first "chair saving a parking space" sighted...

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

Came out of my house this morning to see this (really *ugly*) aqua blue office chair in the street. First I thought some chair-like alien had landed and needed assistance but then it dawned on me that someone had put that out to save their parking space. Never saw that on this street (Hawthorne) before (wait - one house up the other end does this). Always seemed more of a Southie/North End type of thing to do.

It always seems kind of bizarre to me (and I was tempted to move the chair to some snow mound but I was in a rush) but with this recent light fluffy snow, it seems like a stretch for anyone to make a land grab based on sweat equity.

Oh well. Some people shovel, some people don't. Some people put ugly furniture in the street, some people don't.

Comments

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Whenever I see one of those "claimed" spaces, I pick up the artifact and move it into another nearby space. I once moved three chairs in a row all down one space.

The annoying thing is that there are plenty of spaces, now that the snow emergency has been lifted. Or at least, there would be plenty of spaces if a few bozos didn't think that an hour of work "entitled" them to an individual private reserved parking space 24/7 from now until April.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Maybe they're making it based on the incoming storm?

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

Pure genius, moving the three chairs down one space.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

*shrug* I marked my space with a garbage can when I went out last night. I knew there was a chance someone would move it, but I decided to risk it.

Parking on my street is extremely limited even when there *aren't* huge piles of snow everywhere, and I have two heavy kids, which makes a two-block walk on icy sidewalks an ordeal. Of course, when there's no other choice, I manage. But when there's even a chance that I can potentially make it easier on myself, then yeah, I'll take it.

Flame away!

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

And at what point will you remove your garbage can from "your" space?

The snow emergency has been lifted. Is your garbage can gone from the public street now, or will you continue to claim that space until all the snow melts?

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

There's one in front of our house now. I know it wasn't put there by anyone who lives here. Oh well.

[somer-villains.livejournal.com]

no flames here!

i myself "marked" the spot that i spent two hours shoveling the night of the storm. i also have two small kids (joan, your little ones are cuties!) and don't have the luxury that many other somerville residents have of having a private driveway (which entitles one to a 24/7 personal spot at the expense of a public spot). the reason i marked it was because it was the only spot on my block with shoveled access from the car in all directions (the kids have carseats and have to enter the car from both sides). this way i can carry my kids safely to and from the car.

hauntmiester-- i have no intention of "claiming" my sweat equity past the time that i feel i can safely carry my kids to the car in other spaces, from which no one thus far has bothered to create a path to the curb. if that means 2-3 days or a week, so be it.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Um, why would my garbage can be on the street when I'm at home? Where would my CAR be if the garbage can were in the parking space?

Anyway, right now the parking space is occupied by someone else's car, because I didn't put anything in it when I went out today. Luckily I found another space not much farther down the street, which is quite unusual for this area on a Saturday evening. And no, I won't be "claiming" that space when I go out tomorrow, because, well, it's not the space I want.

Oh -- and pursuant to the above comment: yeah, when I shoveled out "my" space, I made sure to clear both sides of the car so I could get both my kids into and out of their carseats without having to wade through three feet of snow. Other people didn't bother with that (nor should they have) so the spaces they shoveled out have snow piled up on the curb right against the side of the car, which makes other people's shoveled-out parking spaces less desirable to me, and makes MY shoveled-out space all the MORE desirable.

[concrete.livejournal.com]

Who do I have to call at the city to get furniture left on the streets removed?

[ron_newman]

I'd have probably stacked the three chairs and moved the stack into one space.

[ron_newman]

311 or fill out this form: DPW - Abandoned Property on City Street or Sidewalk. I used this last month to report a bicycle that had been chained to a parking meter for weeks, and was missing its seat and other parts. The city removed it about a week later.

[concrete.livejournal.com]

Thank you Ron!

I wish they would remove stuff the same day so I wouldn't have to face the vendetta of my neighbors if I touched their multiple lawn chair installation.

[ron_newman]

The form says "Bikes will wait 5 days for removal", presumably so that the city can be sure it's really abandoned. I don't know what their policy is on other abandoned objects.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

having a private driveway (which entitles one to a 24/7 personal spot at the expense of a public spot)

That turns out to not be true. The city requires driveways to accommodate more cars than could fit on the curb in the driveway space ... some friends of mine, who were putting in a parking space on their property, needed to extend it to fit two cars before the city would approve the curb cut.

The city will not allow homeowners to convert a public space into a private one.

Two hours of work can get you a parking space for a week? And nobody else can use that space while you are away? Works well for you and yours, I suppose, but this doesn't seem very civic-minded. What do you suppose would happen to the availability of on-street parking if everybody did what you're doing?

[derekp.livejournal.com]

I kinda see the winter storm as a convenient excuse for folks to claim a spot and they use the "2 hours of work" (if it took you two hours to shovel this snow... well, just wait until some heavy stuff falls). Honestly, if you could do 2 hours of work per week to claim that space outside your apartment year round, you would, wouldn't you? The snow shoveling thing just provides a nice cover. That's just my $0.02, of course.

What would you reaction be if someone had moved your marker and parked in "your" spot? I never mess with anybody's markers because I fear for my life, but I do think it's rather silly. I realize it must suck to have to re-shovel a spot when you've got 2 kids in tow, but it's kinda what you signed up for when you lived in a place with off street parking, right?

As long as you're not the vengeful or spiteful type when someone takes "your" spot I honestly don't see the harm in trying. I'm just glad I've got a garage now and had off street parking at my last place.

Good luck. And if I saw someone with two kids in the car shoveling out a spot, I'd jump in and help. I know I can't be alone.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

As mentioned in the post, not everyone has the ability to readily shovel out a space when returning. There are elderly, infirmed, handicapped, injured, and people hauling large loads.

My personal space saving guideline always was that anybody outside the CBD and/or not on a metered street can reserve a space in front of their own house and nobody else's, despite it being public property belonging to the city, if they shoveled it and as long as spaces are clearly still in short supply due to excess snow (i.e., you get one for your own car that would be on the street anyways if you did the work, but don't be a jerk about it)

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

Last year I saw the DPW truck making rounds and taking chairs, etc... People started using old TVs and Air conditioners, and other things you need to pay the city to take. I thought that was pretty brilliant.

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

huh. well I didn't intend to open a can of whoopass by mentioning the alien chair sighting - just haven't seen that practice much around here.

Interesting to hear the justifications (afaik there are no families with young children anywhere on the end of my street where this occurred). The other day I was justifying leaving snow removal to my landlord since she doubled my rent a couple of years ago (admittedly petty as that may seem).

The interesting aspect of the "claiming public space" thing is the real or imagined threat if you take the space: tires cut? Car keyed? Do the people who put out chairs also shovel their sidewalks?

Looks like some nice snow coming down out there this morning....

[veda815.livejournal.com]

Haha, that is awesome!

[veda815.livejournal.com]

I would be worried that by moving someone's chair and then leaving you're setting an innocent person up for a fight. After you leave the scene some unsuspecting person pulls up and takes the spot thinking that it is free and clear. Then the chair owner comes home and assumes the car in "his spot" is the person who moved his chair and he seeks out retaliation on the car and/or its owner.

It does annoy me that people claim spots on public streets, but as long as I have a spot for my car I try and mind my own business.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Even though I now have a driveway, I can't be that quick to condemn those who continue this practice. If everyone on your street does it, then you had better follow suit or you won't have a space (perhaps until April). This is especially true if the neighbors on the even side used the empty snow emergency side parking spots to dump all their snow.

Parking is tight enough in parts of this city without losing about 1/3 of the slots after big snowstorms. I wouldn't move someone else's snow marker (unless it were obviously an abandoned slot) because whoever comes along and ends up parking there could end up feeling the revenge of the "spot owner". It's an assholish response, but those people exist everywhere.

[spot.livejournal.com]

This practice is huge in Chicago, to the point of absurdity. Every possible space is blocked off with chairs, sofas, tables, etc.

Moving them is an offense punishable with violence.

I never really understood it, but I had no real urge to be looking down the barrel of some drunk's gun, so I just ignored it.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

I like your logic about the two hours of work. I would DEFINITELY be willing to do two hours' worth of work per week if it guaranteed me a parking space! (and fwiw, it definitely did not take me two hours to shovel out after last week's storm.)

What would you reaction be if someone had moved your marker and parked in "your" spot?
I've had that happen in previous years and my reaction was, well, impotent rage would describe it pretty well. I may have left an angry note once or twice. ;) But if you're implying any kind of intentional damage to someone else's car, no, I wouldn't do that.

Your comment kind of implied that if someone moved my marker and took "my" space, then I'd have to go and shovel another space. But in general that's not how it works. How it works is that if someone takes "my" space, there aren't any other spaces anywhere -- period. I have to drive several blocks out of my way, and end up parking in a space that someone else had shoveled. On the whole I'd rather do extra shoveling for a second space close to my house, than take a space farther away with no extra shoveling. But that has never been an option.

I realize it must suck to have to re-shovel a spot when you've got 2 kids in tow, but it's kinda what you signed up for when you lived in a place with off street parking, right?
I figured someone would try to pull that argument. Yes, when I chose this house to buy, there were MANY factors to consider, and the lack of parking was a significant black mark against it, but you know, no one chooses where to live based on one single factor. This house is awesome. It's beautiful, it has history, it's in good condition. It was exactly the right combination of "apartment that needs no work" plus "apartment that needs work" that my friend and I were looking for. It has an enormous back yard for the kids to play in. It's convenient to a number of buses, it's near a bunch of shops and playgrounds and schools, it's a 10-minute drive from my mom's house, it's in a good neighborhood, and of course, the price was right.

So yeah, I knew I was signing up for some parking woes buying a house with no driveway on a street where you can only park on one side. But that doesn't mean I can't complain and it doesn't mean I can't try to mitigate the problem as best I can.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I think this practice is as old as the city itself.

When I lived in JP in 93/94, that winter was brutal. And people who parked in "reserved sports" by moving the chari/cone/rubbish bin that was guarding it got their tires slashed and their cars keyed without fail.

I was sans car that winter and rather grateful for it since my street was a fairly steep hill and at the end of it, there was a T stop anyway.

Now, I have a spot in the driveway that came with the house/apartment - thankfully.

Oh...and driving down Highland Ave Friday, I saw a battered stool, some rubbish bins, a recycling bin and chairs being used to mark spots in Somerville.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

I agree.

In my experience, I find that those who most objective are those who don't have cars to begin with.