ATTACHMENT 14- JAMES H. QUILLEN PARKING AND TRAFFIC REGULATIONS.pdf

JAMES H. QUILLEN VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER

(JOHNSON CITY)

MOUNTAIN HOME, TENNESSEE 37684

August 3, 2012

MEDICAL CENTER MEMORANDUM

NO. ...................................07B-12-01

PARKING AND TRAFFIC REGULATIONS

1. PURPOSE: This memorandum is published to establish policy, assign responsibility, and outline procedures for vehicle registration, control of traffic and parking on the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center (JHQVAMC) premises, and to define disciplinary actions to be taken for violations.

2. SCOPE: This policy will apply to all employees of the medical center, the William C.

Tallent Outpatient Clinic (WCTOPC) and associated community based outpatient clinics operating or parking a motor vehicle.

3. POLICY:

a. It is the policy of JHQVAMC to implement and maintain effective vehicle registration, comprehensive traffic control, organized parking and to establish controls that ensure, to the extent possible, safe driving and parking conditions for the medical center. Parking on medical center property is not a condition of employment or service and parking is not guaranteed. Therefore, the government does not assume liability for the protection of and/or damages to privately owned vehicles while parked on the premises.

b. The operator of any vehicle (i.e., automobile, truck, van, bus, motorcycle, mo-ped, or bicycle) being operated or parked on medical center property is responsible for complying with the contents of this policy. All parking areas are clearly marked, and all persons eligible for parking privileges governed under the scope of this memorandum will park in designated areas only. The operator of a vehicle is responsible for the contents of the vehicle and for locking that vehicle while unattended on medical center property.

c. Everyone considered an employee, volunteer, domiciliary resident, student, physician, or contractor must register all vehicles they plan to park on medical center property.

NO…………………………..07B-12-01

4. ACTION/RESPONSIBILITY:

a. Registration.

(1) Permits (decals): Parking permits are issued as a means of identifying vehicles trafficking and parking on the main JHQVAMC campus. Such identification facilitates notifying the owner/operator of situations where lights may be left on, doors are left open or unlocked, the vehicle has sustained damage or is improperly parked or there is a request to move or tow a vehicle.

(2) All employees, volunteers, domiciliary residents, students, physicians, and contractors will be required to register the vehicles they intend to park on medical center property to include motorcycles and mo-peds with Police Service. Appropriate permits will be issued to selected owners (i.e., volunteers, physicians, employees, etc.) upon completion of the registration form. Rental or borrowed vehicles parked in employee parking lots will be reported to Police Service. Decal colors are issued as follows:

Domiciliary residents Green Employees Blue Physicians/Residents Red Volunteers Orange Students Brown Contractors Temporary hang tag

(3) Permits may be obtained from the Police Service administrative office, located on the first floor of building 69. The registrant will receive a copy of the parking and traffic regulations upon receiving their parking permit. Parking permits will be issued for each vehicle that is registered, and are sequentially numbered and color-coded.

Permits are non-transferable to another vehicle. Every employee will keep their vehicle information current with Police Service, securing new decals for new automobiles and deleting those they no longer have. Parking permits that have become unreadable due to age, exposure to the sun, or window cleaners should be replaced. With the exception of contractors, the permit is a peel-off type decal and will be placed on the vehicle in the following manner:

(a) On passenger cars and sport utility vehicles, the decal will be applied to the back window driver’s side on the outside, in the lower left corner.

(b) Parking decals will be displayed in the same manner on trucks, except when they have a camper shell. In this case the decal will be affixed to the back bumper on the left side.

(4) Individuals must have their vehicle registered and display a valid parking permit to park in the following areas: A, C, P, G, E, J, M, AA, and U. With the exception of physicians and volunteers, failure to display a valid parking permit corresponding with the parking lot color legend will result in a citation. Physicians and volunteers are allowed to park in employee lots with their required parking permit.

(5) With the exception of established temporary lots, parking will only be allowed in specifically marked parking spaces. Individuals operating motor vehicles on medical center property are to park in the designated areas listed below:

Employees Lots A, C, P, G, AA, M, J, and open parking Patients/Visitors Lots L, N, B, MM, and open parking Outpatients Lots B, part of A, and open parking Physicians/Medical Residents Lots E, A, C, P, G, J, M, AA, and open parking Dom Residents Lots Upper part of Lot AA Students Lots U

b. Parking Regulations.

(1) During weekends, Federal holidays, and from 2:30 p.m. until 8 a.m. on weekdays, parking will be unrestricted in patient/visitor parking lots with the exception of the valet parking lot and domiciliary residents who must park in the areas defined in b.

(8) below.

(2) Parking in assigned lots will be enforced unless temporary lots are established due to construction, special events, etc. Signs indicating these changes will be posted.

(3) Only front-in parking is authorized, allowing the decals to be identified by police officers from the patrol car. Vehicles are to be parked in marked spaces and between striping in a manner which permits other vehicles safe access and egress from the adjacent parking spaces to allow individuals’ access to and from their vehicles.

(4) Vehicles parked parallel beside a curb will be parked in the same direction as the flow of traffic. Vehicles found parked against the flow of traffic will be cited.

(5) Bicycle parking is permitted only in areas designated by signage or in bicycle racks.

(6) Handicap vehicle operators may only park in marked handicap spaces when their vehicle displays a state-issued license plate indicating that the driver of the vehicle is handicapped, or a state-issued handicap permit (placard) that is displayed on the inside rear view mirror of the vehicle. Military handicap decals or permits will not be recognized. Handicap employees may park in handicap spaces provided in open parking areas or employee parking areas. Handicap patients may park in marked handicap spaces in the open parking areas and patient parking lots.

(7) Volunteer parking is located in parking lot C. Volunteers are also permitted to park in patient/visitor parking lots, employee lots and open parking. Volunteer parking spaces are open for employee use on weekends and after 11 a.m. on weekdays.

(8) At the time of admission to the domiciliary all residents are required to register their vehicle. Only one vehicle per domiciliary resident may be registered, all other vehicles must be removed from medical center property. In order to register a vehicle, domiciliary residents must show proof of insurance, vehicle registration, and provide a valid driver’s license before a decal will be issued. Domiciliary residents are required to park in the upper part of lot AA located west of building 160. Handicap drivers may also park in the handicap parking spaces located near lot D on Bradford Pear Lane.

Parking in any other areas will result in citations and/or discharge from the domiciliary.

(9) All employees working a tour of duty in the main medical center complex between 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. should park in lots L and C. VA police will be concentrating patrols in these lots between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. to ensure the safety of incoming/outgoing personnel.

(10) Spaces are reserved in front of building 160 and in lot D for the Medical Center Director’s staff.

(11) Parking is prohibited in the following areas at all times:

(a) Areas marked off with ropes, barricades or tape.

(b) Specifically reserved parking areas such as handicap parking.

(c) Fire lanes, safety curbs, crosswalks, areas marked with painted stripes or maintained lawns or islands.

(d) Posted "No Parking" areas.

(e) Community Living Center reserved visitor spaces.

(f) Any areas where parking would interfere with vehicle access to emergency care areas.

(12) Shuttle service is provided from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for holidays. The shuttle has a regularly scheduled route and all shuttle stops are identified by signs. The shuttle will complete a round approximately every 15 minutes.

(13) Only emergency vehicle maintenance is allowed on station grounds. Vehicles will not be left on jacks or blocks in parking lots and roadways.

(14) There will be times when it is necessary to move illegally parked vehicles.

Failure to move the vehicle when requested by VA police will result in the vehicle being removed from station grounds.

c. Regulations/Traffic Control.

(1) Pedestrians always have the right-of-way on all roadways on medical center property.

(2) Speed limits will be complied with at all times. Speed limits are posted and enforced through the use of radar.

(3) Regulatory traffic signs will be complied with at all times. NOTE: Government vehicle operators are not exempt from obeying traffic regulations.

(4) Vehicles will be driven only upon marked roadways.

(5) Police officers’ traffic instructions will be complied with at all times.

(6) All motor vehicle accidents occurring on the medical center property will be reported to the Police Service, extension 7197, or 2911 in an emergency situation.

d. Violations.

(1) Anyone who parks or operates a vehicle on medical center property is required to comply with these regulations. Noncompliance is a violation of medical center policy and will result in the issuance of a citation, vehicle towing, and eventual suspension of parking privileges. Drivers are entitled to two warning citations when improperly parked.

The exception to this entitlement where a paid citation will be issued is for a fire lane violation, illegal parking in handicap spaces, moving violations, parking in tow-away zones, or parking that compromises the safety of other individuals.

(2) Employees/Physicians/Volunteers/Students: Service chiefs will take positive steps to ensure that employees and assigned students are informed of this directive and receive any necessary instructions or training. Supervisors will be notified whenever their employees have received two courtesy violations. Supervisors will counsel employees of the consequences of noncompliance with VA parking and traffic regulations. To ensure those actions are consistent and in line with the offense, the following penalties will apply:

(a) 1st offense – warning citation

(b) 2nd offense – warning citation/counseling

(c) 3rd offense – citation

(d) 4th offense – citation/towing

(e) 5th offense – citation/loss of parking privileges for 6 months

(3) VA police no longer enforce parking in parking lots leased by the medical school. It is now the responsibility of East Tennessee State University. Vehicles parked in medical school areas must have a decal issued by the university or they will receive a citation. The following areas are under control of the medical school:

• Parking Lot M1

• Parking Lot M2

• Parking Lot M3

• Parking Lot M4

• Parking Lot M5

• Parking Lot M6

• Parking Lot U (North Side Only)

• Parking Lot next to the Johnson City Medical Center entrance.

(4) The medical center’s valet parking service is located in lot N. This lot is strictly reserved for use by patients with appointments and is accessible to valet parkers only.

Non-compliance with this policy could result in a fine and removal of your vehicle from medical center property.

e. Towing. Any person who parks a vehicle in a way that blocks fire lanes, ambulance or wheelchair ramps, fire exits, fire hydrants, impedes the normal flow of traffic, or in any way causes an unsafe/hazardous condition, or subsequent violations of the above policy, will have their vehicle removed from medical center property at their own expense. NOTE: Any vehicle found parked in an area that impedes vehicular access to emergency care areas in any way will immediately be towed at the owner's expense.

f. Copies of United States District Court Violation Notices (i.e., citations) issued for moving offenses are sent to the Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles and become part of a person’s permanent driving record.

g. Failure to pay monetary fines for moving violations can result in suspension of a person’s driver’s license by the state of issue.

h. The Central Violations Bureau adds a $25.00 assessment to all parking and moving violations.

i. Training/Education. During new employee orientation, VA Police Service will inform all new employees of medical center parking and traffic regulations. Employees will be required to register all vehicles they plan to park on medical center property during orientation.

j. Responsibilities.

(1) Police Service is responsible for operating the vehicle registration program, enforcing traffic laws, policies and regulations, investigating all vehicular accidents, issuing all vehicle citations, and initiating requests to tow vehicles on medical center property.

(2) The Chief, Police Service is responsible for overseeing the overall traffic and parking enforcement program to ensure fair and consistent application of this policy.

Such responsibilities include reviewing citations issued for violations, authorizing temporary changes as necessary due to construction projects, emergency situations, etc., and issuing notices of termination of parking privileges.

5. REFERENCE: VA Directive 0730 and VA Handbook 0730

6. RESCISSION: Medical Center Memorandum 07B-09-01

7. RESCISSION DATE: August 3, 2015

8. FOLLOW-UP RESPONSIBILITY: Chief, Police Service (07B)

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Charlene S. Ehret, FACHE Medical Center Director