The notorious parking situation in Ann Arbor has led many
students to believe that some Ann Arbor officials are at least
complacently, if not deliberately, taking advantage of them —
using obscure signs, last-minute no-parking notices, a lack of
structures and a liberal issuance of expensive tickets.

According to the 2003-2004 city budget, Ann Arbor is expected to
take in nearly $12 million from downtown meter and parking
structure revenues. But the city is only expected to spend $9.7
million on the system.

The city is expected to receive an additional $3 million from
tickets and towing fees — not including what towing companies
make — said Karen Lancaster, the city’s associate
finance director.

Added to this are the University’s revenues for tickets
and meters on campus, which Lancaster said are not included in the
city budget report because the city allows the University to keep
the money it makes from parking.

Much of the $15 million that the city makes from parking is
transferred into Ann Arbor’s general fund, said Joe
Morehouse, deputy director of the Downtown Development Authority.
The general fund is used to pay for city services such as the fire
and police departments

“The city is definitely overzealous when it comes to
parking,” said Rachel Fisher, vice chair of the External
Relations Committee of the Michigan Student Assembly.

Fisher recognizes the city’s need to maintain revenues,
but said that need must be balanced with avoiding burdening
students at a time when they are already coping with large debts
for tuition and living expenses.

LSA junior John Pargament, whose previous landlord did not
provide him with parking, said his car was towed because of an
unclear sign, and that he spent $170 that could have been
avoided.

Pargament was forced to hunt for a parking spot around town when
sudden construction shut off his street from parking. He parked his
car in a spot he thought was legal, misinterpreting the meaning of
arrows pointing in the direction that is banned, not the direction
which is allowed.

Pargament said his car did not have to be towed. He left his car
in the spot for two days, and he was given a ticket on the first
day, he said. But his car was towed on the second day before he
ever saw the ticket. He said he would have noticed the ticket and
moved his car if it was not towed so quickly.

LSA sophomore Lubna Grewal also does not have parking where she
lives. She said she is forced to go through a weekly ritual of
roaming the streets for an open space. “If you go far enough,
you will usually find something,” she said.

Grewal said she has found a spot that is usually open, but at
times she has gone as far as the University Hospital area, although
she lives at Tower Plaza on East William and Thompson streets.

She said she had the most trouble during spring semester, when
signs for street maintenance took many students by surprise by
shutting off blocks from parking with only a few days’
notice.

Ann Arbor City Councilwoman Heidi Herrell (D-3rd Ward) said the
problem is that the city is not able to afford an adequate parking
infrastructure for the demand that exists. She said,
“It’s not cheap. … It is a cost that the city
does not feel it can provide.”

Herrell believes the city’s public transportation is a
good substitute for parking structures. “I think it is the
city’s hope that students won’t bring their cars”
to Ann Arbor, Herrell said.

Fisher said the University itself should provide more parking
spots for students who have cars.

Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jeff Rowe said it is not likely
that the situation will improve because the campus is too crowded.
But communicating the rules to students would prevent needlessly
issuing them tickets, Rowe said.

The University sells parking passes to use its lots. The Orange
and Yellow passes are $14 and $18.90 per month, respectively, for
lots located on South Campus. For $51 per month, a student can
purchase a Blue pass on Central Campus. But no spot can be occupied
for longer than 48 hours, so a student would have to move his or
her car every other day.