| City handles parking services |
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by Angela Hill the Carillon U of R loses out on parking With winter finally making an appearance, more and more students will be driving to school and parking at metres. Nobody likes a parking ticket, but illegal parkers may not be the only ones losing out. The University of Regina has approximately 4,800 parking spaces on campus; of these 309 are metered. These metered locations are patrolled by the parking services commissionaires who spot and ticket violations. These tickets are then sent to the City of Regina to be processed for a fee. This fee is so large that the university only receives a small amount back to add to their expenses fund. “There is a flat fee per ticket,” said Gwen Evans of Parking Services. “The city gets most of it.” She went on to explain that it didn’t matter if the ticket type was for an expired metre, worth $10, or for illegally parking in a handicapped spot, worth $100, the university received the same amount back. The exact amount of this fee is confidential by an agreement that was part of the tendering process. The tickets are issued to people in violation of U of R bylaws, and despite the upcoming nasty weather, Evans said “a violation is a violation” and no special privilege is given. For the large fee the university pays the city, they can also use the city’s method of appeal with a judge. While expensive, Evans said, “it is currently the best option for the university,” because they don’t have the capacity to deal with the tickets and appeals. Evans said that different provinces and intuitions have different abilities. In some places, she said, “the schools can withhold grades” over a parking ticket. Many institutions have the ability to self-regulate their parking situations. These locations have an appeal board set-up for those who want to contest a ticket. These boards are made up of a selection of people from across a campus. Evan said there are some drawbacks to that system, such as that the board might not always be entirely impartial. Ticket holders may find themselves appealing to their friend, or someone who they are not so friendly with. The judging system, however, can be a better option because a judge is a truly impartial body. While having a judge to deal with appeals seems to be the most neutral option, it also gives the impression of being the most expensive. But, whatever monies the parking services get back, they place in the fund for snow removal, maintenance and for building more lots. For those who have trouble remembering when they need to plug the metre, they are in effect from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. Weekends, however, are free. And for those who don’t like the hours at the metres, Evan points out that some universities will keep the meters monitored as late as classes run, up to 11 p.m. |