Transportation Services to increase parking patrols

From The Battalion

CORRECTIONS

Keeping a retired permit on the rearview mirror can cost a student a $110 citation.
Correction: Keeping a retired permit on the rearview mirror can cost a student a $40 citation for No Valid Permit.

Students with any valid parking permit can park for free up until the hour before kick off in lots 47, 50, 51, 55, 77 and the Northside Garage on game days. Students with or without permits who want to park in these lots any time during the hour before the game starts have to pay $10 in cash to get in.
Correction: Any valid parking permit is honored in lots 55, 77 and NSG on football game days until they are full. Lots 47, 51 and 50 require entry at least one hour before kickoff to avoid the $10 visitor parking fee.

Students should also check the transportation website to see if they have to park cars in a specific direction in their lot. Transportation Services requires some cars to park front-end first in certain lots.
Correction: Transportation Services requires vehicles to park front-end first in garages and in angled parking on one-way streets.

Parking Rules & Regulations

By Katie White

Published: Tuesday, September 14, 2010

For the Texas A&M Transportation Services, the beginning of a school year promises a spike in the number of parking citations given to students who do not know where or how to park on campus.

Transportation Services is monitoring parking lots on campus to discover which have higher occupancy levels.

“We already offered some customers the opportunity to move to a lot from their wait lists,” said Debbie Hoffman, manager of customer service for transportation services. “This helps to fill in lots where there is some available space and to move some customers out of lots that are more full.”

Students who do not have parking permits but need to drive cars to campus for the day have two options for parking without violating University rules.

The first option is to log on to the transportation website and buy a day pass to park in any lot on campus with the designated sign reading “ANY,” for any valid permit. The second option is to pay the price to park in a garage  or paid parking space for the day.

Students who have a permit should be aware of how to properly display the parking permits in their cars. Hanging tags must hang from the rearview mirror at all times with the picture side facing outward.

Senior visual studies major Jake Ross received a ticket for not hanging his parking pass from his rearview mirror. The pass was on his passenger seat. “I immediately went online to the appeal section of the A&M transportation website. I explained my situation, gave them my parking pass number, informed them of my thoughts,” Ross said.

“Surprisingly, the ticket was revoked.”

Keeping a retired permit on the rearview mirror can cost a student a $110 citation.

“We write the most parking citations for cars without a permit and cars in unauthorized areas,” Hoffman said. “We are seeing the most citations written on West Campus, specifically lot 72.”

Students should also check the transportation website to see if they have to park cars in a specific direction in their lot. Transportation Services requires some cars to park front-end first in certain lots. Cars in violation will receive citations.

Senior nuclear engineering major Katherine Fisler said students should appeal tickets. “Always appeal your tickets, because you have a high chance that they will lower the price you have to pay,” Fisler said.

She has received 13 tickets in her time at A&M. A third of her tickets resulted from violating time limits. “When they say it’s only 30 minute parking, it is literally only 30 minutes,” Fisler said.

Football game day parking contributes to confusion for students wanting to park on campus. Students with any valid parking permit can park for free up until the hour before kick off in lots 47, 50, 51, 55, 77 and the Northside Garage on game days.

Students with or without permits who want to park in these lots any time during the hour before the game starts have to pay $10 in cash to get in.

“I think the best options for football games are parking in the engineering lot 50 and the George Bush Library lot,” Elizabeth Andrasi, senior psychology major said. “They’re free and you can catch a shuttle from both.”

Another free option includes utilizing the shuttles that run to and from the Post Oak Mall parking lot in front of JCPenney which drop passengers off on Lubbock Street on campus.

Transportation Services does encourage students to use the bus whenever they can or to carpool with friends and neighbors to alleviate congestion and frustration on campus.

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