This Labor Day most people get the day off and will be relaxing. So, when driving and parking in the City, it seems reasonable to think that it is a public holiday and therefore parking should be free, and parking restrictions are not enforced. All reasonable thoughts… if it were 1970. Labor Day is indeed a workday for parking officers, and they will hand out a quarter of a million dollars worth of parking meter violation citations, just like they do every day. Here is what to remember, and what to avoid this Labor Day.  

The SFMTA Parking Enforcement Schedule For Labor Day, Monday September 2, 2013    


What Is Not Enforced on Labor Day 2013:
- Commuter Tow-Away Zones (ex. No Parking 3-7 pm Commuter Lane)

- Residential Permit Zones

- M-F Daytime Street Sweeping (ex. Street Sweeping Tuesdays 8-10 am)

- 7 Day Street Sweeping (ex. Street Sweeping 12 am Every Day)

- All Parking Meters
  

- All typical hazards such as red zones

Seems pretty straight forward, but there are two places where it's easy to make an expensive mistake, and a couple of ways to make parking stress-free.

1) Because Monday is a holiday, Sunday night will feel like Saturday night. If you are out partying on Sunday night, remember that at
 the stroke of midnight, it becomes Monday. So if there is a sign that says "Street Sweeping 12:00 am to 2:00 am M-F" remember what day it was when you park and what day it will be when you leave.

2) Commuter lanes such as the one along the Embarcadero, are not enforced as usual on Monday. But remember that the meters there are enforced.

3) The Bay Bridge closure will make driving into the City a bit more stressful so remember to leave some extra time as the Golden Gate Bridge will be extra busy. And using mobile apps such as VoicePark and Park Now will make finding a spot and even reserving a spot easy.

So take a minute, relax, read the signs, remember what day it is when you park this holiday weekend to avoid getting a $78 ticket or a $500 towing bill.
  


David LaBua is the author of Finding the Sweet Spot, Founder of VoicePark, the world’s first turn-by-turn voice-guided parking app, and a leader in the sustainable urban mobility movement.