An inconvenient fine: parking tickets cost students big bucks

When University of New Hampshire commuter Bethany Murphy worked at Wildcatessen near Stoke Hall, she asked the parking and transportation department if she could get a parking permit for her third shift at work.
She was told she couldn’t, and after receiving three tickets for parking at work, she figured her best option was to park in A-Lot.
“I’d have to walk at 2 a.m. in February from the Wildcatessen to A-Lot every night I worked,” said Murphy, a junior. “I felt unsafe.”
Parking at UNH is an oft-discussed issue. Next month, the winter parking ban will be in effect, and many students are scrambling to read up on the department regulations in order to avoid ticketing and towing during the winter months.
Some, like junior Wyatt Thurston, have already received parking tickets in the past because of their confusion about certain regulations.
Thurston parked in the wrong section of A-Lot, part of which is blocked off from the beginning of December until the end of March in anticipation of snowfall and subsequent plowing.
Senior Amanda Chasse had a similar experience when she left her car in the lot, and wishes that the rules had been made clearer.
“It’s a little frustrating,” she said.
Others, like senior Crystal Cobb, simply avoided the rules altogether, but for what Cobb called a “humanitarian cause.”
When Cobb was leaving campus to pick up a van designated for UNH’s annual Alternative Break Challenge, she parked her car illegally and paid the price.
Some students, like Thurston, reported paying $75 for their violation of the winter parking ban.
The frustration for some who use UNH parking lots, like Christian Impact intern Emily Guirguis, does not come in the form of parking tickets, but in actually finding a space to park.
“If you get [to A-Lot] before 9:30 a.m., you can usually find a spot. Afterwards it’s like the mall before Christmas,” said Guirguis.
For others, like sophomore Cameron Borgal, parking is ample, but the bus system needs to be adjusted.
Later in the evening, said Borgal, the Mast Road and West Edge buses combine, and a traveler must wait at least 20 minutes for the next ride to or from campus.
But parking is easier for some members of the UNH community, namely faculty and staff, who are able to park at the majority of the lots on campus.
Murphy, who worked on campus over the summer, was given a faculty/staff pass for her vehicle, and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of designated spaces.
However, some students, like senior Katie Jennings, said that transportation services can be “a little strict” about enforcing regulations.
“[UNH parking] drives me up the wall,” she said. “But if you’re perfect, you won’t have a problem.”
Thurston and Murphy agreed, but said that memorizing all of the parking regulations and following them without any leeway seemed a little unrealistic for most students.
According to Thurston, UNH transportation officials should “at least give you five or 10 minutes” to get to your car before they write the ticket or call for the tow.
“It’s almost not fair. They really don’t make any exceptions,” said Murphy.
 

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