Some students opt not to buy a permit, which costs up to $325 a year
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Parking violators on Rutgers University's five campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway paid $4.9 million in fines last year, according to a report.
Rutgers handed out about $5 million in parking tickets during the 2014-15 school year, according to a report. (Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger)The school handed out almost 90,000 tickets in 2014-15, MyCentralJersey.com reported.
Fines have doubled or tripled for some violations since 2008. For example, getting caught not displaying a parking tag set a driver back $10 then. Now it's a $25 fee. A $50 ticket for displaying a fraudulent registration in 2008 now costs $100 to resolve.
School officials told MyCentralJersey.com a smaller percentage of students are opting to purchase permits now. Commuters would rather take a chance that they won't get a ticket instead of paying for a yearly permit that ranges from $160 to $325, the report says.
Department of Transportation head Jack Molenaar told the website that there is ample parking on Rutgers' flagship campus in Central Jersey but "people are too lazy to walk far distances."
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.