Parking ticket prices increase

IU Parking Operations imposed a $5 increase in its fines this year to curb the problem of illegal parking on campus.\nThe increase was not imposed in order to create more funding for the department, parking manager Doug Porter said \n"We just want people to park legally," Porter said. "Hopefully with a higher fine in place, people who would have parked illegally won't do it anymore." \nLast year students who parked without a pass were ticketed with a $35 fine, while those with permits who parked in the wrong zone were dealt a $30 penalty. This year, with the first increase in four years, the fines are up to $40 and $35 respectively.\nStill, lack of spaces may lead some to park illegally.\nIn order for the Parking Operations to generate enough money, they sell more permits than there are parking spaces available. For the more than 18,000 parking spaces on campus, Porter said the department sells more than 20,000 permits each year. Despite the imbalance in numbers, he said there is always a spot available somewhere.\n"Realistically, we'll (never run out of spaces)," he said. "There is always an empty space on campus somewhere. It's just that the space isn't always convenient for students."\nJunior Brian Hiller said that for students who live off campus, driving is often more of a hassle than it's worth. \n"When you don't have a pass, it's almost impossible to find a spot," he said. "I live on 17th Street and most of the time it's easier to walk than drive, unless you want to pay."\nDespite Parking Operations' hopes that higher fines will reduce the amount of illegal parking, some students believe the fines were already heavy enough.\nHiller said that parking is one of the "few things he hates about IU."\n"Students who parked illegally last year are probably always going to park where they're not supposed to," he said. "I just think this is another way in which they're trying to make more money."\nBecause Parking Operations does not receive any financial aid from either the state or student fees, it relies heavily on the revenue generated from parking violations, which generate almost half of its $5 million in annual revenue. Stan Easton, director of parking enforcement, said the University averages close to 90,000 parking tickets issued each year.\nAlthough parking violations constitute a significant portion of parking operation's annual funding, Porter said the majority of the revenue is generated from parking permit sales, which amounted to about $2.5 million of last year's earnings.\nUnlike other schools where parking revenue is considered part of the overall general fund, Porter said the University does not receive any of Parking Operation's earnings. In addition to salary expenditures, each year the office uses the revenue to make payments on the parking garages and to repair the streets. This summer they spent more than $800,000 on street repairs.\n"We're constantly repairing the streets and lots," Porter said. "Just because you may not notice that the street is deteriorating, doesn't mean that it actually isn't."\nWhile there are no immediate plans to expand the parking facilities on campus, Porter said Parking Operations is in the early stages of considering the placement of a parking garage on 10th Street across from Teter Quad. Additionally, he said they are looking into ways in which they can make parking more convenient for students. One approach, he said, is to expand the bus routes so students who park further away can avoid a long walk to campus.\nBut in the meantime Porter said if students plan on driving, they better plan on paying one way or another.\n"If you don't have a car, then you're not going to park here," he said. "But if you want to drive, we expect you to pay."\n-- Contact senior writer Colin Kearns at cmkearns@indiana.edu.