Matt Weir / The Collegian
In a 30-minute time period on Monday morning, 12 parking tickets were found on cars in parking lots E and C.
The tickets were given to cars without a parking permit, having an expired day pass displayed in the window and being parked in front of an expired meter.
Amy Armstrong, public information officer for the University Police Department, said that the first couple of weeks of school tend to have heavier traffic.
“Our policy is to enforce parking everyday school is in session,â€Â Armstrong said.
“We make about $500,000 from the fines each year, Armstrong said. “Stipulations from the California Education Code have the money from the fines put towards Rideshare, Red Bike Program and getting people to ride the bus.â€Â
Tickets that are given out the most are: not displaying the pass, not parking in the designated space and expired parking meters.
“Some students get confused where both green and yellow permits are permitted.” Armstrong said.
“Lot C on Shaw and Maple, Lot E south of the library and Lots A and J by the Peter’s Business building are where both yellow and green parking permits are permitted.”
“Some students think ‘I’m going to park close’ and they park in a handicap space.”
The fine for that, according to Armstrong, is $275.
Other ways to avoid receiving a parking ticket are: parking in between the lines and not having the wheels of the vehicle over the line, parking so that the car is facing into the stalls, and when parking next to a curb, park facing the direction of traffic.
All other university ordinances can be found on the University Police Department Web site.
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
Junior Adam Dariyanani has received eight tickets since he has been at Fresno State. He thinks that more tickets are given out the first week because a lot of students are just trying to get to class on time.
“Teachers don’t feel sorry for you if you’re late. It’s a 20 minute walk to anywhere on campus,â€Â Dariyanani said.
“Parking is a little ridiculous. We are a commuter school.â€Â Dariyanani said. “Kids come from all over. So to not have more parking is ridiculous.â€Â
Dariyanani also said that he has already received two tickets this semester. One was for not having a permit displayed and the other was for parking at 6:50 p.m. in a yellow lot when the lot wasn’t considered “green.â€Â
“I’ve gotten two tickets already this semester. One of was for not having a permit, which I had on there. The other was for parking in a lot that wasn’t green until 7 p.m. I parked there at 6:50 p.m., and got a ticket at like 6:58 p.m.,â€Â Dariyanani said. “I tried to fight it but they were just like, ‘I’m sorry, rules are rules’.â€Â
Officials told Dariyanani that there was no way to know how long he was there. He could have been there 10 minutes or he could have been there two hours, but just got caught.
Freshman Allison Zulewski said that she didn̢۪t even know that she was supposed to get a parking permit until she got on campus.
“I got a parking ticket the first day of school. I parked far away and was only there for 45 minutes. I didn’t even think it was Fresno State,â€Â Zulewski said.
Even though some students said that they don̢۪t know what the parking policies are, Armstrong said students are informed at Dog Days and everyone is required to attend.
“I give a presentation there. I talk about the proper pass and correct lots. There is also information at the information fair. We make every effort to get the information to students and to every class [freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior]. It’s also published on the Web site,â€Â Armstrong said.
Students like liberal studies major Jennifer Nickel follow the rules so they don̢۪t get a ticket.
“I’ve never gotten a ticket. I just try to park where it says to and have the parking permit displayed at all times. It’s the simple things that get tickets,â€Â Nickel said.
Nursing major Chau Tran was another student that has yet to receive a parking ticket.
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
“I have seen a lot of tickets. The signs are pretty small so it’s hard to know where to park.â€Â Chau said. “I’ve seen the officers go around so I’m careful about where I park.â€Â
Cars aren̢۪t the only vehicles that need a parking permit, according to Armstrong. Motorcycles also need to display a parking permit which cost $17 a semester.
“They don’t have the parking permit posted on the motorcycle because there isn’t a place to put it.” Armstrong said. “They give their pass to us and we register their license plate and connect the pass to the license plate so we make sure not to cite them.â€Â
Students have the right to appeal a ticket if they think they were ticketed unfairly, according to the University Police Department policy.
They can fill out a form and the ticket will go on hold so there aren̢۪t any late fees. It is decided whether or not the student̢۪s ticket will be cleared, according to Armstrong. The student then gets a letter informing them whether or not they have been cleared.
If they were denied, they can have a hearing in person. If that doesn̢۪t work, then they can take it up with the court system or they can pay it, Armstrong said.
According to Armstrong, There are nearly 22,000 students on campus for 8,000 parking spots. Two thousand of those spots are for faculty and staff. Which leaves about 6,000 for students. Currently we do have enough spots for students, because not all students are on campus at the same time, Armstrong said.
“Our intent is to protect the spaces for those who have paid. Those who have not paid are given tickets,â€Â Armstrong said.
For video coverage of this story check out Whitney Vasquez’s report here:
https://fscollegian.com/2009/09/01/steer-clear-of-parking-problems/
kingkong • Sep 11, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Parking is like that in every major metropolitan area, try LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, New york. Parking is an issue when urbanization takes hold.
kingkong • Sep 11, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Parking is like that in every major metropolitan area, try LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, New york. Parking is an issue when urbanization takes hold.
Emerita • Sep 11, 2009 at 11:09 am
Enough parking? I doubt that!! The line of cars that circle the lots is ridiculous. Students walking to their cars are almost stalked by those waiting for a spot. I’ve even seen cars pick up exiting students and drive them to their car just so they can get a spot. You have two choices when it comes to parking, circle the lot for at least 30-45minutes or park at the Save Mart Center and walk across campus to class which is also time consuming.
Emerita • Sep 11, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Enough parking? I doubt that!! The line of cars that circle the lots is ridiculous. Students walking to their cars are almost stalked by those waiting for a spot. I’ve even seen cars pick up exiting students and drive them to their car just so they can get a spot. You have two choices when it comes to parking, circle the lot for at least 30-45minutes or park at the Save Mart Center and walk across campus to class which is also time consuming.
junior • Sep 5, 2009 at 1:03 am
Boo hoo. Try parking in downtown Fresno for a change
junior • Sep 5, 2009 at 8:03 am
Boo hoo. Try parking in downtown Fresno for a change
Jared Harper • Sep 4, 2009 at 11:37 am
We should have voted for PEDRO for ASI on all levels of ASI positions. Those guys had a parking plan that would have decreased the problems we are facing now with costs and parking. But we cant without Exec power. Who did we get stuck with, Peanut Butter and Jelly
Jared Harper • Sep 4, 2009 at 6:37 pm
We should have voted for PEDRO for ASI on all levels of ASI positions. Those guys had a parking plan that would have decreased the problems we are facing now with costs and parking. But we cant without Exec power. Who did we get stuck with, Peanut Butter and Jelly
jacio • Sep 3, 2009 at 1:30 pm
We are paying more now so future students can have a parking garage. A parking garage should have been here a long time ago. Its a little to late.
jacio • Sep 3, 2009 at 8:30 pm
We are paying more now so future students can have a parking garage. A parking garage should have been here a long time ago. Its a little to late.
Courtney • Sep 3, 2009 at 9:28 am
A friend and I carpool from out of town everyday to school. We have a rideshare pass and it is quite annoying to arrive on campus and not be able to park in the rideshare lot because there are people sitting in their cars at 9:45 in the morning. We have this pass for a reason and it is unfair for other students to just sit in their car for an hour taking up spots that are reserved for people who carpool like myself. Please, have consideration for those of us that need these spots and find parking elsewhere, you could have found many spots just as close to campus in the time that you were sitting in your car.
Courtney • Sep 3, 2009 at 4:28 pm
A friend and I carpool from out of town everyday to school. We have a rideshare pass and it is quite annoying to arrive on campus and not be able to park in the rideshare lot because there are people sitting in their cars at 9:45 in the morning. We have this pass for a reason and it is unfair for other students to just sit in their car for an hour taking up spots that are reserved for people who carpool like myself. Please, have consideration for those of us that need these spots and find parking elsewhere, you could have found many spots just as close to campus in the time that you were sitting in your car.