English major Jason Wilson had to make haste. He was late for class.

After parking his car at the garage next to the Student Services building, the 29-year-old senior walked briskly across the lot. But as he approached the car-park exit, Wilson rushed back to his vehicle.

“Crap, I gotta move my car,” he said. Wilson did not see the yellow overhead banner and purple signs that read, “Faculty and Staff Parking Only.”

Students are allowed to park in Lot 20, but not in Lot 19 (garage level 4I to 4N, and the roof).
Many SF State students are not as lucky as Wilson, who escaped receiving a ticket. After their classes, students return to their cars and find $55 citations smacked on their windshields. If not paid within 31 days, the fee increases to $70.

Last year, the Department of Parking and Transportation issued 7,587 citations and collected roughly $400,000 worth of fines, said university Director of Public Affairs Ellen Griffin.

Students say the fines are exorbitant and that there should be more placards and barricades to prevent them from parking at reserved spaces.

However, some faculty members say the current signs are already visible.

“(Students) should be able to see the banner,” said SF State employee Jenny Smith, 27, who parks at the garage.

Transportation officials are scheduled to install more signs this fall, Griffin said.

“They need something really big – a big red sign that says, ‘Do not park here,’” said psychology student Andrew McDonald, 25. He was cited two weeks ago and wants to contest his ticket.

To prevent such incidents, Franziska Jost notifies students about the parking situation. Jost, who works at the chemistry department, sympathizes with those who are ticketed.

“The charges to students are outrageous,” she said. “It’s a big cash cow for the university.”

Many students also complain about the parking fee.

At the Lot 20 garage, students and visitors have to pay $1 an hour, or $5 per day. Staff and faculty parking permits cost $81 per semester.

There are 1,541 parking spaces in the garage and 2,933 spaces on campus. Some students and faculty say there is insufficient parking on campus, but compared to other universities in the city, SF State can park more vehicles and has a lower parking fee.

There are 1,000 parking spaces at UCSF’s Parnassus campus. The university charges $2.75 an hour, and up to $22 a day. The price of parking permits range from $10 to $96 per month.

At the University of San Francisco, the transportation department charges a flat rate of $15 per day. Permits for the 700-unit parking garage range from $85 to $240 per semester.

Rather than paying for parking, student Kimberly Cassada said she prefers to park at Buckingham Avenue and Lake Merced.

Ryan Cassidy, 22, said students who drive should park at the Daly City BART station and take the SF State shuttle or MUNI bus to school. The business student said they would be saved from parking tickets.

But some students prefer campus parking, even after being fined.

Chemistry major Brian Blank, 22, who received a ticket for parking at the faculty and staff lot, said he will not repeat his mistake.

“You learn your lesson and you don’t do it again,” he said. “You start paying attention.”