Campus Parking Wars

[BadlandsBison]

Those ex-KGB agents known as parking police have been getting to me lately. I got through a good chunk of the semester without a ticket, but by the end, i was averaging more than a ticket a week. We gotta pay for parking at the Walman Wellness! Are the higher-ups trying to scare us away? Is high cholesterol suddenly a good thing???

If anyone has advice on how to beat these parking commis, id like to hear it. And i've heard some good stories from former students about showdowns/car chases/ect. with the parking police, so please share those stories too...

[gotts]

Those ex-KGB agents known as parking police have been getting to me lately. I got through a good chunk of the semester without a ticket, but by the end, i was averaging more than a ticket a week. We gotta pay for parking at the Walman Wellness! Are the higher-ups trying to scare us away? Is high cholesterol suddenly a good thing???

If anyone has advice on how to beat these parking commis, id like to hear it. And i've heard some good stories from former students about showdowns/car chases/ect. with the parking police, so please share those stories too...

I was disappointed when the Wellness Center lot went to pay... forced me to start working out before 7am because I refuse to pay to park.

On another note, I recall a time when my buddy parked in the Dinan Hall Director's spot by the Union when he made a 5 minute trip into the MU.

He came back out to find the parking nazis there to ticket him, but for some strange reason, the hall director mediated and got him out of the ticket.

One of the weirder situations I've ever seen!

[UTH]

Don't have any 'unreasonable nazi' stories from NDSU. OTOH, they're a different animal altogether up north. One time, I parked at a meter outside a dorm. Put one quarter in the machine, giving me 20 mins., IIRC. I came back out at about 18 minutes. A parking nazi was out there with his ticket book open and it looked to me like he was waiting for the last minute or so to tick away. We had a conversation.http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff311/indio_rojas/Smilies/backhandwrongsmilies.gif

Saw a campus cop who was doubleparked across a couple handicapped spots outside the CF Auditorium. He was out snooping around some cars. We had a conversation.http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff311/indio_rojas/Smilies/smiliesforkintheface-1.gif

They're a little insane. That campus PD has had more than its fair share of scandals. They had one former ticket nazi come out of the closet and tell tales about the quotas they had to meet. They really know their nazism up there.:nod:

[Civil06]

Those ex-KGB agents known as parking police have been getting to me lately. I got through a good chunk of the semester without a ticket, but by the end, i was averaging more than a ticket a week. We gotta pay for parking at the Walman Wellness! Are the higher-ups trying to scare us away? Is high cholesterol suddenly a good thing???

If anyone has advice on how to beat these parking commis, id like to hear it. And i've heard some good stories from former students about showdowns/car chases/ect. with the parking police, so please share those stories too...

I got a lot of tickets, but it was still fun because I treated parking like a game. You have to determine if the nazis have a routine, then exploit it. I was able to park near Ladd Hall for part of the morning and then move my car to the CF lot for some of the afternoon. This worked ok for about a year. Another option is to cover your windows with snow so they can't see if you have permit or not (rarely works).

After a few semesters of tickets (totalling more then the cost of a parking permit), however, I decided to start finding out when permits went on sale and waited in line to get a permit at the Wellness Center.

I'm still waiting for an angry mob to flip the little meter car over.:nod:

[IzzyFlexion]

Just out of curiosity, what is the fine for a general parking violation at NDSU?

[Civil06]

Just out of curiosity, what is the fine for a general parking violation at NDSU?

$10 when I was there.

[aces1180]

I had friends who would scan real parking permits and create fakes ones to use...His system worked well from 1998-2000. However, they have made them more sophisticated now, so they are much more difficult to duplicate.

[IzzyFlexion]

$10 when I was there.

The University of Illinois and Illinois State are both $15. I was just curious if there was a difference.

[roadwarrior]

I'll make sure and pass along all comments on this thread to a member of my family who's on the NDSU police force. :D

[bisonmike2]

I had friends who would scan real parking permits and create fakes ones to use...His system worked well from 1998-2000. However, they have made them more sophisticated now, so they are much more difficult to duplicate.

Did these fake parking permits peal and fade in the sunlight? I know a guy who got busted using a fake permit. Looked really good at the start of the year but after a couple months the permit started to peel apart and that's when the Nazi's got him. it was a pretty big deal when he got busted, he almost got kicked out of school.

[aces1180]

Did these fake parking permits peal and fade in the sunlight? I know a guy who got busted using a fake permit. Looked really good at the start of the year but after a couple months the permit started to peel apart and that's when the Nazi's got him. it was a pretty big deal when he got busted, he almost got kicked out of school.

He replaced them quite often, actually.

[bisonmike2]

He replaced them quite often, actually.

Ahh, so that's the trick. I remember before he got busted you could pretty much get by with anything hanging from your mirror, the nazi's were to lazy to actually check the tag but after that they were always in our lot running tags.

[BadlandsBison]

Just out of curiosity, what is the fine for a general parking violation at NDSU?

The fine is $15 now. Awful steep!

[gotts]

The fine is $15 now. Awful steep!

Yeah, I found that out the hard way!

[IzzyFlexion]

The fine is $15 now. Awful steep!

Just for fun.....get a parking ticket in downtown Chicago some day! A simple meter violation, for example, is $50.00 in the heart of downtown.

[bisonaudit]

If anyone has advice on how to beat these parking commis, id like to hear it.

This may sound radical but I'd go with obeying the rules.

[bisonmike2]

Just for fun.....get a parking ticket in downtown Chicago some day! A simple meter violation, for example, is $50.00 in the heart of downtown.

No kidding. I got one in a rental car for work there. The ticket is almost cheaper than the actual parking spot. $22 an hour at Navy Pier? WTF.

[SlickVic]

NDSU issues well over a quarter million dollers in parking tickets per year...the last 2 years ive been in school ive paid more for parking tickets then ive givin to team makers and i sit on the 45 yard line

[Bison Dan]

NDSU issues well over a quarter million dollers in parking tickets per year...the last 2 years ive been in school ive paid more for parking tickets then ive givin to team makers and i sit on the 45 yard line

Those invisible No Parking signs are a bitch. I know when I was going to NDSU I failed to see them too, but then maybe it was all the partying that caused the problem.

[GOB1SON]

About 2 years ago, NDSU hired a new Parking supervisor (Rob Lynch) to "Clean Up" the parking situation on campus. He has done a good job and I would suspect that parking (including enforcement) is now a paying proposition.

It might seem like a bitch (and I still get plenty of tickets when I am up visiting folks on campus, pisses my wife off royally!) but the pay lot always has room in it.

And just like everything else, parking at SU is actually pretty good compared to other campuses. In College Station, there is no parking on streets close to campus (the few spots are used up pretty quick) and permits were pretty expensive. There were parking garages that charged plenty or you could park in the "Mud Lot', a glorified dirt patch for $5, no time limit.

Parking ticket then (in the late 90's) were $25.

[UTH]

It might seem like a bitch (and I still get plenty of tickets when I am up visiting folks on campus, pisses my wife off royally!) but the pay lot always has room in it.



Back in the mid-90s, I used and abused the hell out of the pay lot. At that time, they had an old feller who'd issue stubs and collect fees in the shack at the entrance. That feller would leave for the day at something like 5:00 p.m. sharp. I'd just pull into that lot on my way to the first class and get a stub. Then I'd make a point of actually staying on campus during the day. Almost everyday, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my last class would be after 5:00. I don't even remember there being any way to leave your fee if the old feller wasn't there, so I'd leave for free and get another stub again the next day. Couldn't believe that so few people did things that way - the lot was usually very open.

[Civil06]

Back in the mid-90s, I used and abused the hell out of the pay lot. At that time, they had an old feller who'd issue stubs and collect fees in the shack at the entrance. That feller would leave for the day at something like 5:00 p.m. sharp. I'd just pull into that lot on my way to the first class and get a stub. Then I'd make a point of actually staying on campus during the day. Almost everyday, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my last class would be after 5:00. I don't even remember there being any way to leave your fee if the old feller wasn't there, so I'd leave for free and get another stub again the next day. Couldn't believe that so few people did things that way - the lot was usually very open.

I did the same thing on occasion. They started making you pre-pay at 3:30 or something like that, but not if you were there before. Sometimes I'd watch him from the CE building to make sure he had driven away.

The guy working in the booth went to high school with one of my professors. He'd always say that it was nice that they both ended up in higher education. lol I wonder if he lost his job when they went to the automated system?

[gotts]

I did the same thing on occasion. They started making you pre-pay at 3:30 or something like that, but not if you were there before. Sometimes I'd watch him from the CE building to make sure he had driven away.

The guy working in the booth went to high school with one of my professors. He'd always say that it was nice that they both ended up in higher education. lol I wonder if he lost his job when they went to the automated system?

Ahh... another pupil who has received the wisdom of Dr. Andersen.

I remember when he told one of my classes the same story!

[UTH]

I did the same thing on occasion. They started making you pre-pay at 3:30 or something like that, but not if you were there before. Sometimes I'd watch him from the CE building to make sure he had driven away.

The guy working in the booth went to high school with one of my professors. He'd always say that it was nice that they both ended up in higher education. lol I wonder if he lost his job when they went to the automated system?


Now that you bring up that 3:30 pre-pay deal, I remember that as well. Didn't know it's a automated now. I hope they didn't just lay him off when that happened. He was a pretty cool guy.

[duluthbison]

I've got a friend who visits from UND, whenever he parks on campus, he finds a car with a parking ticket on it and puts it on his car! So when the rent-a-cops (oops i mean...parking enforcement) come by, they think that he has already gotten a ticket!

[Civil06]

I've got a friend who visits from UND, whenever he parks on campus, he finds a car with a parking ticket on it and puts it on his car! So when the rent-a-cops (oops i mean...parking enforcement) come by, they think that he has already gotten a ticket!

That sucks for the guy who doesn't know that he has a ticket. He might get towed the next time.

[UTH]

I've got a friend who visits from UND, whenever he parks on campus, he finds a car with a parking ticket on it and puts it on his car! So when the rent-a-cops (oops i mean...parking enforcement) come by, they think that he has already gotten a ticket!


Wow - I'd say that's more wronger than counterfeit permits. It's one thing to cheat the system - another altogether to include a personal victim in the scheme on top of the cheating.

[GOB1SON]

Back in the mid-90s, I used and abused the hell out of the pay lot. At that time, they had an old feller who'd issue stubs and collect fees in the shack at the entrance. That feller would leave for the day at something like 5:00 p.m. sharp. I'd just pull into that lot on my way to the first class and get a stub. Then I'd make a point of actually staying on campus during the day. Almost everyday, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my last class would be after 5:00. I don't even remember there being any way to leave your fee if the old feller wasn't there, so I'd leave for free and get another stub again the next day. Couldn't believe that so few people did things that way - the lot was usually very open.

His name was George (if I remember right, I can still picture him) and he was a heck of a nice gentleman. Always in a good mood, had a TV in the booth, and liked to chat with folks. He was on campus a long, long time. I don't know what happened to him.

[aces1180]

His name was George (if I remember right, I can still picture him) and he was a heck of a nice gentleman. Always in a good mood, had a TV in the booth, and liked to chat with folks. He was on campus a long, long time. I don't know what happened to him.

He also loved it when you gave him quarters as payment. Was always looking for more change.

[lcbison]

That sucks for the guy who doesn't know that he has a ticket. He might get towed the next time.

No, they don't tow, just eventually mail the tickets to whoever owns the car.

So, if you parents own the car than Boom, Mommy and Daddy pay the parking tickets.

So, in the end they get their $$$$$.


Disclaimer*** this happened to LCbison in undergrad days before landing in the Hills

[BadlandsBison]

No, they don't tow, just eventually mail the tickets to whoever owns the car.

So, if you parents own the car than Boom, Mommy and Daddy pay the parking tickets.

So, in the end they get their $$$$$.


Disclaimer*** this happened to LCbison in undergrad days before landing in the Hills

I've payed every ticket as soon as i've got it, but I still get tickets in the mail every now and then. So the they either loose my payment, charge me twice cuz they think that'd be funny, or some visiting UND students come and swipe my tickets for themselves. All possibilities are a Royal Pain

[d3boys]

what is the statue of limitations on parking tickets
in 1978 i knew someone (wink, wink) who had 31 tickets in one quarter
thats right quarter not semester
i dont think they all were paid
might be a record

[ndsubison1]

Or you could live in the LLC like me and not have to worry about paying to park in the Wellness Parking lot :D

[gotts]

Or you could live in the LLC like me and not have to worry about paying to park in the Wellness Parking lot :D

They get you for a permit, do they not? Is it still $110 a year?

I'd have friends that didn't want to buy a parking permit, this being their rationale (when violations were still $10), "If I get caught 10 times or less, I still saved money."

[mebisonII]

Or you could live in the LLC like me and not have to worry about paying to park in the Wellness Parking lot :D

Called that home for a couple years...broke in 123! (I think...I don't remember the # for sure. What a stupid name for a dorm though. I was organizing something once with someone out of state and said my address was 123 Living Learning Center and she said, "Oh, do you volunteer there?". Yes, she thought I lived in a group home. :smh:

We (a couple friends and I) renamed it Papadapolous Hall after a building we walked by in South Carolina once.

[/hijack]

[IzzyFlexion]

No kidding. I got one in a rental car for work there. The ticket is almost cheaper than the actual parking spot. $22 an hour at Navy Pier? WTF.

The amount of the fine depends on which "Zone" of the city you're in. The center of the loop is the most costly. Most parking structures in the downtown area are about $18 for the first hour and about $8-10 for each additional hour. But, yeah....any of the touristy places are even higher (as you found out!) Here's another pain in the ass......if you're lucky enough to find a meter in the downtown area: it's as much as 25 cents per each 10 minutes!!

[BisonAccountant44]

The amount of the fine depends on which "Zone" of the city you're in. The center of the loop is the most costly. Most parking structures in the downtown area are about $18 for the first hour and about $8-10 for each additional hour. But, yeah....any of the touristy places are even higher (as you found out!) Here's another pain in the ass......if you're lucky enough to find a meter in the downtown area: it's as much as 25 cents per each 10 minutes!!

Isn't the top meter rate $3.50/hr right now? Either way it's ridiculous, but at least it's not the 6.50/hr it will be by 2013. :ranting:

[IzzyFlexion]

Isn't the top meter rate $3.50/hr right now? Either way it's ridiculous, but at least it's not the 6.50/hr it will be by 2013. :ranting:

I think the little "Ms. Pac-Man" looking electronic pay stations (the 1 per street things) might be at a different rate than the old fashioned post-style meters?

[KilldeerBison]

Those ex-KGB agents known as parking police have been getting to me lately. I got through a good chunk of the semester without a ticket, but by the end, i was averaging more than a ticket a week. We gotta pay for parking at the Walman Wellness! Are the higher-ups trying to scare us away? Is high cholesterol suddenly a good thing???

If anyone has advice on how to beat these parking commis, id like to hear it. And i've heard some good stories from former students about showdowns/car chases/ect. with the parking police, so please share those stories too...

I walked to campus everyday, so no parking problems. But, I can tell you that a Chevy LUV pickup can out run one of those "golf cart with a cab" units that they drive, at least they could in 1982!

[runtheoption]

We gotta pay for parking at the Walman Wellness! Are the higher-ups trying to scare us away? Is high cholesterol suddenly a good thing???


For a non-NDSU student/employee/faculty like myself, it is frustrating to pay for a $240/year membership to work out at the Wellness Center, and then have to pay for parking too.

I got my one and only ticket there last month. Campus was pretty much empty. I was leaving the Wellness Center at 8:00 am, saw the Ticket Nazi, and then saw the ticket on my car. Not in the lot that was right in front of the building, but the next lot over (to the north). The lot was 90% empty, WTF???? I wasn't even aware that this next lot over was a pay lot starting at 7:00 am. I thought it was a permit lot with enforced hours between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm'ish.

F**k it, that was the end of my membership. I'll go work out at the Air Guard facility for "free". TNSTAAFL.

[BadlandsBison]

I walked to campus everyday, so no parking problems. But, I can tell you that a Chevy LUV pickup can out run one of those "golf cart with a cab" units that they drive, at least they could in 1982!

Thats the kind of story i like to hear. Those carts dont exactly "strike fear" in the hearts of men ha ha. They may have been replaced since '82, but i doubt they've been "upgraded." My $$$ is still on the LUV.

[KilldeerBison]

Thats the kind of story i like to hear. Those carts dont exactly "strike fear" in the hearts of men ha ha. They may have been replaced since '82, but i doubt they've been "upgraded." My $$$ is still on the LUV.

I think that I had him on the weight to horsepower ratio, from what I remember, the cop was a large guy. If it had turned into a footrace the result would have been the same. It was after a home football game, NDSU had won and we were celebrating! Then along came Big John Law with his lights flashing, every party needs a pooper. I survived.