Parking Services won’t ticket on weekends, but police may

Lauren Frankovich

Parking Services doesn’t ticket on the weekends.

But that doesn’t make you exempt from following parking rules and regulations on the weekends because the police may ticket you.

The police department patrols problem areas such as fire lanes and no parking zones, Parking Services manager Randy Ristow said. Areas around residence halls are the main target because stadium permit holders can park on campus but may not be familiar with parking rules and regulations, he said.

After 2 p.m. Fridays, stadium permit holders are allowed to park in commuter lots or any non-restricted lot, said Loretta Nichols, Parking Services enforcement officer. If stadium permit holders park in restricted areas, other permit holders lose parking spots and are forced to park illegally.

“It’s a domino effect,” she said.

Some lots, such as the R-6 lots, are restricted at all times because faculty members and staff work on the weekends, Nichols said. Other lots, such as the S-37 lots, are restricted at all times because residential students have purchased a permit and must be guaranteed a spot even on the weekends, she said.

Meter spots are enforced on the weekends but not as strictly as during the week, Ristow said. “It’s important to adhere to the time limits.”

Larry Emling, Parking Services assistant manager, said it is also important to rotate cars in and out of meter spots “to create movement around the halls.” Residents need access to meter spots when they drop off groceries or luggage. Meter spots are also needed for campus visitors, he said.

Some residents have resorted to parking in traffic lanes because the lots closest to their dorms are full, Emling said.

“The rules still apply on the weekend,” he said.

Lake and Olson residents may have difficulties parking on the weekends when there is a M.A.C. Center event such as a men’s basketball game, Ristow said. Meter spots are blocked off with blue cones, and as many as 20 spaces behind Bowman are blocked off and designated for handicapped spots, Nichols said.

The Student Center lot and the Michael Schwartz Center lot are also designated parking areas during men’s basketball games, Nichols said.

Krystal Cripe, freshman visual communication design major, lives in Olson Hall and said there was no parking around Olson or the Student Center lot because of the men’s basketball game.

The Student Center lot is free 7:30 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday, Nichols said.

Stadium permit holders must move their cars back to the stadium by 11 p.m. Sunday, Ristow said.

Other residential permit holders can park on campus during the week after 4 p.m. in any commuter or non-restricted lot, Ristow said. being ticketed, he said.

Contact transportation reporter Lauren Frankovich at [email protected].