Parking enforcement is probably not the most popular group at N.C. State. I have heard many people say less than pleasant things about parking tickets they have gotten. Even though people don’t appreciate them, they certainly do their jobs, and this is evidenced by two $50 parking tickets I got my freshman year.

If I could ask parking enforcement to do one thing and something that might help its popularity (and help me keep my cool), it would be to please ticket more for double parking.

According to the N.C. State Department of Transportation’s Web site, the “encroachment of two spaces” gets a person a $20 fine. This means any bit of car that sits outside of the two lines warrants a ticket. This is not a new concept — didn’t we all learn to stay inside the lines during art class in kindergarten?

It is frustrating to drive around the Coliseum Deck or Cates Avenue and find a spot that is only occupied by someone’s front tire.

As much as I see cars that are double parked, I have never heard someone get a ticket for double parking, and I know a lot of bad parkers. I have also seen a lot of tickets on cars, but I have never seen one for double parking.

And here’s a message for people who continue to double park: STOP IT! It’s annoying, inconsiderate and it makes me want to put a Post-it Note under your windshield wiper that says, “You suck at parking, jerk!”

I can think of only three reasons why someone would double park. One: his or her car is much too lovely to potentially get chipped by the door of a careless person in the next parking spot. Yes, the parking spaces around campus are tiny, but even if someone parks a foot into the next parking spot, someone can still put a ding in the side of the car.

People also double park probably because they are bad parkers. I can sympathize with this, for I profess to be an imperfect parker. I am one of those people who has trouble parking parallel within the lines.

Another theory for why people double park is because they are just lazy. They don’t want to take the extra initiative to back out once or twice to park better.

The main problem I have with double parking is that there are not enough parking spaces on campus, and it just adds fuel to the fire.

Hopefully, parking enforcement officials will do everyone a favor by ticketing more double parked cars. It will teach people to learn how to park properly and open up more spaces.

Send your thoughts on people who take up more than one parking spot to [email protected].