Today's Connecticut section of the New York Times features an article about Darien Library's hybrid parking spots.  The article references the feedback on our website about the spots and the confusion surrounding the types of vehicles that our users are encouraged to park in them.

After considering the feedback we've received, we'd like to clarify several issues and make you aware of some of the changes we've made in response.

• The preferred parking spots are not exclusively for hybrid cars, even though the sign says so.  They are meant to be used by environmentally-friendly vehicles.  Please see the list of 474 cars that are LEED certified for eligibility for preferred parking.
• No punitive action is taken when a non-preferred vehicle parks in a preferred spot.
• Our staff will not ask anyone to move their car from a preferred spot.
• If no other parking space is available, we invite visitors to park in those spots, regardless of the type of vehicle they're driving.
• The preferred parking spaces are part of a larger "green building" initiative that includes a number of proactive steps that the library has taken to benefit the environment.  Dot Kelly, one of our board members, recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Darien News that explains the LEED gold certification process.

In response to comments and feedback, we have already moved three preferred parking spaces away form the building into the middle of the parking lot.  Additionally, because of the confusion caused by the wording of our current signs ("Preferred parking for hybrid vehicles"), we have ordered new signs that will simply say "Preferred Parking" and feature a car with a green leaf (see image).  The signs are designed to allow our visitors to make the determination as to whether they are entitled to park in those spots.  Though we hope that our users will respect the preferred parking, we want everyone who comes to the library to feel welcomed and apologize if our current signs sent a message to the contrary.

Our new signs will be installed before the end of the month.