Walmart overnight parking woes in Wareham (Cape Cod) MA

[fran...@pipeline.com]

NOTICE TO
CAPE COD, MA. BUSINESSES
SUBJECT :
Harassment of Recreational Vehicle owners and Fisherman concerning
overnight parking at Recreational Areas and Private parking lots,
RV owners in the New England Region and other parts of the east coast
have joined forces to encourage the boycott of all businesses in the
Upper and Mid Cape Cod area particularly the towns of Wareham and
Bourne. This is the result of continual harassment and fines suffered by
us as the result of overnight parking in recreational areas and private
parking lots.

RV owners travel on a regular basis year round. Most of us own RV痴
costing tens of thousands of dollars. We are retiree痴, couples, and
family痴 who enjoy traveling and the freedom to go where we want when we
want. We are law abiding citizens who value and respect the rights of
others. In our travels we dine, buy groceries, gasoline(in large
quantities), clothing, antiques, souvenirs, parts, hardware items etc.
We also have our vehicles serviced, wash our laundry, visit amusements
facilities and historical sites. Contrary to popular belief when you
travel in your house you tend to spend more money that the average
tourist. Sometimes we even pay for Hotel rooms. We also stay at
campgrounds on a regular basis. Many campgrounds offer facilities and
activities that make staying there enjoyable and fun. There are times
however when we are staying for a short time, or the local campgrounds
are full (or require minimum stays), or we decide that we would like to
enjoy the beauty of a state or city (taxpayer funded) area.
Our concern is that while we contribute to the economy痴 of these
communities and promote their tourist trade to fellow travelers it would
seem that we are not welcome in some.
Let me share some examples:
ｷ Over the recent labor day weekend when the few campgrounds in the area
were full to capacity some of us (others who were fortunate enough
stayed in campgrounds) opted to spend the night in the Walmart Parking
lot on Rt. 6 in Wareham. We learned from the store manager that the town
had an ordinance prohibiting this. Walmart has a nationwide policy of
allowing and encouraging RVer痴 to spend the night in their large vacant
lots therefore the manager was embarrassed and apologetic. Keep in mind
that Walmart is private property which pays property taxes to the town.
In this example since the campgrounds were not available some of these
RVer痴 were forced to park wherever else they could or continue to drive
in a very fatigued condition. Some of these other locations were not
very safe from a traffic safety or potential criminal activity point of
view.
ｷ In other instance痴 RVer痴 were being singled out and issued tickets
for overnight parking in empty parking lots in recreation area痴.
ｷ In the Town of Bourne a fisherman staying overnight in his camper in a
recreation area was ticketed as was the vehicle he was towing.
The list of examples is extensive. The bottom line is, if the officials
in these communities do not want people with motorhomes staying in their
area and spending money then we will oblige them.
While we are not sure what the reason is we do have our suspicions. In
at least one case the suspicions were confirmed by a conversation with
the staff of a local campground. We have learned that in other areas of
the country where this has been tried and was later changed it was at
the request of the local campground owners as a way of protecting
themselves from a perceived loss of business. As mentioned above we do
regularly stay in campgrounds when we desire the accommodations they
offer. If however this is the case in the Upper Cape Cod area then we
will also ensure that the boycott is extended to them.
This message is being sent to all businesses in the Cape Cod area, RV
publications, associations, clubs and posted on the various Web pages
and newsgroups of the internet. In other words we will forewarn any RVer
痴 contemplating traveling into the area.
We are confident that once this situation becomes known campers and RV
owners in New England and those planning visits to the area from other
regions of the country will assist the officials of these communities in
their apparent desire to not promote tourism. If you disagree with this
boycott call your local Chamber of Commerce or local town officials and
urge them to remedy this situation. We will monitor the situation and if
corrected we will end the boycott employing the same methods used to
promote it.

[john....@pobox.tbe.com]

In article <34139D...@pipeline.com>,

What is the definition of "overnight parking"?. Is it 4, 6, 8, 10 hrs
or what? I have seen signs in rest areas that say "no overnight
parking" and I have rested/slept for 4-6 hrs and have had no trouble.
Still again some states (Kentucky?) have signs that say "4 hours max
stay". At least the rule is well defined!!

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