UCLA PARKING
A Closer Look runs every other Wednesday
Tiffany LiuParking debt persists despite ticket revenues
Tulika Bose | (link)
Faulty ticketing can be contested
Tulika Bose | (link)
Speaks Out: Parking
Amanda Visser Second-year, geography and environmental studies
“I live in the sorority houses, and I got parking for Lot 11, which is over by the dorms, so I pretty much can’t park there unless I want to always have someone walk me back every time I drive somewhere. ... It’s a pain in the butt.”
Nancy Kaiser Extension student, Latin American studies
“They weren’t requiring the permit to be displayed in the window, and sometime this year they decided to go ahead and do that. ... I got ticketed for not displaying it. I was really upset that they don’t give any kind of warning.”
Philippe Duvivier Fourth-year, international economics
“I live on Hilgard and I park in a private lot, and it costs me $200 a month. ... I think it’s worth more to park in a private lot than just park it on the streets and take the tickets and the criminality that comes with it.”
Slava Mikhalevich Third-year, economics
“I remember I had a midterm at 12, and I got here at 11:30. ... It took me 40 minutes to find parking so I came late to my midterm and didn’t do too well, and I had to retake the class in the end.”
How to appeal a parking ticket
UCLA parking tickets can be appealed. Here are some things to consider when deciding whether or not to contest a parking ticket.• Under California State Law, applicants have 21 days to contest a parking ticket.
• Appeals can be made by visiting the parking ticket Web site at pticket.com, going to the UCLA parking citation office or through mail.
• If you have a valid decal but received a parking ticket for not displaying it on your dashboard, your ticket may be reduced to $10 for a first offense.
• Include supporting documentation.
• Half of the 25 percent of students who appeal have their tickets dismissed.
• For those not satisfied with their appeal result, a request for an administrative hearing can be made after the ticket is paid in full. Only 4 to 5 percent of first-level reviews make it to a hearing.
SOURCE: Steve Rand, UCLA Transportation
Faulty ticketing can be contested
Although Web site simplifies process, only small percentage of appeals receive hearings
For students who believe they have been wrongfully ticketed, paying $45 or more is not the only option.
Students have 21 calender days to file a parking ticket appeal under California state law, said Steve Rand, the manager of enforcement, traffic and adjudication for UCLA Transportation.
Rand said that the easiest way to appeal a parking ticket is to apply online under the Pticket Web site, though appealing in person or mailing the appeal is also an option.
Of the 25 percent of the students who appeal, half are dismissed.
“The largest type of violation is for a non-display of a valid permit. If someone got a ticket for a non-display of a daily permit who did not go here or was not familiar with the campus, the ticket appeal would be dismissed immediately,” Rand said.
Rand stated that if a student had a decal but did not display it on the dashboard at the time of the citation, the fine would be reduced from $45 to $10 for the first offense.
Evidence that the parking ticket was given incorrectly is also needed to process the appeal.
But James Wei, a first-year economics student who was fined $42 for parking his car 20 percent out of the lines, said that he lacks the evidence to prove that he was forced to park his car outside the lines. Wei said that because the car behind him was sticking out, he had no choice but to park further in front of it to avoid hitting the car.
“I don’t have supporting evidence because the car left,” Wei said.
Rand also said that officers often take pictures of cars that are cited for parking outside of the lines to aid in the appeal process.
Other citations commonly given out are for meters that expire, parking in a fire lane, using a lost or stolen permit, parking in a commercial loading zone and for the misuse of a disabled placard.
If students are not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal, Rand said, they can request an administrative hearing provided that they have paid the amount of the parking ticket.
But only a very small percentage of students who appeal progress from an initial review to an administrative hearing.
“Only about 4 or 5 percent who have a first-level review go through a hearing,” Rand said.
According to the Pticket Web site, those who are dissatisfied with the second-level hearing may progress to a civil appeal.
Rand said that all cases are judged on an individual basis.
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