Ryan ChartrandI ride my bike to school when I can, but there are times when I need to bring my car. Instead of gambling on getting a ticket I usually purchase a parking pass at the beginning of the quarter.
So just like the previous quarters, I forked over close to $100 to ensure the absence of unwanted parking tickets. This quarter I have been ticketed twice even though I have a pass.
The first time this quarter was for backing into a spot, the second time was yesterday because my pass was not “clearly displayed.” Immediately upon receiving the second ticket, I drove to the University Police Department station and was forced to park in a metered spot. I put my last 15 cents into the meter which bought me 6 minutes to make my plea to the student at the counter. I explained to him that I had a pass but I received a ticket anyway.
I was told I had two options. One was to pay $5, and the other was to fill out a petition form and wait for a decision. Even though time was ticking on the meter I decided to risk it and fill out the form.
My question is for Cal Poly parking enforcement. If parking passes only work sometimes, what can we do as students to ensure safe parking on campus? And I think I speak for the majority of the students when I say we’re sick of this military style parking enforcement.
Matt Partridge
Wine and viticulture senior