Occasional parking permits now offered

Parking Services is offering two new programs aimed at helping occasional campus parkers and collecting outstanding fines.

On Oct. 1, Parking Services began applying wheel locks to the vehicles of individuals who have unpaid citations. The wheel locks – or “boots” – can be applied to any vehicle with any unpaid citation that is over 30 days old.

“We will impound by wheel lock only for unpaid citations,” said Dan Carpenter, director of Parking and Transit Services. “The application of the wheel lock is not determined by the number of unpaid citations. Any unpaid citation that is more than 30 days old will result in impoundment by wheel lock.”

Parking is using a small wheel lock that does not cover the lug nuts of a car. Two boots will be placed on each vehicle with unpaid citations. The boots will be applied from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. A specialized, easy to remove information sticker will also be applied to booted vehicles.

A parking enforcement officer applies a boot during a test in September. Vehicles that have at least one citation that is more than 30-days may be booted by parking enforcement officers.

Vehicles that have been booted can be released by payment of the outstanding citation balance. An additional boot and release fee of $35 will be charged. Individuals can pay fines online at http://parking.unl.edu/ or at the Parking and Transit Services office, 625 Stadium Drive Parking Garage. Individuals must contact Parking and Transit Services at 472-1800 to have wheel locks removed after payment is made. Any vehicle that remains booted by 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4:30 p.m. on Friday will be towed to the City of Lincoln impound yard at First and Charleston streets.

UNL’s use of the wheel locks does save money for individuals with unpaid citations.

“We are charging $35 for the boot and release fee,” Carpenter said. “Before we started using the boots, vehicles with unpaid citations are towed. The tow fee is $53.”

He said keeping the vehicles on campus instead of the Lincoln impound yard is also useful to parking users and acts as a deterrent for others that may consider breaking parking rules.

“If the vehicle remains on campus, individuals can get into their vehicle and retrieve the stuff they need to pay the fine,” said Carpenter. “It will also reduce the number of people who think their vehicle has been stolen when it was really towed for unpaid citations.”

Carepenter said the boots would not be used in inclement weather.

Parking is also selling packets of occasional parking permits for faculty, staff and students who do not regularly park on campus.

The one-time use permits utilize scratch off areas that allow owners to show the day of use. The occasional permits are good for faculty/staff area A and student area C parking lots. The permits are sold in packs of 10 for $40 or 20 for $80.

Carpenter said the program is modeled after a program at the University of Virginia. He said a member of the Faculty Senate proposed the idea.

“This is a program that is going to fill a niche that really didn’t fit under our regular permit policy,” said Carpenter. “It will be good for a lecturer who comes to campus only once or twice a week or a couple that normally rides to campus together, but occasionally has to drive two vehicles because of a meeting, doctor’s appointment or some other reason.”

The occasional permits are sold at a discounted rate over the single-day permits offered by Parking Services.

An occasional parking permit now available through Parking Services.

Parking is also adopting Nebraska’s escalating fines for illegal parking in handicapped areas. Carpenter said the first offense is a $150 fine, second offense is $300 and third is $500. The vehicle will be towed with each offense.

For more information on programs offered by Parking and Transit Services, go to http://parking.unl.edu/.

— By Troy Fedderson, University Communications