I almost owed Parking and Traffic $320.

That bill, bigger than my checking account, was the product of three parking violations over four days: I left a student-registered car in a faculty lot through the week, displayed a decal that didn’t match my new license plate and backed into an angled space.

And, like many on-campus students, I rarely drive, and thus forgot to move my vehicle until Parking and Traffic alerted me of my escalating bill.

Thanks to the appeals process, I dodged the bulk of the bill. But the best way to save both money and mental anguish is to learn how to avoid tickets entirely.

First, remembering that most rules are based on safety will usually keep your car ticketless even if you can’t remember every single rule, according to Stacie Enriquez, manager of the Parking and Traffic Division.

Leaving an unattended vehicle in fire lanes is one safety hazard to avoid. She cites the importance of having someone stay with your car when stopped in one: “If you leave your vehicle alone, it can’t be moved in an emergency.”

If your car is parked anywhere that could be considered unsafe, you can get caught any time of any day. “You could get ticketed if you’re in either a fire lane or handicap space for even just a minute,” she said.

For off-campus students, leaving for class early is a good way to avoid the temptation to park in a faculty lot – a possible $25 fine. The odds of finding one of the University’s 6,000 commuter spaces gets better with more time to look for them, Enriquez said.

“Don’t expect to get here five minutes before class and get a good space,” she added.

And though students can use faculty lots at night and on weekends, remember to move your car before ticketing begins at 7 a.m. on weekdays. Not only are there more rules to follow on weekday mornings, there are also more chances to get caught, Enriquez said.

“Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. there’s a lot of cars on campus, so that’s when we have more people (patrolling),” she added.

However, there are still rules after working hours. If you leave your car in a commuter lot through the night, you’ll likely owe $25 because such lots close from 3-5 a.m. on weekdays to ensure they are clear in the morning.

Even if your car is parked legally, registration violations can get your cash.

Not registering your vehicle with Parking and Traffic costs $50. Displaying your registration decal improperly – for example, on the dashboard or back window – costs $25.

Improper registration is another such violation. It includes displaying a tag that doesn’t match your license plate, which indicates to Parking and Traffic that either the tag or car might be stolen, Enriquez said.

Part of the reason behind this violation’s $50 fine is to tell you to get a new tag, she added. “We want to get your attention so you take care of the problem.”

But don’t wait for a ticket to grab your attention. If you are one of the many Ohioans currently changing license plates, remember to tell Parking and Traffic to update your tag.

But if you do get ticketed for one of the 14 violations listed in the 2001-02 University Parking and Traffic Regulations handout, you can still appeal.

As part of the process, get an appeal form from Parking and Traffic and turn it in to the Office of Residence Life within 21 days of the first ticket. Next, set an appointment to meet with three members of the Procedures and Appeals Board, a branch of the Undergraduate Student Government.

At the meeting, the board first lets students plead their cases. Then the board asks about their intent, their knowledge of parking policies and more, according to Sana Shaikh, chief administrator of the board.

Ignorance about policy is no excuse, but there are exceptions, she said. “If (the violation) was an understandable misinterpretation, then they might be let off.”

As an example of an excusable offense, Shaikh described a make-believe situation where a student late for class might find only a space with broken meter and get ticketed for not paying the toll, despite an attempt to contact Parking and Traffic soon after. “In that case, they could be let go,” she said. “But, in the same scenario, if they left the car all day and got multiple tickets, the fines wouldn’t be dropped.”

About 50 percent of appealed tickets get dismissed, Shaikh estimated. “Most people usually have a legit reason.”

Those who fail to appeal their tickets will find them on their bursar bills. Such tickets – 35,000 in total from July 2001 to March 2002 – brought Parking and Traffic $675,000.

That money, coupled with $635,000 generated by parking permit sales and meter funds, goes to several funds, including the University shuttle system.

The shuttle uses about $450,000 of the approximate $1,310,000 total generated each year. “That money funds the shuttle 100 percent,” Enriquez said.

Much of that total returns to Parking and Traffic because, like Dining Services and the University Bookstore, they don’t receive University money.

About $849,000 of the total pays for the salaries of Parking and Traffic employees, utilities, insurance, a general service charge to the University and more. Parking lot repair alone costs nearly $158,000.

“(Our funds) pay for everything from the pen I’m holding to the gas in our cars to the maintenance of our lots,” Enriquez said.