By Hope Smith

Campus parking spaces with nonfunctioning meters are not free, as one professor discovered.

When UK journalism professor Buck Ryan returned to his car, he found the meter repaired and a ticket under his windshield wiper.

UK Parking and Transportation Services enacted a policy that prohibits parking at broken meters about five years ago, after a series of issues.

“People would sometimes jam meters, so we have to have ‘no parking’ when they’re broken,” sai­­­d Don Thornton, director of PTS.

All meters are to be clearly marked with a sticker, warning drivers that cars cannot be parked at inoperable meters.

“I looked down and saw kind of a tattered sign that said if the meter was broken, don’t park here, but I was stuck,” Ryan said. “I had to make my way to a meeting.”

When Ryan returned, he said the meter had been repaired and the sticker had been removed.  Ryan went to the PTS Office to see what could be done about the citation and was told it would be possible to appeal the citation. Ryan submitted the appeal information and waited for a response.

Thornton said in Ryan’s case, a repairman could have fixed the broken meter and afterward a UK Parking Control Officer could have made rounds and noticed his car parked in the functioning and expired meter, and issued a ticket.

Anyone who receives almost any parking violation on campus has the right to appeal the violation through PTS.  Exceptions to appeal include parking in fire lanes, losing citations, failing to notice parking control signs, forgetfulness and expired or failed meters.  However, Ryan’s appeal was still reviewed and resolved.

“Much to my joy and amazement, I received a check in the mail for $25, which covered the cost of my citation,” Ryan said.  “I don’t know why exactly, but it worked.”

When an appeal is received, it first goes through an internal review.  If it is not resolved there, the appeal can go to an adjudication officer, who could be a student or an employee.  If still not resolved, the appeal can go before a committee, but appeals are often resolved quickly through internal review.

All meters currently used on campus are electric. and batteries are replaced every six months, so meter problems are rare, Thornton said.

PTS does not receive many appeals, Thornton said, but he had one piece of advice for drivers seeking a spot.

“When in doubt, don’t (park).”

Check out the related stories UK Parking is losing ground and gaining facilities: New buildings to take over parking lots and As schools grow, spaces vanish.