For many students, trying to find a parking spot in Hart Lot can become a choice between a $10 parking ticket and missing class.
A large chunk of commuter spaces in the Hart Lot were changed to resident spaces this semester after plans for parking around West Campus Apartments were set back by drainage complications, said Gary Graham, the director of parking, traffic and transportation.
Benjamin Garison, a business administration sophomore, received a ticket after parking out of zone in the Hart Lot.
Garison said he was aware that students could not park with faculty and staff, but did not know that student parking was divided.
“Both other lots were full, so there was not anywhere else to go,” he said.
Garison said he thinks either students should be able to park together or the Office Parking, Traffic and Transportation should be more lenient with students.
“The only thing I see being done is more tickets being given,” Garison said.
To allow students to accommodate, the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation ran a story in The Reveille’s freshman guide and placed notices for a week on any illegally parked cars in the lot.
Graham said while commuters have lost these spots, it doesn’t mean they cannot find spots elsewhere.
“We still have plenty of spaces not being used,” he said. “We just had to shift them.”
Rita Yaun, a Blake Hall resident, said parking is a seven day a week issue for her.
“I haven’t gotten a ticket yet,” she said. “But I’m sure my day is coming.”
Yaun said in the past she was aggravated when people parked in non-parking spots. Now she sympathizes with them.
“Those ticket guys look so happy and excited when issuing tickets,” Yaun said. “You can sense a sort of sick pleasure that they get from slipping the little yellow envelopes under the windshield wiper.”
Yaun said the ticket-issuers should relax because there are a lot of illegal parking spots that could be used as perfectly legal ones.
Kyle Wilkinson, Student Government director of campus safety and transportation, said students will always complain about parking on campus.
Wilkinson said LSU has the most parking spaces in the nation per capita, but they are located where drivers have to walk to their classes.
Graham said while there are about 22,000 parking spaces on campus, his office gives out about 28,000 parking permits.
Between August 2002 and August 2003, the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation gave out 59,028 tickets, according to their Web site. That number is down from 64,271 tickets issued for the 2001-2002.
Students coming to campus late in the morning should not waste their time in a close lot, Graham said.
Lots like the one across from Alex Box Stadium are almost always open and offer bus transit into campus, he said.
Graham said a lot of students are not even aware of the spots available to them. These students should look at the parking and traffic regulations map they received with their parking tag and see which lots are available to them.
Graham said there are plans in progress to open new parking areas across campus.
“In the short-term, we’ll be looking at building a lot behind the field house at the north end of the Bernie Moore lot,” Graham said. “That should open up a couple hundred more spaces.”
“The reality of the situation is that parking is not a problem,” Wilkinson said. “You’re not going to find the perfect space right in front of your class. You’re just going to have to walk a little bit.”