Parking For Donkeys

Sometimes I have trouble getting the message through to people who arrive with vehicles that this is the inner city and well....

• There are parking regulations.
• If you move your car, that parking spot won't be there when you get back. It's not reserved!
• Parking is at a premium. (You snooze, you lose. And that can be in just seconds!)

There are restrictions to street parking all over the city:

• Street cleaning and maintenance
• Permit zones (with limiting hours)
• Parking meters
• Fire hydrants (yes, in some countries you are allowed to park next to them.)

The permit zones usually stop late at night and come back to be restricted in the morning. By making parking legal, even for a short period, the city can write another ticket and compound the money that they make. And the city is very vigilant with parking... they need money.
I know, I assume that people are intelligent and that I am not responsible for their parking their car, and yet they actually think that I am. Really, I have enough on my plate. Maybe I should just hand them a card with the parking rules and send them off on their own? Do I send them a note in the confirmation that specifies all the rules for parking? How do I get it across to people who live in suburbs that cars are a disadvantage in the inner city? How do I get it across that parking meters are a nickel a minute! That parking lots are $20 to $40 a day? That parking is extremely hard to come by? That I don't want the responsibility, because it's not my car!
(We rent a couple of spots, but we really can't accommodate all vehicles. In those cases where they have inquired and we don't have a rental spot available, we do help them find street parking. If they don't ask about renting, we assume they are intelligent enough to have made the decision to be cheap and find their own parking. I also don't usually try to sell the spots at the last minute because I'm afraid that it will make me sound like I'm trying to nickel and dime them. I have property taxes to pay on those spots, I need to cover costs.)
So, how do I tell them in a nice way so that they know they are being a donkey. (Because it's come up again. And guests just looked at me blankly when I told them that their car wasn't parked legally.)

Print up cards with the basics, hand them out at check-in to anyone who brought a car. Tout de fini.
Right now my parking lot is two cars too small. I'm waiting to see where the last people park. We are parked on the patio, which is not a parking spot.

My guy with the snow shovel cleared a place in front of the house for my inn-coming guests. Paid him extra because he earned it! Sno plows have built up a wall higher than the curb.

First we know people don't read! But to put it back on them when they vent at you, I would make sure there was a statement in your confirmation about the parking issue. Make it short but factual. Tell them paid parking in the area is $.... There is VERY limited street parking BUT there are strict regulations in some areas READ the signs carefully before parking.
The rest is up to them. They are adults and should be responsible for their actions. Giving them heads up is all you should do. Of course if you know a regulation that is not commonly known, it is nice to share that knowledge with your guests.

Once we parked on the street in the city, fed our meter and left. As we walked across the street, the meter maid went up and started writing a ticket. We rushed back, plenty time in the meter - she wrote a ticket for being a foot from the curb. She said there is a law. We fought and got out of it, but how many just pay the fine.

Present the facts to guests in a succinct way on the website and in confirmation letter. State only paid parking available. You have no responsibility for parking arrangements. I wouldn't even bother telling them you had any. Leave those for yourself or get rid of the extra cost. People coming to a city should know parking is not FREE and it is a PREMIUM that must be paid for.
"enough said."

Yes, Madeleine, here too! Under normal circumstances our 1880s circular one way driveway can handle 8 TIGHT spots for our 6 rooms...with piles of snow, 6 cars are the maximum. With a full house, two rooms showed up with extra cars... no where really to send them... Hannafords Supermarket? Town Library? Ugh. Have now updated my policies everywhere.

We have a rectangular car park where you park down the 2 long sides in a row - currently I can get in 10 small cars or 8 big cars - when we get the back redone it will give us an extra 1/2 a space which I am hoping will mean 10 cars all the time - this will give me even more of advantage over the places with no parking at all - we have a lot of BB's which only have onstreet parking and when its busy finding a space gets more and more difficult.

Momma Smurf said:

Yes, Madeleine, here too! Under normal circumstances our 1880s circular one way driveway can handle 8 TIGHT spots for our 6 rooms...with piles of snow, 6 cars are the maximum. With a full house, two rooms showed up with extra cars... no where really to send them... Hannafords Supermarket? Town Library? Ugh. Have now updated my policies everywhere..

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No one reads the policies Momma! I state no more than 1 car per room and we have one family that shows up with THREE cars for one room.
Library...good idea. Hannaford's is too far... ;-)

Madeleine said:

Momma Smurf said:

Yes, Madeleine, here too! Under normal circumstances our 1880s circular one way driveway can handle 8 TIGHT spots for our 6 rooms...with piles of snow, 6 cars are the maximum. With a full house, two rooms showed up with extra cars... no where really to send them... Hannafords Supermarket? Town Library? Ugh. Have now updated my policies everywhere..

Click to expand...

No one reads the policies Momma! I state no more than 1 car per room and we have one family that shows up with THREE cars for one room.
Library...good idea. Hannaford's is too far... ;-)
.

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Madeleine said:

No one reads the policies Momma!

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Oh brother am i in the Caribbean? haha "Braids for the babies Momma"...