Parking in Emory Village has long been a challenge for anyone looking to grab a bite to eat or visit Emory's campus. The most obvious issue is that there simply are not enough spots for everyone to park for free. The most pressing issue, however, is that those who park in the Village run the risk of having their cars booted. Alpha Booting Company, owned and operated by Frederick Johnson who serves as the private contractor declined to give details of the company to the Wheel last week.
Currently, signs posted in Village parking lots warn that patrons who are not currently shopping or eating in the Village will be booted. However, students and other patrons have complained of booting while working in coffee shops and during prolonged meals with friends. Johnson typically charges $75 to remove a boot, and there is no posted time limit for the parking lots.
Although we at the Wheel would prefer to argue for the construction of more parking spots in the Village, we believe that a more realistic option is for the Village to reconsider its parking enforcement system. It is clear by the number of disgruntled, booted drivers that there exists a discrepancy of understanding of the parking rules between those who made them, those who enforce them and those who are subject to them. We recommend that Emory Village clarify the rules and ensure that Alpha Booting Company adheres to them.
While we feel that parking is an issue, we also maintain that students should not be parking in the Village and taking spots from customers in the first place if they plan on leaving their cars there while they go onto main campus. Still, some clarification on the parking guidelines is clearly needed.
We also commend the Alliance to Improve Emory Village for forming a new committee to determine some solutions to the parking issues. The committee held a meeting on Oct. 31 after also meeting in August and September. As the Wheel reported on Nov. 7, the committee will work with DeKalb County and the University moving forward.
The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel's editorial board.
