Boy, it's nice to see a college that has such care and concern for its students...NOT.

[BreweryYardRat]

I got hit with a $75 parking ticket last night for being parked in a reserved space...at 7:20 PM. We'll ignore the common-sense fact that whoever paid for the reserved space is either going to be parked there or gone for the day by that point, because this is bureaucracy we're dealing with. Common sense has no place here.

But my case isn't what's got me really hacked off. I went looking to see if I could appeal the ticket...and found this. Let's take a look at that last entry...

The following are reasons that will not be accepted by PATS, the USF Final Appeals
Committee, and Student Government Supreme Court as reasons to dismiss or reduce a
citation.

Disagreement with the Traffic and Parking Regulations
• Ignorance of the regulation
• Stated inability to find a permitted parking space
• Operation of the vehicle by another person
• Stated failure to issue citations previously for similar violations
• Tardiness to class and/or appointment
• Inability to pay fine (lack of money)
• Displayed wrong or expired permit
• Traffic congestion
• Received bad verbal information
• Stated perception that designated parking area is not safe

"Stated perception that designated parking area is not safe." Wow. This school in the middle of a bad area, and they'll ticket students for being concerned about their safety?!

Boy, that just fills me with school spirit. :sarcasm:

[sarge43]

1. University of South Florida?

If so, it's comforting to know after 20 years it's still run by a collection of dickheads. Yeah, I'm a traditionalist.

[BreweryYardRat]

2. An alumnus, I see.

Yeah. I've only got another year until graduation, thankfully.

[sarge43]

4. "Hello, my name is sarge43 and I'm an USF alumna."

I'm sure that the Student Boodie asshats of my time/space contin went on to work as Jeb Bush's lackeys.

[LeftyFingerPop]

3. I'm not sure I understand...

You parked in a reserved spot that had been paid for by someone else. I assume this person paid to have the spot reserved for 24 hours? If this is the case, and excuse me if I am misunderstanding this, then the ticket is valid because you made an assumption that the person would not be parking there at that time of day. If the person paid to reserve reserve this spot, then I believe he has the right to the spot at any time of day, and it is not up to you to decide when he will or will not be parking there.

Your point about the perception of the unsafe parking area seems valid to me.

Just my 2 cents.

[BreweryYardRat]

5. My point was not about my case -- that was just me bitching.

My point was the whole "unsafe parking area" deal.

[meegbear]

6. "Stated perception that designated parking area is not safe" ...

means that if you, the owner of the car, perceive a defined parking area as unsafe and parked in an area you felt was safe, albeit, illegal. A female student may not want to park, for example, in the back of an empty dimly lit lot, so they opt to park elsewhere.

This is one of the "reasons to dismiss or reduce a citation".

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. No, you misread - that is NOT a reason to dismiss or reduce.

[meegbear]

10. You are correct ...

I accept my punishment. :spank:

That is pretty stupid.

[THUNDER HANDS]

7. i got a $50 parking ticket my very first day at college

it pretty much went downhill from there.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Sadly, I imagine that they had to put that in due to abuse.

The ol' "I didn't feel safe" line was probably used far, far too many times, and the university finally realized it was getting played.

[DS1]

11. All campus police crack down hard on students parking in professor/staff spots

I can't say I blame them. If they don't, they're up in front of the school President. Parking is one of the most political things on campus, only behind which floor a professor's office is/how close to the door it is/and all sorts of other silliness you'd expect to not see among educators. I've seen all of this first hand.

Rabrrrrr is correct, the "I didn't think it was safe" is way overplayed, that's why they bothered to list it. I don't know what the school is expected to do beyond the constant video monitoring, rfid-card entry systems to the waiting area for the shuttle bus, lights all over the place, emergency phones other than post a 24-hour police shift in a parking lot. If they were concerned about it to not want to park there, students were encouraged to drive to the Campus Police office and ask for an escort there and a ride back.

[BreweryYardRat]

12. "I didn't think it was safe" may be overused but there's more reason for it on our campus than most.

There aren't any ID-card entry systems for bus stops (on the bus itself, but not at the stops), many of our parking lots aren't well-lit, and our surveillance cameras are poorly placed.

A guy was murdered on campus in '06, in the parking lot of my dorm at the time. Cops asked us if we could identify the murderers from security (hah!) photos. The cameras were positioned so high up you couldn't even distinguish facial features in the photographs.

[Firespirit]

13. These parking lot cops are notorious nationwide I think

The worst story I have didn't even really happen to me... A girlfriend had had a flat while leaving campus, total tire blowout. She had to pull off at the nearest spot, which happened to be the stadium lot. It's a major spot for commuter students, and my friend had a correct decal. There are HUNDREDS of parking spaces there unless there is a game, and on game nights the students have to leave unless they get a game pass at the gate. There WAS going to be a game in 3 hours, but the parking lot was relatively empty, and though they were giving out passes, they hadn't closed off the lot yet.

In those days I was the go-to girl for mechanical and technical problems, and so she decided to ask me to put on her spare tire so she could drive to Sears and get a replacement tire. It was that or pay a ridiculous towing fee... and, I knew what to do, so I decided to help her.

The two of us were sitting on the pavement, I was removing the busted tire and she was watching, when a parking lot cop came up. Walking. He stopped and watched us deal with the tire. She glanced up and said to him, "I had a flat, I'll be along as soon as my friend FS gets it changed." The cop said nothing but walked to the other side of the vehicle. We paid him no attention.

Of COURSE the son of a bitch had written her a ticket. With her sitting on the pavement on the other side of the car while he cowardly hid. With full view of a tire-changing going on.

Unfreakingbelievable.

Fortunately she got the ticket waived.