ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Parents are angry after students were ticketed for parking across the street from their school. The issue allegedly involved students from La Cueva High School.
Parents said the street needs more “no parking” signs. The administration at La Cueva said they’ve run out of parking passes for students. Due to the lack of passes, students have been parking along Wilshire. A total of 44 students received tickets Wednesday.
“The only option for the kids that don’t have parking passes is to park on the street in front of the school. There are various areas that say ‘no parking,’ but not everywhere,” said Danny Perea.
Danny Perea explained his daughter started parking on Wilshire after she couldn’t buy a parking pass.
With no visible “no parking” signs around, students thought they could park there until they found tickets on their windshields.
The city said the whole street is a “no parking” zone to make room for buses.
The Department of Municipal Development stated one “no parking” sign has disappeared from the street, and they hope to “replace it as quickly as possible”.
A resident who lives near the school said he sees the problem every day, and students have even resorted to parking in his neighborhood.
“What are the kids gonna do? They have no recourse but to park wherever they can. You know, I do feel for them, I really do,” said an anonymous resident.
The city stated the Parking Enforcement Division got a 311 call about all the cars parked along Wilshire just before the students received tickets.
They said students were also cited for parking too far from the curb or for obstructing traffic. Parents believe they should’ve gotten warnings first and hope the $30 tickets get thrown out.
KRQE reached out to Albuquerque Public Schools to ask if the district has plans to address the parking crunch at La Cueva but has not gotten an answer.
