Have you ever woken up in the morning, walked out to drive your car to Shaw’s or Middlebury Bagel and found an empty parking space? After the momentary panic subsided, you probably realized what happened. You just got towed.
Public Safety records show that during the 2008-2009 academic year, 375 cars were towed. As of last Friday, Public Safety had towed 173 cars this year.
Towing is a point of contention between students and Public Safety. Associate Director of Public Safety Dan Gaiotti explained that, “A lot of students do not educate themselves well.”
The information regarding parking has recently been put online so that it is easily accessible to the students. Gaiotti admits that the parking regulations are complex, but reminds students that Public Safety could easily simplify them by prohibiting students from parking in faculty/staff lots at any time.
“We try to allow more accessibility [for students] when it is feasible to do so,” said Gaiotti.
Students, however, feel that there is room for improvement in the towing policy.
“I parked in the Chateau lot, and accidentally parked in one of the faculty/staff spots at night after crew practice, and in the morning it had been towed,” said Mike Bayersdorfer ’10 about his towing experience. “When I got to my car, there was no preliminary ticket on it — it had just been towed.”
Bayersdorfer’s story is a common one. Many students complain that their cars were towed overnight and that they woke up to a missing car. Of the 173 violations that merited towing this year, 140 of them took place after midnight.
The midnight deadline seems arbitrary to many students, but Gaiotti explained that administrators had to choose a time “early enough for people to consciously think about moving their cars.” He says that extending the time to 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. would increase the number of tows because students would more easily forget to move their cars.
Many students feel that they are not given the time or warning to move their cars. Sarah Studwell ’13 received a ticket at approximately 3 a.m. and was towed by the time she woke up at 8 a.m.
“Was I supposed to move my car while I was sleeping?” asked Studwell.
Like many students who incur parking violations, Alex Larrow ’11 parked in a faculty/staff lot when parking so far away at the CFA was inconvenient. “It was pouring rain — a monsoon,” she said. Larrow admitted that she deserved her ticket for parking in a restricted lot, but “would have liked some warning.”
Kathryne Downs ’11.5 proposes that Public Safety send out e-mails to students when they receive tickets so they are aware of the situation and can move before towing becomes necessary. Downs says that she parked her sister’s car in the wrong place a few times and was towed. She uses a car infrequently and so one time did not even realize her car had been towed for nearly a week.
“They should put a ticket on your car and e-mail you so you know,” said Downs. “Then I could have moved it. Every time I got a ticket and then I never realized or went back to check on the car, and they towed it.”
In response, Gaiotti said, “Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the vehicle operator ... Public Safety officers do not have the time to notify everyone who has received a ticket.”
Another complaint voiced by students is that the Middlebury towing policy is a moneymaker, aimed at raising revenue for the College by taking from a student population already burdened by new parking fees and high tuition. Currently, it costs $125 for the first tow and $150 for the second, an increase of $25 from just two years ago. Gaiotti says this was caused by increased towing costs due to rising fuel prices.
Students ask how it can cost $125 to tow cars less than half a mile to the abandoned lot near the golf course. It doesn’t. Mike’s Auto and Towing in town charges a flat fee of $75 for in-town tows.
Among students, opinions vary. Lizzie Roberts ’12 said the financial aspect of towing is “obnoxious.”
However, Alex Larrow ’11 disagreed, saying, “This is pretty standard ... It’s how most cities make money.”
Gaiotti denies that towing is a revenue generator, saying, “We’re not out to get people towed. If we could not tow anybody, that would be great.” He attributes the extra fee on top of the bottom-line cost of the third-party tow to the amount of money it takes to meet operational costs of Public Safety in organizing the tow.
“Safety and accessibility are our highest concerns,” Gaiotti explained. “Cars are towed to make sure the campus is accessible to those who need it, including professors and staff. The faculty/staff lots need to be available to staff that come in during the early morning to plow the sidewalks, clean the dorms, etc.”
On the bright side, “People are parking better,” according to Gaiotti. Although students may not realize it, towing has been steadily decreasing over the years. In 2002, Public Safety towed over 800 cars for parking violations. In 2007 that number was 450 and, based on the statistics so far, Gaiotti estimates that tows will continue to decrease this year.
Students ask P-safe, 'Dude, where's my car?'
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