The winter season may be coming to an end, but St. Thomas students have learned some valuable lessons about parking along the way.

The city of St. Paul has declared eight snow emergencies this season, causing tow trucks to haul away some students’ cars left in some of the already limited parking spaces around campus during the snow emergencies. Senior Miraz Abdullah was one of these students.

“I happened to have parked right in front of my house when I was living on Wheeler Street by Grand Avenue,” Abdullah said. “I woke up; my car got towed, and it was unfortunate. It cost about $290 to get my car out, including the parking (and) towing ticket.”

Parking Operations Manager Diana Kaardal said that the key to combatting snow emergencies is understanding how the city of St. Paul handles them.

“The main thing to remember is that St. Paul, in particular, is set up on a day plow route and a night plow route system, and so they have the streets that are night plow routes have a sign on them that say ‘Night Plow Route.’ The streets that are day plow routes don’t have a sign.” Kaardal said.

Kaardal also suggested spending the $105 a semester to get a St. Thomas commuter pass. Junior Bekah Dake purchased one this semester and said that access to the Anderson Parking Facility has been beneficial.

“I think the main benefit is that you’re going to get to class on time,” Dake said. “It may be hard to find a spot outside of the ramp, but the ramp always has a spot in it. So, I think it’s the best option if you’re not living on campus.”

Alison Bengtson can be reached at beng4632@stthomas.edu.