A member of Iowa State’s Transportation Advisory Council is withdrawing a proposal to raise fines for some parking violations.

Connie Colle, program coordinator for the Department of Public Safety’s parking division, said students are safe from higher fines — for now.

At a Transportation Advisory Council meeting this Thursday, Colle planned to read a proposal that called for some fines to be raised for the 1998 fiscal year. The higher fines were to serve as an added deterrent against illegal parking and an additional source of revenue to fund parking division capital projects.

But now Colle said there are a lot of rules and regulations that will need to be looked at before the council can up the fines.

“We will debate rules and regulations over the next year,” she said. “I am submitting a letter to the committee stating that I withdraw the proposal.”

Most students said that’s good news. But some were still concerned.

Rodney Eimers, a junior in psychology, said a raise in parking fines anytime in the near future does not sound good to him.

“Parking has one of the lowest ratings on campus with me,” he said. “Parking has been terrible over the last four years.”

Although fines will not be raised this year, students had suggestions about what DPS can do with money already being collected from tickets.

“I’d say that if they’re going to use the money for improving parking, that would be fine,” said Kelly Kleemeier, a junior in mechanical engineering.

Karmen Koelbl, a junior in political science, said the money for capital projects should not come from parking tickets.

“If they can get money donated for the football complex, they could probably get money donated to cover parking,” she said.

After a front-page story about the possibility of raising parking fines appeared in Friday’s Daily, many students said that they already pay enough in tuition and room and board to the university. “I think personally, that we pay way too much in tuition to have to pay so much for parking,” said Drew Verts, a senior in engineering sciences.

But parking officials say students may be looking at the fines with the wrong perspective. James Gaunt, chairman advisory council, said the fines are not a charge for parking in a “fancy V.I.P parking spot,” but rather a penalty for illegal parking.

Some students said there are better ways to hammer that home than stiff fines.

“Tow me,” Verts said. “I don’t park on campus anymore. I can’t exactly afford $35.”

Many students agreed that parking availability was a significant problem on campus and greater availability would encourage them to stop parking illegally.

“At night, there is nowhere to park and I have to walk a long way in the dark. That’s not good,” said Heather West, a junior in fashion design and merchandising.

“A lot of times I go to the Union and the ramp is full,” Koelbl said. “They would have to make more parking available.”

Despite student objections, DPS officials say higher fines sometime in the future may be inevitable. However, Colle said the council will have to work on other modifications before raising fines.