Confusion over parking in South Orange has recently left Seton Hall students with tickets and fines, therefore causing conflict with local Parking Authority.
South Orange Parking Authority did not respond to a request for comment when contacted last week.
Overall, the main concern expressed by students in South Orange is the lack of legal places to park. Problems have been surfacing this year more than ever as parking authority began cracking down on people parking in the street, especially near Riggs Place and Cottage Street.
"I've gotten parking tickets." senior Samantha Mulreed said. "Last year for a semester they let you pay to park on the street. After winter break they took that away because people on those streets (like Riggs and Cottage) didn't want our cars there because they took up space."
Mulreed said she lives off campus in an apartment without a driveway. The only options for parking are on the street at a meter or in a South Orange lot.
According to the Township of South Orange Village website, the majority of parking in the downtown area consists of meters by street, meters by lot and pay-by-space machines. Most lots have a one-hour limit charging 25 cents an hour, with the exception of Library Lot 2 which is a 12-hour lot at 50 cents an hour.
"I'm constantly moving my car, worried about time and how many hours you get in that spot. It's ridiculous," Mulreed said.
Off-campus residents aren't the only ones experiencing problems. Students going downtown in South Orange for daily activities have reported getting ticketed at broken parking meters.
Junior Timothy Cullen said he received two parking tickets for parking at 30-minute meters in South Orange; the second one was from a broken meter in front of popular student hangout and restaurant, Stony's.
"I actually took that ticket to court and didn't have to pay the fine," Cullen said. "But the hassle of going out of my way for a court date was more frustrating than actually paying the ticket."
The first ticket Cullen said he received was a fine for going two minutes over the 30 minute-meter's allotted time.
According to the South Orange Township website, most meters have a 30 minute to one-hour limit, charging 25 cents per half hour. Some meters on Irvington Avenue and Upper First Street have a two-hour limit.
Overnight parking between 2-6 a.m. is never allowed and this rule is strictly enforced. Some students off campus have complained to the Parking Authority, but are still having trouble finding a spot to park.
"We're constantly worried about our cars and every morning we wake up nervous that (we'll) either have a ticket or be towed because Seton Hall and South Orange has done nothing for parking," Mulreed said.
Parking permits are available from Seton Hall for some student parking. All information about parking and meters can be found on The Township of South Orange official website under parking rules: http://southorange.org/Parking/metersRules.asp.
Mary Marshall can be reached at mary.marshall@student.shu.edu.
