Parking meters on campus will soon offer students 15-minute intervals and accept TigerCASH as payment, according to Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation.
"In past years, students weren't allowed to park at the meters," Graham said. "They were reserved for visitors, and they still are primarily for visitors, but with the new set up and the realization that most of these metered spaces are outside of the control area, we weren't going to stop students from parking there."
Graham said if students want to pay for the meters then they should be able to use the spaces.
"Why put [students] in a position of getting a ticket if they are willing to pay for the meters?" Graham said.
The addition of TigerCASH as form of payment is an effort to simplify student parking on campus, Graham said.
"With the students being able to park at the meters, why not try to make it as easy and convenient as possible?" Graham said.
The parking meter software needs to be updated to become compatible with the TigerCASH platform, according to Graham. He said the meters should be updated by the fall semester.
Andy Palermo, Student Government senator and chairman of the Housing Infrastructure and Technology Committee, proposed the TigerCASH compatibility to Graham, as well as the smaller parking increments.
"We tried to get the parking meters to stop earlier," said Palermo. "10 p.m. is ridiculous. The meters stop at 4:30 [p.m] downtown."
Palermo said the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation patrols from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., then LSUPD patrols from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
"If you park in any metered spots from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., you have the opportunity to get ticketed," Palermo said. "There is a chance that you could get away without a ticket at night because there [aren't] that many people patrolling."
Palermo said he parked at the meter in front of the Student Union to see what it was like. He said he could only buy one-hour increments.
"We asked for 15-minute intervals, 30-minute intervals, especially in front of the Union where students might have to run into the bookstore real quick or want to check out the renovations," Palermo said. "We stressed the importance of safety on campus and wanting students to be able to park close to their night classes and not park farther away just to save a couple of dollars."
---- Contact Scott Holley at sholley@lsureveille.com
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