KRISTIN ELVES

A Tucsonan "piggy-backs" out of the Park Avenue Garage, 1140 N. Park Ave., yesterday afternoon. Parking and Transportation Services employees are now taking down license plate numbers of people who are illegally leaving the parking garage and say they will begin charging fines to those people.

Thursday November 1, 2001

Offenders charged $80, vehicles booted

Drivers looking to get free parking by tailgating university garage permit holders to the street are in for a surprise - they're being watched.

Officials at Parking and Transportation Services were at the Park Avenue Garage, 1140 E. Park Ave., yesterday afternoon to witness and document 18 vehicles exit the garage without paying. The vehicles escaped payment by tailgating other drivers as they swiped their permits to exit.

Both the license plate and description of the tailgating vehicles were recorded by PTS officials and placed on the "hot list."

The hot list is passed on to Parking and Transportation employees, who search for the suspect's vehicle on campus and attach a boot - a locking device placed on a wheel of the vehicle that prevents it from being driven. In order to have the boot removed, first-time offenders will have to pay $80 and receive a lecture from Mike Delahanty, operations manager for PTS.

Cmdr. Brian Seastone of the University of Arizona Police Department classified an illegal exit from any campus garage as a misdemeanor.

Delahanty said that rather than pressing charges, he is choosing to educate students first with a fine, but the next time they commit the crime, he won't be so lenient.

"You're basically stealing money from the university," Delahanty told a student who had been caught. "If you get caught again, we will have you arrested and press charges."

One vehicle entered the garage from a pedestrian entrance leading to the pathway next to the North Olive Street Tunnel.

"That's the first time we had a guy try and sneak into jail," Delahanty said.

Delahanty said the driver's car would be booted as well.

One student who was caught piggybacking out of the Park Avenue Garage said he learned the trick from a friend.

"I'm glad I wasn't arrested and I'm a quick learner, so I don't see it happening again," said Hyong Kim, a chemistry senior. "If any of my friends do it, I'll let them know."

Delahanty added that the problem at parking garages started this semester. PTS officials began randomly monitoring garages three weeks ago.

The problem was first noticed at Tyndall Avenue Garage, 880 E. Tyndall Ave.

"I just stood out there and was amazed at the number of cars that were doing it," Delahanty said.

He said parking is something everyone has to pay for regardless of who they are.

"Even the president pays for his spot," he said.

He said university President Peter Likins pays more than $1,400 dollars for a reserved spot in the Second Street Garage.

Most incidents occurs between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., he said.

More than 30 cars have already been booted since PTS started monitoring the problem three weeks ago. The owner of one car, which was booted seven days ago, still has not contacted PTS to have his or her car freed.

"I even had one student call to see if she was on the list after hearing about her friend getting booted," Delahanty said. He said the student was on the list.

"I hope the word is getting around," he said.