I paid $200 to ensure I got the perfect parking spot – even though I arrive hours before school I rarely find a space

STUDENTS at an esteemed university are frustrated with a seemingly constant lack of parking – some paid extra for spots that aren’t there.

Annual parking permits are $100 a piece, and even early risers struggle to find parking.

WLFI 18

WLFI 18

WLFI 18

WLFI 18

Purdue University students in Indiana are fed up with the never-ending struggle to find parking on campus.

Like many college campuses, many commute from nearby cities to attend classes.

Some have adapted to the struggle by showing up hours before class to find a parking spot before class, but that trick is proving ineffective and more students come to campus.

At $100 per year, it’s not a cheap permit – especially for many who either work part-time at minimum wage or don’t work at all.

Joseph Hagerty, a first-year chemistry graduate student , has a radical solution to the parking problem.

“There aren’t enough spaces for the amount of cars coming in,” he told CBS and CW Plus affiliate WFLI .

“It would be great if grad students, who are working, who are full-time employees of the university, could have the same parking privileges as other employees here on campus.”

Employees have dedicated lots, taking up valuable space for students paying nearly $10,000 a year to attend.

Hagerty confirmed showing up early doesn’t work as well as it used to.

“For us, to get a parking space semi-close to a lab, we have to show up at like seven or six in the morning,” he said.

Lux Comboni, a graduate student studying to be a nutritionist, told the outlet she paid an extra $100 to ensure she’d have a spot.

However, her $200 doesn’t seem to make a difference.

“If I come after 9 a.m., then it gets really full and I cannot find spots, even though I paid for a parking spot,” she said.

She, like Hagerty, noticed a lot more students on campus – but no efforts to build more parking lots.

“If we admit more students, and there’s a demand for parking which I think there is, then yeah, more parking spots,” said Comboni.

How to fight a parking ticket

You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made

Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.

Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.

• Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
• Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
• Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
• Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
• When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
  • “I didn’t know the law.”
  • “I was on my way to move my car.”
  • “I can’t afford this ticket.”
  • “I’ve been doing this for years.”
  • “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
• Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.

Source: Reader’s Digest

Some students have had to resort to parking illegally to make their class on time, resulting in a $35 to $50 ticket.

Some tickets can be expensive as $150 for an invalid parking permit.

Hagerty thinks parking enforcement should be more forgiving to students scrambling to make it to class on time.

“Parking forces need to be a little more lenient,” he said.

“Maybe give a couple warnings and then a ticket.”