San Francisco Considers Parking Permits For Nannies?
Only in San Francisco.
It seems a bunch of “well organized” mothers in the city by the bay think they need special residential parking permits for their nannies according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco has an RPP program similar to Chicago’s, which restricts parking on certain streets to residents with city stickers with the proper permit. But San Francisco’s program doesn’t extend the resident’s parking privileges to people employed by the household.
The mommies think it’s important that their child’s caregiver have easy access to their car so they can take their precious Johnny or Janie to their weekly squash lesson or the country club. Without the special parking pass, nannies with car have to move their vehicle every two hours or face a $65 ticket.
So, this group of mommies is lobbying the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to get them to extend their nannies these special privileges, claiming it’s a child safety issue.
But, the problem with this is pretty evident.
Once you allow nannies to have special parking privileges, who’s next?
The next thing you know, the butler, housekeeper and the cook will want them. Then, all of a sudden the masseuse, the tennis pro, limousine driver, interior decorator, etal will all want special parking treatment. At some point, you have parking chaos and the entire RPP program will fall apart.
Before you know it all sorts of commoners will be parking their late model non-hybrid junkers on your street–and who wants that?
Here’s the full story in the SF Chronicle, “Parking permits for nannies?“
This is a real problem and it impacts a lot more that the “hoi polloi”. Many parents with more than a couple of kids find it “efficient” to hire a child care professional for 3 or 4 hours to handle the period from the time that school ends until Mom or Dad can get home. In many cases, the Nanny (which is more than just Mary Poppins or Nanny McPhee) will need to drive the kids around and the Nanny can’t leave them alone every two hours to move the car. RPP is a stupid idea. The more exemptions the better.
David,
I completely agree RPP is a horrible concept. I hate it with passion.
However, in Chicago, all the resident has to do is give their nanny an RPP guest pass which is good for 24 hours at a time. The need for special permits for different vocations would be moot.
San Francisco should do the same.
parking of motor vehicles including those vehicles operated by or on.. holder to park in parking spaces reserved for persons with disabilities.. disabled unless they display a disabled parking identification card from..
I think it seems pretty fair to extend parking privileges to full time household employees. If a nanny is employed full time by a family, the family home is their place of employment.
I work at a YMCA and I have a sticker so that I can park there. What’s the difference?
Mary,
I don’t disagree in principle. In Chicago, the resident can just issue their nanny or whomever, a RPP guest pass which is good for 24 hours. They cost about 50 cents each. San Francisco should just adopt this solution.