Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, June 12, 1985 Meter maids improve public image (contisuedfrmPage1) Wolverton agreed. "We are not like that people would hate me." available are those on the roof," she the bad image people make us out to Whether it is hate or annoyance, said. Gold has resorted to walking in- be. We're not out to get anyone. We're meter maids have to deal with drivers stead of driving downtown. just doing our job." who are angry and do not feel they are Diane Cepko also finds it easier to ACCORDING to Transportation in violation of any codes. "If the walk downtown whenever possible Director John Robbins, the image of driver tries to harass us and continues because of the parking situation, the public has given the enforcement to argue, we tell them to take the mat- "Once you find a spot it's often too and parking systems is untrue. "I ter to City Hall. Nine times out of ten hard to stop and back up. This is don't think we are any worse than we find it best to just walk away n- especially true now with all the new other cities in our strictness on stead of arguing back," Wolverton building and congestion going on," parking violations. The meter maids said. "They do not just write tickets," Cepko said, referring to the Liberty don't stand around waiting for the Stein said. The enforcers also answer Street's sidewalk expansion. meter to run out. They do not have private property complaints, free of It is a reality - Ann Arbor needs time for this," he said. charge, to residents who find more parking spaces. Residents, Only four meter maids are usually someone's car parked in their parking structure attendants, the on the streets at one time, according driveway or in front of their house for transportation departrment, the to Robbins. Because of this, 80 percent days. "This is a service we provide parking violations enforcement of- of parking violations, especially that other cities do not," Stein said. fice, and out-of-town-visitors, all know meter expirations - and parking in THE PARKING enforcement of- this time-limit zones, are not ticketed, ficers are often given a bad name, but BUSINESSES downtown have a Robbins said. are not the only ones who write vested interest in parking, especially The parking enforcement officers tickets, according to Stein. The police because meters allow more customer driving around with clipboard in hand operate after the 10 p.m. shift of the turnover. "I think the new parking turn in approximately 155 tickets a enforcement officers. The police are structures and lots will increase our day according to Donald Mason, in charge of the towing around the parking availability even though new assistant city administrator in charge city, and the University has its own businesses and their workers wil be of ticket finance. The number of enforcement crew that also coming in, if they all do end up tickets paid each year that come distributes tickets to vehicles in coming to the city," said Gay Gulter- through the finance office average violation to parking codes. man, manager of Papagallo Women's over 2,000. University parking is provided by Apparel Shop on Liberty Street. WE DON'T have to go out and look: the University Parking Operations Abracadabra Jewelry Store for people to give tickets to, but we but "policing of the lot is done by the Manager Julie Wilson, said "there can easily write 100 tickets a day," city," said Bob Wagner, University has been more of a parking problem Wolverton said. The officers do not Parking Operations Director. "The for employees than customers. It is havea quota to meet each day. meter violations are mostly ticketed costly for the employee who has to The meter maids enforce a total of by the city enforcers. The University pay $35 a month to reserve a parking 2 800 meters in parking structures and does not receive one penny of revenue space in the (already established) on the streets. Enforcment tickets from the city either," Wagner said. parking structures." "Sure we need bring in over $1 million a year to the The revenue generated from the more parking. People would be all city, according to Mason. meters parking structure is put back over the place if parking is not If tickets are the issue, they are into the parking systems. This raises regulated, though, "said Jim Stein issued by the city meter maids. "It an average of $2,500,000 per year. Assistant Parking Manager in charge doesn't matter who you are or what Revenue from parking violations over of the parking enforcement office. "If you do for a living. If you are in $1 million a year is put into the it wasn't for us writing tickets, no one violation, we have to write out that general city fund. would find a place to park down- ticket," Wolverton said, adding that general city fund. town," said Shelley Wolverton, who even she has had her car towed and WHILE HOURS OF operations for has been an Ann Arbor parking enfor- ticketed, as have numerous city police the enforcement officers are in 6 and a cement officer for seven years. officers, and Mayor Edward Pierce. half hour shifts, from 7 a.m. till 10 But the 12 full-time parking enfor- p.m., meters after this time are free. cement officers who patrol the city "IF THERE IS anything I can do to Operation lengths for the meters with clipboard in hand, ready to avoid giving a ticket, I will. But if the themselves are approximately 25 cen- issue ticket violations, have the driver is in violation, I have to issue ts per hour for meters throughout the reputation of being "harsh" and the fine,," Wolverton said. Meters are city, and a few minutes longer time "quick to issue tickets." used to promote a high turnover rate period on University lots. The city DRIVER Elen Gold spoke of her for downtown businesses and shop- council dictates the hours of operation experience with the parking enfor- pers, she said, and enforcement is and rates, while the University reget- cement officers: "As you are getting necessary to keep the roads clear in ns set their own hours of enforcement, back to your car, the meter maids are case of emergency or fire, according to Stein. writing the ticket. They see you have The job of the meter maids is not an "People have pulled numerous five minutes left on the meter and easy one. Neither is it liked by drivers stunts on us," Stein said. He referred they wait for it to expire. They are on who receive the ominous white en- to a man whose car' was in front of a the lookout." velope under their windshield wiper. restaurant with a sign asking not to be But Stein disputed Gold's account. "We have been called a lot of names towed or ticketed because it was "There is no way the parking enfor- - everything in the book. Things I broken down. "After that the man cement officers know the exact time a won't even mention," Wolverton said. came out of the restaurant, tossed the meter expired. All they see is the ex- "When I first started working as a sign into his back seat and we saw him pired flag up," Stein said. meter maid, it never occurred to me drive away," Stein said. Drivers also consider their ticket the last straw of a possible series of CAMP COUNSELORS bad events happening to them. Stein Shady Trails Camp mentioned an 82-year-old widow who The University of Michigan Speech and Hearing Camp (Shady Trails) has positions avail- screamed at the enforcement officer, able for male counselors. The Shady Trails Camp provides speech, language, and hearing "First I lost my husband and not a services to approximately 80 children classifid as learning disabled, mentally impaired, ticket." and speech-language impaired. Shady Trails is located on Grand Traverse Bay near Traverse THE ENFORCEMENT officers are City, Michigan. aware of the image the have and A complete recreation program including waterfront, traditional sport skills, and new games activities is conducted at camp. Counselors live with the campers in five bedroom want to be seen in a more positive cabins. The cabins include a large living room with fireplace and are quite comfortable. light. "Most of all, we are trying to If you are interested in being part of this year's camp program, please call for further explain why we have issued a ticket to information. the driver of the vehicle and why they THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN are inviolation," Wolvertonsaid. TRAILS CAMP The city also has over $1 million in SHADY Toutstanding or not paid tickets, Stein COLIN A. MacPHERSON, Assistant Director said. As long as there are more cars 1111 E. Catherine, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 than spaces available in Ann Arbor, (313) 764-4493 parking will be somewhat of a A NA-Di.crminaty, Affiriv Ateln Employer problem. And as long as there are ex- pired meter flags raised, the city en- forcemet team willwrite tickets. IN BRIEF From United Press international Karen Quinlan dies MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. - Karen Ann Quinlan, the comatose young woman whose parents sought to have her removed from a life- sustaining respirator so she could "die with dignity," died yesterday evening, authorities at Morris View Nursing Home said she was 31 years old. Quinlan died at 7:01 p.m. EDT and was pronound dead by Dr. James Wolf at 7:48 p.m., John F. Merrigna, administrator of the nursing home, said. She was ad- mitted to the nursing home on June 9, 1976. He declined to disclose the cause of death, saying further comments would be issued by the "Quinlan family, their spokespersons or authorized state officials." Train crash kills 22 HAIFA, Israel - A train ap- proaching a dangerous crossing at 60 mph slammed into a bus packed with children on a school outing yesterday killing 22 people and in- juring 15 others in Israel's worst rail tragedy, officials said. The bus, the first in a convoy, of three, had almost made it across the crossing - marked by a skull and crossbones - when the passenger train bore down. It hit the left rear of the bus and dragged the red-and-white vehicle 50oyards. Israel radio said of the 22 killed, 18 were students and the others were adults - the woman driver, two mothers anda teacher. Mengele son confims father's drowning The son of Nazi "Angel of Death" Josef Mengele broke years of silence yesterday and said a man who drowned in Brazil in 1979 was his fugitive father. Forensic experts in Sao Paolo pressed ahead with tests to identify the man's skeleton. "I have no doubt that the corpse exhumed on June 5, 1985, at the Embu cemetery in Brazil is the last remains of my father, Josef Mengele," Rolf Mengele, 41, said in a brief written statement released in Munich, West Ger- many. "I am sure that the forensic in- vestigation soon will confirm this," he said. Man suspected in killi of brother WILSEYVILLE, Calif. - Mass murder suspect Leonard Lake may have killed his own brother and his best friend and buried them among up to 25 victims whose remains are being uncovered around a remote Sierra foothill hideaway. Donald Lake has been missing for two years and a relative said Leonard Lake considered his younger brother a"leech." Also missing is Charles Gunnar, a close friend of Leonard Lake. Lake, who committed suicide when he was arrested 10 days ago, often used Gunnar's name. Walker spy ring steals naval info WASHINGTON - The accused Walker family spy ring disclosed information about naval com- munications that scored "a very valuable intelligence gain for the Soviet Union" and forced the Navy to change its cedes, the Navy said yesterday. "It's the most serious area of compromise," Adm. James Watkins, the chief of naval operations, said of the loss of communications data attributed to the suspected all-Navy espionage ring. 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