Nothing is more annoying than seeing a parking ticket on your car, but then again nothing makes blood pressure rise more then someone who is parked illegally.
Getting caught parking illegally on the Wilkes’ campus will cost $25 in the form of a parking ticket. The university also possesses the right to tow away unauthorized vehicles parked.
Absolutely no parking is tolerated on any campus driveways and sidewalks, loading zones, no parking zones, fire lanes, grass, greenway areas. Handicapped areas without handicapped permit or license plate cannot be used.
When one is cited with a parking ticket, the ticket has to be paid within 120 days. If the ticket is not paid then the fee is added to the student’s balance. Any student with past due parking tickets will have to make restitution prior to receiving any new parking permit for the upcoming semester.
The question that one might ask is: Where does the money go from all the parking ticket money after the ticket is paid at Public Safety?
“The administration disburses of it (parking ticket money),” Office of Public Safety manger Jerry Rebo said.
After the ticket is paid, money goes to the administration to disburses of as seen fit.
To park a vehicle on campus, one is required to have a parking permit or visiting pass. To obtain a parking permit, an application process is mandatory; to receive a visiting pass one must go to the building that the parking lot services.
Prior to the new semester, the application has to be filled out and handled in to Public Safety. To park at Ralston Field, across the bridge, permits are granted on a first come first served basis from the time the vehicle is registered in the start of the semester. Arrangements for disabled permits could be made through the Office of Public Safety.
On-campus residents apply for a parking pass then are chosen from Resident Life. Commuter Council is in charge of choosing good candidates for parking passes for commuter students. Due to the limited number of spaces in each parking lot along with a few other reasons such as distance from your house to the university many students have to be turned down for parking spaces.
If asked if one has a vehicle on campus and the answer is yes there is a good chance a parking complaint will probably follow.
“Some complaints I hear from students include event parking in the parking lot behind the Student Union Building since this lot seems to be the favorite amongst both commuters and residents,” Commuter Council President Christopher Cousin said. “I also hear complaints about the snow plowing in the various parking lots. This is no fault to facilities though, as there is only so much room to put the snow.”
Taking up a parking spot without an issued parking permit from the Office of Public Safety will result in a ticket. It comes down to if a permit is visible in the car.
The $120 permit is a paper pass that dangles from the driver’s mirror and is color coded.
“Right now it (parking permit) is a flimsy paper hanging pass, which frequently falls off and if they are perhaps a plastic or window cling-on, they may hold up better,” Cousin said.
If the permit is not visible to the Public Safety officer doing patrol, the owner of the car will receive a ticket for unauthorized parking. Since the pass is just a piece of paper that might fall down, the option to appeal the ticket is made to the receiver.
For whatever the reason, parking tickets could be appealed by going to the Office of Public Safety and filling out the appropriate paper work to the Traffic Council.
The Traffic Council is responsible to hear and give a ruling on cases involving ticketing and towing. Cases and appeals should be directed to Rebo at Public Safety within one week of the student’s notification of the violation.
For any questions on the parking system or tickets, contact Rebo, or email at [email protected].
