MSU seeks update to campus traffic, parking ticket law
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MSU is lobbying the Michigan Legislature in support of a bill that could authorize the university additional control over parking, traffic and pedestrian ordinances and fines, which could increase traffic ticket costs on campus.
Under current law, which was written in 1967, governing boards of Michigan colleges and universities are permitted to establish sanctions in relation to civil infractions, but initial fines cannot be more than $25 — excluding court fees.
The House and Senate versions of the bill would amend the current law to match the updated Michigan Vehicle Code for each infraction, with an initial civil fine costing no more than $100 — a $75 difference, said John Lazet, chief of staff for state Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, who introduced the Senate bill March 3.
The Senate bill awaits a third reading before a full chamber vote. The House version of the bill awaits a second reading. Lazet said a bill must be read three times before voting.
The fines universities are allowed to levy are much lower than what is allowed under the Michigan Vehicle Code, which was updated in the late 1970s, Lazet said. Although the code was updated then, the law empowering universities to establish traffic and parking regulations was not.
The bills in both legislative bodies have been met with little to no opposition.
“When this law was written for Michigan back in the 1960s, all traffic infractions were criminal,” Lazet said. “We decriminalized traffic law in (1978). We are just trying to get (the old law) updated to current standards and thresholds.”
Steve Webster, MSU’s vice president for governmental affairs, said the on- and off-campus codes are out of sync, and that a change is necessary. Changing the fees from “those very low levels” to ones in line with off-campus infractions is enough incentive for people to park legally, he said.
Webster said MSU has been working closely with the Legislature during the bill’s drafting, as other universities and entities across the state are looking favorably for its passage.
He denied that MSU’s lobbying in support of the legislation is about increased revenues from citations.
Although the law, if passed, would allow initial fines of no more than $100 to be set, such a fine likely would not be standard, Webster said.
“Do we support it? Sure we do,” Webster said. “(MSU’s Board of Trustees) would have the ability to set our ordinances on campus and our own fines for violating those — but not to exceed those (set) fines.”
International relations junior Alex Bradley said he does not think MSU should increase fees.
“It’s ridiculous,” Bradley said. “The amount we’re paying at MSU is already too much.”
State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, who introduced the bill in the House on Feb. 23, said he is advocating the passage of the bill because it is good public policy to bring the outdated law up-to-date.
Although Webster said money is not the motivation, Meadows said additional revenue might be an attractive prospect for MSU.
“It’s a revenue issue for the university — they have very low violation penalties and they are very interested in being able to go higher,” Meadows said. “It would be important to them to at least have the authority (to set fees) — that’s the critical element.”
Representatives from ASMSU declined to take a position on the matter as the undergraduate student government’s assemblies are not in session.
The group likely will take up the issue quickly, they said.
“ASMSU is keeping close track of this bill, and it will most definitely be taken up by the Assembly at the first chance this fall,” said Emily Serkaian, ASMSU’s director of governmental affairs, in an e-mail.
Commentary
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Shame MSU
(07/22/10 9:13am)Report
This is a disgrace. MSU already fleeces its students by not providing parking to begin with and now you want to potentially tripple the fines on campus?
MSU already has some of the highest parking prices in Michiga and a recent study already showed that MSU makes far and away more than any other community even close to its size on parking tickets. This is another way to take more from its own students.
Steve Webster & Trustees – dont you have better things to do like doing your job to keep education funding as opposed to screwing students over yet again?
Vote them Out
(07/22/10 9:17am)Report
Well we’ve got an election comming up…
Any trustee that doesnt oppose this needs to be voted out.
We’re watching…
Sparty
(07/22/10 9:25am)Report
“State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, who introduced the bill in the House on Feb. 23, said he is advocating the passage of the bill because it is good public policy to bring the outdated law up-to-date.”
Really serving your constitutents well by tripling our parking fees.
Oh, and Steve Webster – I didn’t realize that a $25 parking fine was a “very low level”.
Perhaps we pay you too much with our tax dollars if you think so?
Haywood Ustopalready
(07/22/10 11:02am)Report
I agree with the election comment. I can not believe that this would do any good for the student body at MSU. Read the Board of Trustees charter. It does not mention in any way that there job is to screw the students at MSU.
Haywood Ustopalready
(07/22/10 11:03am)Report
their not there – I took writing at UM over the summer.
jill
(07/22/10 12:02pm)Report
if the university had a more streamlined system for paying violations, maybe i wouldn’t gripe about this. Just incorporate fines into my student bill, and set up a parking meter system that doesn’t require quarters, and we’ll all be happier.
Cha Ching
(07/22/10 1:13pm)Report
It’s all about the money. There was a recent article in the LSJ about how EL and AA are raking in the dough from parking tickets when compared to other cities/towns throughout MI.
I wish other commuter safety issues would be enforced more vigorously than parking. Speeding on campus, stopping in bike lanes or pedestrian crossings, etc.
Ed
(07/22/10 1:26pm)Report
Amen to the above comment.
Zealously enforcing parking laws has zero effect on public safety; however, zealously enforcing traffic laws and doling out massive fines has a great benefit to public safety.
I guess we’ll see where the university’s priorities are.
Lucasta
(07/22/10 1:59pm)Report
The LSJ reports that parking fines in East Lansing and MSU have been lucrative. “In recent years, MSU itself has collected $2.5 million annually.”
link to article here: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100621/NEWS01/306210017/Parking-tickets-prolific-in-East-Lansing
faculty
(07/22/10 2:29pm)Report
I’m actually in favor of this. $25 isn’t much of a deterrent to illegal activity; maybe if the fine for illegal parking was $50, people would think twice about it. And if it helps stop speeding around campus, that can only help as well.
If the increased fines can help MSU keep up with some of the infrastructure needs around campus, all the better.
You can avoid paying the fines by not doing anything illegal.
Dear Faculty
(07/22/10 3:09pm)Report
Perhaps you’re in favor (as is Steve Webster & the Trustees) because you get either a staff parking pass or even an assigned space so you never have to worry about parking.
However, if you had to actually try and park like the 40,000 students do you’d realize this is a problem and higher fines against your students isnt a real solution for inept management that created the parking mess in the first place.
RE: Dear Faculty
(07/22/10 3:57pm)Report
Perhaps you’re not in favor because you’re a lazy student who won’t walk or ride a bike to class like everyone else. I am a student who walks during the year and parks far from my building during the summer, as I work on campus and am not allowed a faculty permit. It is what it is, parking is free in Breslin all summer and it’s usually fine weather to walk in.
Also, faculty do not just “get” parking passes or assigned spaces. They are expensive – for good reason – the cheapest on campus permit is $447 according to the police website.
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand those “motorist assist vehicles” that give tickets out like candy, but if the university can make more money off of lazy students who don’t park in the right places, I say do it.
And I’m going to have to agree with what faculty said – don’t do anything illegal and you won’t have to pay the fines.
LH
(07/22/10 4:52pm)Report
Reading the comments on this is just hysterical…People genuinely think they are justified in griping about being “fleeced” by the University when they’re doing something illegal. Here’s a tip – just park legally, or walk and bike like everyone else! I spent 7 years at this university between undergrad and law school and only had one expired meter ticket during that time. I don’t blame the University at all – they’re not obliged to provide you parking, faculty and staff pay tons of money for those spots students and visitors are illegally taking, and, in the end it’s just good business to fine people who don’t want to play by the rules.
Ferndale Alum
(07/22/10 5:06pm)Report
Here’s a novel idea…PARK LEGALLY. You won’t get a ticket, and then who cares how mucht the fines are.
O love the names you come up with!
(07/22/10 8:46pm)Report
Cha Ching hahaha very clever!
all for the money
(07/22/10 11:25pm)Report
Students should follow the regulations/ordinance and deserve parking tickets if they don’t. However, with the complexity of the codes, signs, gate cards, sometimes it’s unpractical to follow, i.e, 1. your student ID allows you to enter a parking lot even though you have no right to park there. “why not blocking their entrance in the first place? 2. there are three signs at the entrance of the lot, and cars behind you are lined up and anxious drivers are just about to honk, do you have time to read each line carefully?
What I see all behind this is money driven motivation. The increase tickets will fuel the ticket issuing rampages regardless of parking or speeding. Why not design better mechanisms to manage the traffic, limit the speed , install student friendly meters and simplified codes to comply with. Fine should be a means to implement the law, but not the purpose. It seems the authority are gloating in making money on students misfortunes, rather than prevent the violations in the first place. They are mindsets are screwed by “MONEY”
Student
(07/23/10 12:24am)Report
why not bring your car at all when ur an undergrad. there is really no reason to have a car i don’t have my car at state plus i have a job on campus even if it was off campus East Lansing isn’t a bad place to ride a bike in. plus i never received a ticket yet. so if they make the prices go up then go right ahead cuz they aren’t getting any money from me in parking fines.
Student
(07/23/10 12:32am)Report
ohh and there is the CATA bus system that is very cheap in cost and right now is a little more in cost of that of the cost of a parking ticket to ride for a whole semester now thats a very good deal and you dont have to pay for gas.
FYI
(07/23/10 2:27am)Report
See… Here’s the thing.
For those of you griping about how there’s all of this revenue that’s made via the cost of parking tickets and parking passes; that money goes to directly fund the MSU Dept. of Police and Public Safety. Without that revenue we wouldn’t have the services it provides. So Ed, to respond to your comment directly; enforcing the parking violations and creating enough revenue to fund and support a police department has a direct impact on public safety.
For those students who are complaining about a lack of parking, you’re missing out on something. Parking is a privelage, not a right. When I was looking at the literature and deciding on whether or not to attend MSU I never saw anything telling me I’d be guarenteed a parking spot for my vehicle. If you think that there is going to be enough parking for every single student on the campus to bring their vehicle onto campus, let alone park adjacent to where classes are held… that just doesn’t seem physically possible. Parking alternatives are available, such as the commuter lot. It may not be as convenient as you wish but don’t act like there arn’t options.
Regarding the increase in fees, I feel that it is absolutely necessary. There are many people on campus who simply choose to take a ticket and park illegally because the fee is not enough to discourage them, which is the point of a parking ciation altogether.
incoming senior
(07/23/10 10:37am)Report
I won’t park illegally, but it is stuff like this that makes me excited to get out of here in a year. Sadly. MSU is a money grubbing corporation and I feel I’ve been “had” these past years
A.M.
(07/23/10 10:41am)Report
What no one mentions is all the non-student/faculty that spend a lot of time on campus. I don’t attend MSU, but my girlfriend does. I live almost an hour away, so when I come to visit, I have to drive, and I have to struggle to find a spot to park where I won’t get ticketed. Then I have to juggle my car back and forth between campus and Meijer in Okemos. If there was just better accessibility to cheap/free parking, infractions wouldn’t happen nearly as often. And to anyone who says this isn’t just a gross money grab, you’re an idiot.
TS
(07/23/10 5:30pm)Report
I agree with all for the money. This is one of ways the university make money. So they will not try to have a better mechanisms to control the parking problem. For example, the parking lot in front of Anthoney hall is for staff only and there is a gate card system. But for the entire Fall of 2009, I never saw the gate closed then everyone could go in. So after the paking lot was stuffed with illegal parking, staffs had to park illegally, like parking on the drive way of the parking lot. Then they got tickes too. So instead of getting paid by parking permits only, the university now got paid by parking permits, parking tickets from illegal parking students and parking tickes from illegal parking staffs. So for those of you who said the simplest way was not parking illegal or at all, the univeristy wiil not like you. And if everyone does this, they will find a new way to make money.
KC
(07/23/10 10:51pm)Report
I have always been irritated by the cost of parking at MSU (even if you pay to park in a lot legally it is insane) and the lack of parking close to buildings that students actually use. MSU has many students that do not live around EL and not having practical parking for people to use when quickly running into a building is poor planning. I got my fair share of tickets at MSU and I can say that I am glad I never have to return to that campus.
On a side note, I think that MSU should be asking other universities how they do parking for their students. I am attending graduate school at a school of almost the same size that provides free “park and ride” lots for faculty and students. The pass is free and the shuttle to campus is free. This reduces the number of cars on campus and makes it a safer place for walkers and bikers on campus. Just a thought…..
...
(07/24/10 10:52am)Report
Even parking legally is crazy. 25 cents for 10 minutes. What is this, Nazi Germany. I have been seeing a trend in East Lansing and MSU. Each place treats students like money bags. Each tries to pull as much cash as possible. East Lansing is a dump. The city has nothing of value, and it knows this. In return, it treats its major population group, students, like trash. MSU has gradually been forgetting that its primary purpose is to provide a quality education, NOT make money. It seems that instead of providing a quality education at a reasonable price, while providing a nice atmosphere, MSU is concerned with sucking every last penny from each student. Otherwise, MSU would not have been able to start wonderful programs like MSU Dubai, and spend tens and tens of thousands of dollars sending MSU faculty over there. Yea, that was a great idea. Excuse me, i am choking on sarcasm.
Chrissy
(07/24/10 11:55am)Report
I agree with the above statements and the parking lots are also a great distance from the dorms…it is an outrageous cost to park @ MSU $$$$ wise and finding a spot to park especially when you are moving in and out of the dorms…all the tickets that are given out…what do you think these student are rich?