Changes in parking lead to 834 warnings
Parking changed from unlimited restrictions to a three-hour time limit on 800 East from 700 North to 1400 North – with the exception of parking meters – as of September to help with traffic congestion during the day, Lt. Jeff Simmons of the Logan City Police said. The street below Old Main, 700 East, was restricted to three hours from 400 North to 600 North.
“Honestly it’s about as good as we can get for what we have,” Simmons said. “Truly we just don’t have enough streets for all the people we have flowing into Logan every day.”
Students and university faculty who used to park on streets around USU all day can no longer keep their cars in the same place, Simmons said. The options left for those who drive to campus are to either move their cars before the time limit is up or purchase a parking permit, he said.
A statement from James Nye, director of Parking and Transportation Services at USU, said the parking regulations were made to provide more parking opportunities for students.
“These stalls were always utilized by people who arrive early and stayed all day,” Nye said. “With the three-hour parking restrictions there is greater turnover, resulting in more parking availability for students.”
Nye said parking permit sales so far are about the same as last year. The parking office sold 3,938 Blue and Yellow permits in 2011, and 3,930 were sold as of Oct. 3, Nye said.
Flyers were posted in the areas where changes were being made when school started, and signs went up after Labor Day. Each sign designates the parking within 100 feet in each direction. Simmons said the parking officers employed by the police department issued warnings at first in new areas, but now they are ticketing. Logan Parking Enforcement issued 834 warnings and tickets around the city in September, according to Simmons.
The new signs posted currently do not say how long the parking restrictions are enforced. However, Simmons said the parking officers only work 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the signs will be changed to reflect that. Winter parking restrictions will be the same as every year, he said. Parking on city streets will not be allowed from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Nov. 15 through February 28 to make snow removal easier, he said.
The parking officers mark the back left tire of a vehicle with a line of chalk and come back later to see of the vehicle is still there. An unnamed parking official explained that merely driving down the street to park in a different stall will not completely remove the chalk. It is also a violation to rub away the chalk and people get caught by the parking officers doing it, the official said.
Logan Municipal Code states that a vehicle must leave the district it is in before returning to park. The official explained the definition of a district is an area around a street designated for the same purpose and its adjoining streets. So, if a person needs to move their car on 800 East, they must drive away from the streets connecting to it before coming back. This should be far enough to rub away the chalk mark. The main idea is to free up stalls periodically and give people a chance to park there, they said.
A typical parking violation costs a minimum 20 dollars. Simmons said there is an independent board made up of five citizens who meet regularly to deal with appeal requests. Tickets do get repealed or fines are lowered if there is just cause, he said.
Nye said, “I have heard positive comments from students. As with any parking change, it will take some time for people to adjust.”
Other parking changes include a three hour parking limit in the Hillcrest neighborhood on Evergreen Drive and 900 North, just off 1200 East by the cemetery, Simmons said. The Logan police were asked to step up their parking enforcement of neighborhoods in a June city council meeting. Simmons said citizens from those neighborhoods around USU had input in the process of changing parking regulations.
The Logan City Police Department took over parking enforcement in August, loosening parking enforcement downtown per the request of the Downtown Alliance and tightening restrictions around USU after meeting with citizens and the university, Simmons said.
Simmons said he does hear complaints about parking around the university, but for the most part people are understanding when he explains the reasons behind the tighter restrictions.
“We’re trying to be fair to everybody,” Simmons said. “Some people don’t like the changes, and some people are okay with it, so there’s a balance.”
Parking could change again if citizens want it to, Simmons said.
“These are the rules now, but could there be a change in the future?” he said. “Oh sure, depending on the circumstances. We’re trying to be responsive – that’s the whole point in the issue.”
– la.stewart@aggiemail.usu.edu