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Avoid parking tickets on campus, parking ramps available for students and visitors

September 11, 2015

Think twice before parking your car in an empty parking lot — it may cost you some cold hard cash.

The Parking and Code Enforcement division of the East Lansing Police Department, also known as PACE, is continuously cracking down on motor vehicles that may be parked illegally or improperly. This includes parking at an expired or inactive parking meter, parking in a student lot without the proper permits or parking in the streets between 2 A.M. and 6 A.M.

And PACE officials certainly don’t take their job lightly.

According to a 2013 report from the ELPD, 40,917 parking citations were issued by PACE during that year — that’s about four citations for every five MSU students.

While PACE declined to comment on their parking violation policies, Lynnette Forman, office supervisor for the MSU Police Department’s parking division, commented on their department’s focus on parking enforcement.

“We want to help students pay for parking, not have to give people tickets,” Forman said. “We’re always looking at newer and better things.”

Thanks to the efforts of the MSUPD, students are becoming more cognizant of avoiding those pesky parking fines.

“Over the past three or four years, violations have been steadily going down,” Forman said.

As part of a new measure to reduce the number of parking violations, new Pay-by-plate meters were added during spring 2015 semester in various parking garages across Grand River Avenue. With these high-tech meters, Forman said patrons can add time in a parked space that is tied to their license plate number — users will also receive text message reminders when their meter is about to expire.

And just because MSU is not affiliated with PACE does not mean that they do not take their job seriously. If anything, their devotion to parking enforcement is amplified. According to an article published at The State News in July, $1.6 million in revenue were collected during the 2014-15 academic year as a result of fines brought on by parking violations.

For the students at MSU who commute or drive around campus, however, the consequences of trying to park on campus certainly outweigh the benefits.

Animal science sophomore Kyle Bosserd said he finds ease in simply biking across campus as opposed to driving his car.

“I always bike everywhere because it’s faster,” Bosserd said. “I don’t really like driving across campus.”

Bosserd added that he keeps his car in Lot 91 near Hubbard Hall, one of the few student lots available for parking. However, this parking lot constitutes a lengthy walk from his home in the Mason-Abbot Hall.

Forman, however, attributes the number of parking violations she sees every year to simple student insubordination, especially in cases that involve parking without permits or payment.

“There’s almost always available space in the paid lots for visitor parking,” Forman said. “It simply comes down to students wanting to risk the parking violation.”

Examples of instances that warrant a parking ticket include parking in reserved areas, parking without the proper permits, or parking in No Parking Zones or on the sidewalk, Forman said. Such violations result in a $25 fine.

But even newer students, such as pre-med freshman Angie VanDine, find frustration in MSU’s parking system. Freshmen such as VanDine are normally not allowed to bring their cars onto campus during their first year at MSU.

“It’s tricky being stuck on campus without being able to get away,” VanDine said. “It’s going to be really weird just because I’ve been driving for two years, since I’m eighteen, and (not driving) is definitely going to be a new experience.”

When it comes to transportation at MSU, however, there are always alternative methods that students can explore to get to classes and events on time.

“It’s always better for students to ride their bikes or make use of the CATA bus system,” Forman said.

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