Client site parking and travel time question

[NotAllThere]

I'm trying to figure out what kind of client would have a car park thirty minutes away from their main site.

[Wanderer]

given contractors parking at a different alternative parking site, which is considerably further away. This adds an extra hour travel time every day to travel to and from this much further parking site. I will note again that there are no alternatives to parking near client, if there were, I would pay for parking to save the extra travel time. There is, however, parking on site, but the client refuses to make any spaces available to contractors.

Can you get a folding bicycle and stick that in the boot of the car so you can use that between the car park and site?
The car sharing idea might be OK, but can be a PITA at times. Can you offer to collect one of the permies on the way (in your own car) and then use the permies car park?

To be honest, nonsense like this would have me looking for a new contract. I know I'm a scumbag contractor but I don't put up with bulltulip from clients if I can avoid it.

[craig1]

I'm trying to figure out what kind of client would have a car park thirty minutes away from their main site.

The big airports?

[NotAllThere]

I thought that, but the OP said "not well served by public transport". Perhaps it's Neasden International.

[SueEllen]

To be honest the only thing you can do is fine a new contract and quit this one making it very clear so they know why you are quitting. Then any subsequent contractors will be warned about the commute time to the alternative parking.

Anyway least you got parking in the past I've had to be very nice to permies who have lived near by so I could park on their drive/flat carpark otherwise I've ended up with a 15-30 minute walk.

[rd409]

If the client site, is not in the middle of a farm, and based on the public transport status I assume, it is quite away from the city centre, can you not find a street around with free parking? What part of UK are you working?

[malvolio]

I thought that, but the OP said "not well served by public transport". Perhaps it's Neasden International.

More likely Bristol Unintentional Airport. Parking is utterly hopeless, there's no bus or train service and the local roads are incapable of holding more than a dozen parked cars. Can't even get a taxi to the terminal building (that's for their own franchised taxis only), you have to use the drop off point. Which is free for 10 minutes then goes to £4. Except getting from there to the terminal and back without stopping for anything is a ten minute walk..

And now they're closing off the Long Stay to build a hotel. And a multi-storey.

So not exactly my favourite airport

[BolshieBastard]

Got to love the cyber warriors here; 'the client has to pay for my extra travel time.' 'No they dont.' 'Yes they do.'

I seriously wonder how many people here are in business on their own account.

By all means ask the client for more money, travel time, an on site parking permit etc, etc. But, in this cae, the client has made it perfectly clear contract staff may not use their staff car park. This was also clear from the outset of the contract which the OP started ie he \ she knew they could not park on site and had no re imbursement either for the time from the alloted contractor parking to the office or cost incurred.

IMVHO, its highly unlikely the client will now agree to one or the other just because the contractor has further to travel.

Travel to and onsite \ nearby parking are both things I consider when deciding on a contract. I turned down Halifax in Pudsey because they made contractors park on a local bombsite unlike the one their own staff parked on.

The client may be changing the rules for whatever reason but the solution is obvious (well it is to me). By all means ask for for more money \ on site parking but dont be surprised when they say no. You should have an idea of what you are going to do if they say no which would be to look for another contract elsewhere.

[stek]

We had same at last ClientCo. We are ConsultCo and as such no spaces are allocated so we had to use the park and ride shuttle bus. Street parking possible but fraught with nerves due to weird parking times and pissed-off locals slashing tyres.

ConsultCo then created a 'Park and Ride' chargeable cost code we booked extra travel to that to be passed on to ClientCo to either take in on the chin or sort the issue out.

[Support Monkey]

do they have visitors parking spaces, Park in one of them, as a representative of your company you are visiting a client site