The rules of parking on campus are changing, and some students are having a hard time adjusting.
The University policy for parking permits changed around campus this fall, specifically on the Cook and Douglass campuses, said Department of Transportation Services Director Jack Molenaar.
Some students are not pleased that they are learning of the changes from warning tickets posted on their windshields.
“What we’re doing for this semester, the first time we separated out [Cook and Douglass passes], we’re giving people [warning tickets] for a heads up, like — ‘Hey, you’re in the wrong spot,’” Molenaar said.
Students who make the mistake of parking in the wrong lot are receiving tickets with no fee for the time being, Molenaar said.
But some students argue they are not being adequately informed about parking changes.
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences senior Harshal Patel, who has a C pass, said he received several warnings about the changes last semester.
“I know that [Cook and Douglass parking permits] are separate now,” Patel said. “But the Douglass students still park [on Cook campus] sometimes and now we have no room to park anywhere.”
Cook campus and Douglass campus parking passes are separate in order to reduce the costs for people who want to park exclusively on either just Cook campus or just Douglass campus, Molenaar said. Students can pay less for a separate permit by obtaining a C pass, but they must only park on the Cook campus and are no longer allowed to park in what used to be the Cook/Douglass parking deck, he said.
This year students parking in the Cook campus, Busch campus and Livingston campus parking zones pay $160.50 annually for a parking permit, according to the Department of Transportation Service’s Web site.
Students with A and D passes, which allow students to park in the Douglass campus and College Avenue campus decks, pay $256.80 annually, according to the Web site.
The warning tickets are not the only means by which the University aims to inform students, Molenaar said. The changes are posted on the Web site, as well. Students can also follow the Department of Transportation Services on Twitter.
There are separate Twitter accounts for the different parking zones and for commuters as well as residents, he said.
Molenaar usually tweets when there are emergency parking updates.
“I just get frustrated to hear people say things because no one uses the Internet,” Molenaar said. “I put everything there for 24 hours, seven days a week, yet that’s not enough. Am I supposed to e-mail every single person at all times?”
Singh said she did not hear about any changes.
“When you buy a permit, it tells you online where all the lots you can park in are. That is why if it’s a C permit — it’s a Cook, not a Douglass, permit,” Molenaar said.
Commuters can park on other campuses based on the time of day, Molenaar said. A list of the available lots and specific times is posted on the Web site.
School of Arts and Sciences senior Garima Singh, who parks her car on Livingston campus, said she has not received a warning yet, but wishes she was able to park closer to her classes.
“If you only have class for an hour, you still have to park somewhere far from you class,” Singh said.
Singh said her friend recently received two parking violation tickets at the same time for parking at a meter. One of the tickets was for parking in an area restricted to faculty and staff, and the other ticket was for parking on the wrong campus.
“It’s crazy,” Singh said. “They just gave her two different tickets for parking at one meter.”
School of Arts and Sciences senior Shaina Wizov, who parks her car on Livingston campus, said even as a resident, parking is inconvenient.
Patel said parking is inconvenient because he risks getting a ticket many times when he needs to drive to another campus. Sometimes he runs quick errands, where he has to park somewhere hoping not to get a ticket.
Wizov lives in the Easton Avenue Apartments and takes the bus to Livingston campus everyday to pick up her car.
“It’s inconvenient to have to go to Livingston every time I need my car, but to park my car at Easton Avenue Apartments would be over $500,” she said. “I just don’t have that, so I settle for the inconvenience.”
Molenaar said it is the students’ responsibility to make sure they are parking in the right places.
“There are things that happen and we communicate,” he said. “But when you buy your permit, it is your responsibility to know where you can be and where you can’t be.”
Parking changes confuse, frustrate students
Published: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Be the first to comment on this article!