Traffic and Parking Violations Among Top Fines

By June 7, 2012

The UA Police Department will increase the number of patrol officers on duty during the first week of fall semester to help new students navigate their way through campus without getting citations for traffic and parking violations, officials said.

In the past, the UAPD noticed freshman students did not know where a particular building on campus was located, causing them to stop in the middle of the road, leading to traffic violations, Lt. Matt Mills of UAPD said.

“We make sure the freshmen know about Operation Saturation, which floods the day shift with more officers than normal,” Mills said. “We’re out there to try to help those folks, and make sure they understand where they’re going, what they’re doing and how to do it without going the wrong way or causing traffic problems.”

During student orientation, UAPD writes more tickets for speeding, because many people have not been on campus before, and don’t realize the speed limits in different areas, Mills said.

Since January, UAPD has written numerous tickets for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, seat belt violations and lack of helmet or eye protection while driving a scooter, Mills added.

“A lot of people don’t realize if you’re under the age of 21, whether you’re on a scooter or a motorcycle, you have to wear your helmet,” Mills said. “And no matter what age you are, you have to wear eye protection.”

To avoid receiving a citation, it is important to pay attention to the road signs and to leave early enough to arrive on time, Mills said.

Parking violations are also common on campus. Parking and Transit patrol regularly write tickets for people parking in an unauthorized lot and parking meter violations, said Andy Gilbride, spokesperson for Parking and Transit.

“People park in the most convenient spaces. Even when they have a garage permit, they will still park in a resident reserved lot,” Gilbride said.

Students do not get tickets for riding  Razorback Transit or using a  bike, Gilbride said.

“Biking would be a great way to avoid getting a ticket,” he said.