Department of Parking and Trans. is 'picking' pockets of the community

I would like to join others in registering my dissatisfaction with the policies and practices of the Parking and Transportation Services Department.

Recently I "lost" my parking permit when I inadvertently left it in a rental car which I had rented to attend an out of town conference directly related to university work. Before I left Tucson I had switched the permit from my own car to the rented vehicle because I had a class to teach and needed to park on campus for a few hours.

The loss of the permit, which I tried in vain to recover from the rental company, was clearly an oversight on my part. But it happened while I was executing my university duties, and renting the car was necessary to get to the conference destination.

I was surprised by the Parking Office policy of charging $50 to replace lost permits. I could readily understand paying the actual cost of the permit, but I felt the $50 included a hefty and unjustified penalty.

I appealed on the grounds that an honest error had led to the loss of the permit. Though the staff was polite and helpful, in the end I got the traditional bureaucratic run-around and a very weak and unconvincing explanation from Director Marlis Davis regarding why the $50 penalty exists ("That is the policy set by the board.")

To me there is no other justification but to get as much money as they can from employees and students.

I took the opportunity to point out to Ms. Davis that in recent years parking fees have increased in amounts beyond the percentage increments added to our salaries.

In my view the Parking Office should maintain fee increases at or below such percentages. She responded arrogantly that her office does not have to pay attention to salaries, even if UA employees have been getting clobbered by the legislature in this respect.

I'm beginning to understand why some of my colleagues refer to the Parking Office bureaucrats as "thugs."

The Parking Office simply needs to pay more attention to employee and student needs and opinions. Above all it has to stop picking our pockets.

By Oscar J. Martinez (letter)
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 10, 1997