By Holly Rose
Nearly all BYU students know about University Parking and many students may have had less than favorable interaction with them.
Brandon Nakken, a junior majoring in Italian, is one of the many students who have been booted by University Parking. Nakken is a Provo resident living at Raintree Commons.
'On Thanksgiving I drove my parent's car to my apartment to pick up my laundry,' Nakken said. 'I parked and when I came out, University Parking was booting me.'
Many other students have had similar experiences with University Parking. there are several things that students should know in order to keep their cars safe from booting and towing.
University Parking is contracted by different private property owners to tow and boot cars. It is the private property owners that set the parking policies, said Marshall the University Parking manager.
'The most common policy in permit parking only,' he said. 'Some of the apartment complexes ask us to patrol the lots while others have reserved parking and someone calls to complain.'
The property owners are also the ones who decide when University Parking tows or when they boot. The decision depends on the severity of the parking problem, Marshall said.
'Riviera only tows from their lot because they are so short on parking,' he said. 'The boot is used by other complexes as a deterrent.'
Whether they are booting or towing by law if the driver is caught in the act they are required to give you half off. The price for booting is $50, towing is $121 and storage of the car is $15 for every business day which is eight to five, seven days a week.
'Most people get mad at us,' Marshall said. 'By law our signs must be posted at the entrances and they have all the information anyone needs to get a hold of us. We can be reached 24 hours a day, people can call if they have any questions to avoid problems.'
Hyrum Weight, an English major, was also booted over the Thanksgiving weekend.
'My car broke down on the way to St. George and so I had my sister's car,' Weight said. 'When I got back I tried to get a parking permit but was unable to get a hold of my resident managers. My sisters car got booted and I had to pay the $50 but University Parking gave me a temporary permit for the next night.'
University Parking will give temporary permits to those who cannot reach their managers. Those who need to park and run up to an apartment for a minute can call the dispatcher and let them know the car will be in the spot to avoid being towed.