The parking permit dilemma

Students share their confusion and frustration surrounding the recent rise in parking tickets 

Haley Jacob / Assistant Feature Editor / The USD Vista

As the fourth week of the fall semester comes to a close, students on campus are still adapting to the rhythm of in-person learning and the new changes made to residential life. The parking permit system is one aspect that many are struggling to navigate. Policy changes and parking availability are among the problems many USD students face, from students who were on campus last year and became accustomed to free permits and empty parking lots to those returning to campus after an almost two-year hiatus. 

The most common critique shared by students was related to the limited parking availability. Students explained that not only is parking limited in the designated parking areas, but that they’re frustrated with how few areas they are actually allowed to access. Students with resident permits are limited to parking in the West Parking Structure on the far side of campus or in their specific residential lots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. All-student parking access in the Main Parking Structure is only permitted outside of those hours or on weekends. The Main Parking Structure is an ideal parking location due to its central proximity to classes, dining, and other campus amenities, so these limitations are bothersome to students. 

USD sophomore, Erin Williams, expressed her frustration on the limited parking access around campus. 

“To have the audacity to say that we can’t park our cars anywhere on campus during the school day is ridiculous,” Williams said. “I was working at La Paloma all the way across campus, and I would ride my bike and park it there because I knew that I couldn’t drive my car or park it anywhere.” 

Unlike resident students like Williams, commuter students have broader access to parking on campus. While not permitted to park in residential areas or the Immaculata West Lot and KIPJ South Lot, commuter students can park in any unmarked, white-lined spaces on main campus on Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, commuter students can park in any yellow-lined space or reserved space after 4 p.m. and before 7 p.m., so long as they are not marked 24/7 or indicated by Parking Services as not permitted. 

Students are issued parking tickets when caught violating the rules and regulations of their parking permit. Ticket costs range from $25 to $350 and are varied depending on the violation. Among the most popular tickets issued to students are violations for parking outside of their assigned area or failing to pay the meter fee of a metered spot. 

Juli Bohanon, USD sophomore and Alcala Vista Resident shared one of her ticket experiences. 

“For my second parking ticket, I parked up in the Vistas, and I had parked in a ‘pay to park’ area because I couldn’t find parking anywhere else,” Bohanon said. “I was sure that the e-permit on my car covered the meter fee because I had already paid a lot of money for the permit, but then I got a $50 ticket. I was able to appeal it and got the cost down to $18.”

Another critique shared by students was the lack of communication from the Parking Services team. Trevor Goodenough, USD junior and Residential Assistant in Valley B, prefers parking under the Main Parking Structure because he drives an older jeep prone to water damage. During Goodenough’s freshman year, Valley B residents were permitted to park in levels one and two of the Main Parking Structure. However, Parking Services revoked the policy this year, and Goodenough had no idea of the change until he received a ticket. When Goodenough visited Parking Services to discuss his unawareness of the policy change, the interaction lacked cooperation and understanding. 

“The second I brought up the issue, the employee was fighting back, and it felt like he was trying to belittle my knowledge for not knowing the rules and regulations fully. I explained to him that I’m not going to search for new information for change if I’m not expecting change,” Goodenough said. “Additionally, you would expect the team that runs the parking service to at least have the decency to send a map or something small to let you know what’s going on, especially if you’re paying $300 for a spot.” Cianna Lew, USD graduate student, had a very “frustrating” experience with a Parking Services “Campus Ambassador.” 

Last Wednesday, Sept. 22, after her 4 p.m. class, Lew and a group of peers started working on their big group project. She parked in a “USD tow away spot” after putting up her handicap placard. Lew knew that “Any vehicle displaying a valid placard and any valid USD e-permit may park in white-lined, yellow-lined, USD tow away, or loading zone (time-restricted space) without being cited,” according to the Office of Parking Services’ information outlined on USD’s website. 

On her quick dinner break, in between working, one of Lew’s friends noticed that someone was writing a citation for her car – the back of their shirt read “Campus Ambassador.” At 6:13 p.m., Lew was issued a $100 parking ticket. 

USD “Campus Ambassador” giving an incorrect parking ticket for Cianna Lew’s vehicle. Photo courtesy of Cianna Lew

Lew knew that she was not in violation of any parking regulations; however, many people, who are not as aware of the rules, could also potentially be wrongfully cited and simply pay the parking ticket. 

Frustrated over the entire situation, Lew wrote in her parking citation appeal: 

“These rules have been the same since before I started attending the school in mid-August. As a student with documented disabilities in an accelerated graduate program, I have enough on my plate without having to appeal citations for breaking rules that I did not break… Please educate staff who will be citing vehicles on campus on the rules and regulations to avoid misunderstandings. It is especially troubling that a Campus Ambassador is not familiar with the rules.” 

In order to alleviate any future, incorrect parking citations Lew offered a suggestion to Parking Services. 

“At least once a year, maybe the team could read, out loud, the rules and regulations as it appears on the website. If the updated information is not available to the public, individuals cannot be expected to know those regulations,” Lew said. 

Wajma Lyons, Director for the University Scheduling and Parking Administration, sympathized with students’ complaints. Lyons assured that the Parking Services team plans to address these issues in the USD Mobility and Parking Plan for next year. One focus will be on better managing the number of parking permits issued in specific lots.

In the meantime, Lyons shared a helpful tip for students struggling to navigate campus parking. 

“We have the MySDMobile app that shows available parking spaces in residential areas, Main Parking Structure, and West Parking Structure. The data is typically uploaded within 24 hours or less. There are always at least 400 open parking spaces on campus.” 

While students are doing their best to understand and follow the very complex parking rules and regulations, and the Parking Services team is merely doing their job by issuing tickets, working toward improving communication between the two parties would alleviate many of the parking issues on campus.