo was snapped, a third vehicle passed in front of the two parked ones, after making a left turn from the walkway to the south of the Chemistry Building.

Bicycles parked near the west entrance of Engineering I on November 2, 2005, around 7:00 PM.

Large truck moving on the walkway to the west of Engineering II on November 8, 2005, around 2:30 PM.

Van parked on the walkway between the Arbor and Davidson Library on November 18, 2005, around 4:00 PM.

Vehicle parked across the sidewalk to the west of Bren Hall, thereby completely blocking it (November 22, 2005, around 1:00 PM).

Several cars parked on the lawn near the northeast corner of the UCen, around 1:00 PM on November 22, 2005.

In this photo, taken shortly after 9 AM on 2005/12/7, the walkway to the west of ESB and Engineering II, looks more like a busy street.

 


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The Violations Begin Very Early in 2006

The first documented violation of the campus walkways in 2006 is captured in the following sequence of five photos.

Around 8:15 AM on Monday, January 9 (first day of classes in 2006), the Daily Nexus distributor drives merrily on the walkway to the south of the Chemistry building, turns right onto the walkway to the west of Engineering II, proceeds to Engineering I, and finally goes west toward Davidson Library on the walkway to the south of Broida. This part of the truck's tour of our campus walkways is captured in the sequence of five photos above. Notice that emergency or blinking lights are not used (only brake lights are seen in the first photo). So, even assuming that it is okay to drive on the walkways to distribute a newspaper, lack of concern for the safety of pedestrians is still problematic.

This University vehicle drove through the walkway between Girvetz and South Halls on March 22, 2006, without stopping. It essentially used the walkway as a shortcut for getting from Parking Lot 3 (south of Davidson Library) to the service road located between South and Kerr Halls.

This vehicle had no business that necessitated driving on the walkway to the southeast of Davidson Library, just before noon on 5/3/2006. It went from Parking Lot 3 to the road between Davidson Library and Webb Hall, using the walkway as a shortcut.

UPS truck parked on the walkway to the south of the California Nanosystems Institute Building, around 2:00 PM on 7/21/2006.

The UPS truck of the previous photo shown as it zips past Kohn Hall on the walkway to its north, around 2:00 PM on 7/21/2006.

An unmarked van parked in the covered walkway near the west entrance of Harold Frank Hall (Engineering I) on 7/25/2006.

Drivers of electric vehicles seem to believe that they can drive anywhere on campus. This one drove onto, and parked in, the Engineering 2 courtyard, around 8:00 AM on 8/4/2006.

Electric vehicle driving on the bike path to the south of Davidson Library, around 12:30 PM on 8/17/2006.

 


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This is becoming repetitive, but here we go again in 2007

On January 4, 2007, shortly before 1:00 PM, this vehicle drove from the parking lot behind the Bren School Building onto the walkway to the south of Broida Hall, apparently only to stop for lunch at the Chilitos cart.

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Dr. Behrooz Parhami, Professor

                     Office phone: +1 805 893 3211
E-mail: parhami@ece.ucsb.edu                 Messages: +1 805 893 3716
Dept. Electrical & Computer Eng.                  Dept. fax: +1 805 893 3262
Univ. of California, Santa Barbara                Office: Room 5155 Eng. I
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9560 USA                      Deliveries: Room 4155 Eng. I