Ethics Of Parking Tickets

After a recent run-in with the parking enforcement here at UNLV, I’ve been wondering mysef if citing college students is ethical at all.  I try not to analyze thise sort of stuff too much, but sometimes I get emotionally connected with something so dense.  As a student I will be bias, but I want to understand what the global concept of giving parking citations is.  Is it to make more money, can it be used to better the current situation, or is it just a regressive way of taxing the public? 

Giving people parking tickets is a way of enforcing the law, but according to, www.sfparkingtickets.com, parking tickets are a mere way of taking more money out of drivers pockets.  Generally the wealthy can afford a parking ticket here or there, and most fo the time they have designated parking that cannot affect the enforcement.  But to students and the working class parking tickets can be a different story, and according to this source these demographics are the hardest hit. 

The working class need vehicles in order to work, and students need vehicles in order to go to school.  So wouldn’t it just make more sense to provide more parking lots for this population of people? 

In an essence, yes it would, but then the city would see a decrease in collected parking citations.  Something that some cities just can’t afford to do.  So, again, it’s another way of building up more profit. 

Earlier in the semester I spoke with the Direcor of UNLV Parking Services, Tad McDowell, and he says that most money collected from parking citations goes to the maintenace and construction of parking lots.  This response only reinforces the idea that it’s a way to make money while taxing people in an informal way.  But what about the ethical decisions made by people who choose not obtain a permit or pay for parking? 

According to Tim Harford of www.slate.com  the ethics of parking is within one’s own personal morals or values.  Some might value a parking space, but morally they believe that the space should be free.  But Harford also addressed that the incentives behind giving parking citations matter more than personal morals.  If they really value a parking spot, they should pay for it.

Personally, the population that make up students and the working class are the people who make up the economy.  These are the people who make up more than half of America. These are the people who decide the future of economical America. These are the people who should have dedicated parking.  Just give them free parking.