Safer alternative for students found at parking decks

Parking tickets in Richmond can be a nightmare for many VCU students who have to move their vehicles from the city streets every hour, and if they are lucky, maybe every two hours to avoid paying a parking ticket.

As a solution to on-street parking hassles, students can buy parking decals or pay the daily student rate for parking in VCU’s parking decks. Students, however, should not think they won’t receive parking tickets just because they park in one of the parking decks.

In all, VCU offers four different parking decks for student use on the Monroe Park Campus.

Parking Office
1111 W. Broad St.
(804) VCU-PARK

In return, students pay $3.25, the daily rate for those with a valid ID or buy a parking decal that ranges from $30 to $247 per semester. Once parked inside the deck, students must obey the parking rules and regulations established by the university through its Department of Parking and Transportation.

Nonetheless, a major problem occurs because students fail to read the rules posted in the parking deck.

“Many people just don’t read the signs that tell them when they are allowed to be parked in the parking deck,” said Jay Bolling, a cashier for the Academic Parking Deck on Main Street. “It is the enforcement and safety officers who write the tickets for cars parked illegally.”

These officers, he said, roam through the parking decks to ensure that people legally park their cars based on the VCU parking rules for the decks.

Matt West, a student and cashier for the Academic Parking Deck, said students’ vehicles often receive parking tickets if they don’t have a decal or if they remain parked in the deck after hours.

“After hours begins at midnight,” he said.

When students buy their decals, they are advised about the parking rules, West said, and rules are posted in the parking decks for those who pay the daily rates.

Bolling said when students purchase their decals, the parking office issues a contract clarifying the rules for the type of decal, that could be for overnight or daytime- only parking.

Megan Edwards, a freshman business major from Harrisonburg, said she owns a parking decal for the lot north of Brandt Hall on Laurel Street.

“I have a decal that allows me to park there overnight and all day,” Edwards said.

“I have never received a ticket while parked in there. However, one time during the day, the parking lot was full of cars without decals. I had to park on the street and ended up getting a parking ticket there because I was 15 minutes late getting to my car.”

Bolling said parking tickets for the parking decks start at $5 and rise depending on the violation. For some violations, towing may be the result.

For instance, if the car is parked in a designated tow zone, the car can be towed at the owner’s expense without prior notification. In such a situation, the owner is required to pay all fines before the car can be returned to him or her.

“There is a process to petition the ticket if you know you are right,” Bolling said.

Tickets can be paid at the 1111 W. Broad St. office, which is next to the VCU Bookstore. Students also petition their tickets at that office.