There are few things at Iowa State that make campus life infuriating. Not having a parking spot is definitely one of them.

After coming home last Sunday night, I circled Greekland time and time again only to find spots on the road far too small to fit my car. After settling on parking overnight in the Buchanan parking lot, I was awoken by a phone call warning me to move my car to avoid being towed. A ticket was also ever so sweetly put on my windshield.

With so many students and so few spots, where can we park?

There are parking lots on campus that have open spots that are not to be rented out to other students on campus. Lots like Buchanan are only for residence. What happens when not all of the residents have cars? These parking spaces go to waste when there are plenty of students who would love to take them. After parking in the stadium parking lot my freshman year and walking home alone in the cold or the dark, I knew I needed a closer option.

One of the worst cases of parking I have seen is in Greekland. There is simply not enough space in greek parking lots for all of their residents. Moving your car from one side of the street to the other every night is not exactly ideal, and if you do forget you suffer the consequence of getting tickets from the city of Ames. All greek students would appreciate if there was a parking garage at least somewhere close to the fraternities and sororities. Even something as simple as greek students being able to park in the Stephens Auditorium lot and move their cars on nights when there is a show could be a possible easy fix. In the meantime, many students are receiving tickets for not being able to move cars right away.

Many students do not even live on campus and are still feeling the sting of the ISU Parking Division within the Department of Public Safety. Students who are commuting back and forth to class and are parking in the commuter lot can get tickets if they leave their cars overnight. The same goes for the students parking in the stadium parking lots during football games. Cars that are not moved from the stadium lots are towed. With the stadium being the main place to park, finding a new spot can become difficult. After paying money to park in the stadium lot, students are loathe to pay for tows and tickets.

Iowa State should open up parking lots to students who are willing to pay to fill the leftover parking spots. There is no reason to have leftover parking spots in a residence hall lot when there are students who are more than willing to take them over. Some students either never have a car or have given up on having a car at school and don’t need a parking space. Plus, it is rather hard to read the signs if parking along the streets. Many streets in Ames flip from one side of the road to the other every day, not to mention many of these areas are timed parking. Parking in Ames has become risky business and unfortunately, getting a ticket is something students are getting used to.

There are two different types of tickets that drivers can receive. One comes in the infamous yellow envelope and is a ticket from the Parking Division. You may pay that at the armory or it will be charged to your U-Bill. Tickets from the city of Ames, on the other hand, must be paid at the Story County Department of Transportation. These tickets have a 10-day limit for the minimum amount and it will increase as you continue to put it off. The best way to steer clear of this is to avoid getting tickets, but as we all know, it isn’t always that easy.

Stop to read the road signs. If you have to take extra time to look to see what side of the street to park on, do it. In the long run this can save you money. Do not park in lots in which your car is not registered, as this will result in a ticket or even towing.

Though expanded parking would be nice, in the meantime being a smart driver can save you the money and frustration.