Fredericksburg commuter says police unfairly issued tickets at lot in Woodbridge

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Submitted by Hailee Dees, of Fredericksburg:

On average, I spend 16 hours a week commuting to Arlington from Fredericksburg. That’s almost a part time job. 

Currently, I’m a full-time accelerated nursing student at Marymount University. To save my sanity, I commute with two other accelerated nursing students. 

Together, the three of us commute to avoid paying the extremely expensive Interstate-95 express lane tolls and to skip the bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 395 during rush hour. We meet at the Horner Road commuter lot located at Telegraph Road and Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge. 

We chose this particular lot because it houses more than 2,300 parking spaces and because of its proximity to I-95. As with most of the other commuter lots in the area, according to the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission website, this particular lot fills up completely by 6:50 am. 

Many commuters are forced to create their own parking spots by parking along curbs, on top of sidewalks, and in the roadways, where they end up parked parallel to other vehicles, centimeters from one another, with their door handles almost touching. Commuters in this lot have been creating their own parking spots like the ones mentioned above long before my classmates, and I started commuting this past summer. Not once have we witnessed these vehicles creating any issues with other vehicles who’re trying to maneuver around them.

On Thursday, October 27, 2016, my classmates and I returned to the Horner Road commuter lot to find two of our vehicles ticketed by the Prince William County Police Department. The violation cites that our cars were “parked in a roadway- other than a designated space.” Our cars were parked in the very back of Lot 9, along a curb, with plenty of room for other cars to pass by. There is no “No Parking” signs or markings on the pavement in this area. We park here almost daily. 

Upon leaving the lot, we noticed that not all vehicles that were parked in undesignated spaces were ticketed. Vehicles that were parked along curbs where it is a much tighter fit and much less space for vehicles to pass had no tickets on their windshields. 

Our tickets were time stamped at 11:56 am. There were vehicles parked in the commuter lot today, who had no tickets on their windshields but were parked in undesignated parking spaces during the time our tickets were issued.

The question is: Why didn’t the other cars in the same lot receive tickets when they also were not parked in designated spots? Why were our cars (and a few others in the lot) targeted? 

Not only do we, commuters, risk losing our tires and wheels, which are stolen by local thieves who leave our vehicles on cinderblocks in the parking lot, but also now we have to risk being ticketed for parking in a commuter lot that doesn’t even provide enough designated parking spaces. 

Since most of the other commuter lots in the area are full too, where do the county and the Prince William County Police Department propose the commuters park? Telecommuting is not an option and missing class or work isn’t either. 

The majority of commuters cannot afford to pay the I-95 express lane tolls every morning and afternoon when they cost upwards of $10 just to go one-quarter of the way, from [Prince William] County Parkway (exit 158 on I-95) to Springfield/Franconia (exit 169 on I-95). 

If my classmates and I did not commute together, my commute alone would most likely be upwards of 3 hours one way, which is ridiculous considering my commute is a total of 57 miles and would cost $15-20.

In conclusion, the commuters who use this lot deserve better than inconsistent ticketing and theft after exhausting 12-hour days upon return to our vehicles. We, commuters, just want to go home to our families, prop our feet up, and relax. 

We’re doing what we have to do to provide for our families and better our futures. It certainly doesn’t reduce stress when it seems like the Prince William County Police Department cares more about “illegal” parking and unfair ticketing than they do about the theft in the commuter lots. 

The commuters aren’t asking for much. Either let us park in appropriate undesignated spaces, have the county create more designated parking spaces in the current lots, or add more commuter lots in proximity to I-95.

I have photos of vehicles parked in undesignated spaces with no tickets on their windshields during the time we were ticketed:

From Prince William police Sgt. Jonathan Perok: 

The Police Department understands there are parking issues in the County’s commuter lots, most of which apply to the number of spaces available versus the large number of commuters. Commuter lots in the County are designed and maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) with enforcement authority shared by both County and State Police. Both agencies monitor the lots and take necessary enforcement action when appropriate.

Although a driver may feel their vehicle is safely parked out of the way of other cars, larger, more heavy duty vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances may find it difficult to navigate the lot in an emergency with vehicles parked outside of designated spaces. There are posted signs as you enter the lot which state that drivers are only allowed to park in designated spaces which is consistent with the code section (13.2-278.B).

We are aware the parking issues are ongoing but unfortunately cannot dedicate staffing for enforcement efforts as priorities constantly shift. With regard to the thefts in that Commuter lot specifically, we are currently working with VDOT and State Police officials on more long-term security needs. We have used additional resources in this Commuter lot in an attempt to deter theft.