LBCC: Park Backwards, Get Fined

Students took to social media again to express frustration with parking policies at LBCC. This time upset students were fined for backing into parking spaces.

“BEWARE: Cars backed into parking spaces are getting $20 tickets!” wrote Shakila Violates on the LBCC Confessions Facebook page (not associated with LBCC) sparking interest in the rules and regulations being enforced in the parking lots.

The 105 acres of LBCC's grounds have seven parking lots which contain approximately 2,600 parking spaces. The campus and its lots are private property but are considered for public use during business hours.  This means that although the property is privately owned it's still enforced under all DMV statutes because it's used by the public.

“My officers and I are licensed, everybody writes citations, and we have the right to issue citations,” said Bruce Thompson, the Loss Prevention Coordinator on campus.

According to the City of Albany municipal code 13.21.070 it is unlawful to back into and leave a parked car in a parking space in a public parking lot. According to Thompson, citations are written every day and he estimates about half of the working day for the security officers is devoted to regulating the lots.

“We have to keep people safe and that’s a big task.”

When a ticket is issued the student has an option to appeal the ticket in front of school board members similar to that in front of a judge in court. The ticket may or may not be reduced at that time. Failure to pay a ticket will result in the student's account being frozen.  A frozen account means the option of requesting transcripts or signing up for new classes is impossible.

There are a few reasons that cars are ticketed for backing in. First, the lot is designed with one-way traffic down each row of parking therefore backing into a spot would require someone to pull out or back in going the wrong direction. Secondly, if a car is parked backwards then the tail lights will not alarm approaching vehicles of its departure creating a potential for accidents.

“We have had so many near misses because of people doing this,” said Thompson.

“I have students and staff calling me all the time about near misses they have had.”

Thompson reminds that it's a licensed driver’s responsibility to understand what they can and can’t do in the state that they drive. But the reality is that many students seem to be unaware of this particular law.

“I didn’t even know [parking backwards] was a rule, it’s not posted anywhere,” said student Sherry Doll.

The reason there are no signs posted, according to Thompson, is because people become “sign-blind” and tend to ignore them. LBCC chooses to post essential signs such as speed limits, fire zones, and handicap accessible spots but not much else. It’s the driver’s job to know the rest.

Some uninformed students are learning the hard way. Student Harrison Winter recalled a friend of his getting approached by security not too long ago for this exact reason.

“It was annoying. [His friend] still parks that way so it didn’t really solve anything.”

However, showing courtesy to fellow students and their safety should be a priority. About 20 percent of all car accidents happen in parking lots, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. As "annoying" as a rule may sound, there is usually a reason for it.

Thompson encourages all students to contact him with any concerns they may have, not only for parking lot issues, but anything addressing safety concerns on campus. His office is located in the Safety Office in Red Cedar Hall.


-At a glance-

What: Tickets for parking backwards
Security Contact: Bruce Thompson
Office Located: Red Cedar Hall
Contact: Office (541) 917-4440, 24-hour (541) 926-6855
DMV Municiple Code: municipal code 13.21.070