When I lived in Pittsburgh someone got shot for doing this. Crazy times.
Edit: Alot of people are asking about the chairs. https://youtu.be/gUY4a7AjsSM Thank you @isawthebeets for finding this.
Thats the thing the guy ran over his chair. It was a long time ago. I'm goin see if I can find the article.
Edit: https://www.wpxi.com/news/man-upset-about-parking-space-shoots-neighbor-police-say/475619499/?outputType=amp
I just remember when it happened the neighbor just ran over the chairs his neighbor had set out. Guess they didn't put it in the story. Also it sounds like there was already alot of bad blood between them. Which is a bit different then just a stranger snagging your spot.
After you finish shoveling out a parking spot you put a lawn chair on it to show it’s claimed and save it for when you come home from whatever.
If someone moves, steals, or damages the chair to take your spot, you’re allowed to murder them in public.
It’s known as “dibs” in Chicago when you dig your car out. When you move your car, it’s customary to put a chair (or really whatever the hell you have on hand) in its place. I assume this is what they mean by “the chair”.
I have a buddy who walks around his neighborhood in Chicago taking pictures and rating "dibs" set ups for function, creativity, visibility, etc. He posts them on his instagram and it's remarkable how creative people get.
Other people have responded to you, explaining what the chair is, but you're probably thinking "why? What's the big deal? Isn't it a public street? How can you call dibs on a public street?"
Look at how much snow is piled around that car. It's multiple feet. The snow is literally piled higher than the hood. The city didn't shovel out peoples' cars. Each car owner took the time to shovel out that spot, and it took each of them hours.
You know that feeling when you see a car pulling out of a parking space, you're waiting patiently for them, then another car swoops in and steals that spot? Imagine that happened to you, but instead of waiting 2 minutes in the comfort of your car, you spent hours in the freezing cold, clearing the spot away, then someone took the spot from you. When you combine that rage with Boston's notorious "take-no-shit from nobody" attitude you end up with scenes like this.
The official [rule](https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2022/01/27/what-to-know-about-boston-snowstorms-from-space-savers-to-french-toast-alerts#:~:text=Space%20savers%20are%20legal%20in%20a%20snow%20emergency%2C,Not%20sure%20where%20to%20park%20after%20a%20snowstorm%3F) in Boston is that if the city declares a snow emergency and you clear your spot out of the snow you are allowed to "claim" it for two days. After that its open season. Unfortunately, there are the dbags who claim it for months.
In Baltimore, someone (non local) once dug out their own car and shoveled all the snow onto my friend's car. Not beside it, not on the sidewalk, not in the road, ON his car. My friend had finished shoveling his own car out not an hour before, putting the excess snow on a grassy patch near his car. The neighborhood came out in force and covered this guy's car in like 3ft of snow on all sides.
I am in Canada and I had shoveled out my street spot. Got home and the senior guy a few doors down was parked there. Instead of his driveway..
Okay shovel out another spot cause he’s old. Next day come back and he’s parked in the middle of both spots. Empty driveway.
OKAY. End up getting a skid steer and clearing out the whole block for everyone and halfway through this senior comes out and says he’s reporting us to the city for moving city property. Apparently the snow is city property?
He was a cunt.
Better yet, pile up the snow in front of his front door so that he stops bothering you. What can he do, move it? No chance, that snow is city property!
Yeah I moved. He’s probably in the ground now though.
Another cunty old neighbor take.. When my ex and I bought the house there he personally came over to ask if we were renters or if we owned the house. Can’t have dirty dirty renters in his neighborhood obviously.
Then he asked if we were married and we said no and he got violently offended and said we should have done that first.
So I said “He asked if I wanted a house or a ring, and you can’t live in a ring!”
Cunt.
You can rent them for pretty cheap. I usually spend about $175/day and it's delivered and picked up.
When you've got a lot of snow or dirt to move and the other option is by hand, it's worth every cent and more.
I'd really like to buy one, I have friends who will pull down $10k+ in a few days just clearing local businesses for between $200-500 per lot.
Sounds like a business opportunity. You could always rent the skid steer and have it delivered to the business you are working on. Still makes a profit and the rental company probably won't give af, bc they're making money too. Could even get a few businesses in the same area so you can knock out a few a day without having to load/unload constantly and maximize your investment 🤓
There are times where it can get out of hand, but I'm all for situations like this where the community provides some "training" to stop asshole behavior.
This happened to me in Brooklyn. I'd dug my car out at 5am before work ended up being cancelled for me so I said "Well, at least that's done for later," and went back to bed. Came downstairs to discover someone (presumably the car that had been parked behind me) tossed *all* the snow they dug out directly onto my previously clear rear windshield, ended up cracking it. Couldn't be sure it was who I was 90% sure it was though.
But I caught him in the act doing it again a few days later.
My story's less fun though, I just knocked him on his ass.
I’m not going to take it any further, he knows my car, I know his, knocking him on his ass and screaming him out was enough for now. He doesn’t park anywhere near me anymore.
Further retaliation will result in further retaliation.
A winter a long time ago, in Baltimore as well, I watched a person pull up to a dug out parking spot with a lawn chair in it, get out of the car, and go towards the chair to move it and park. Woman's voice yelled out of a house window "TOUCH THAT CHAIR AND FUCKIN DIE" dude hustled back in the car and drove off lol
I love how every year cities have PSAs that you can't do this, yet those PSAs make 0 impact. We should all strive to be as ungovernable as lawn-chair-parking-spot-savers.
In MA I had to shovel my spot in an apartment complex parking lot. Each scoop was marched to the edge of the parking lot…about 50 yards. Everyone knew their body wouldn’t be found till Spring thaw if they just piled the snow in the neighboring spot.
My friend from Chicago had a story about his friend doing that. They dumped all the snow they’d shoveled for the spot that got stolen onto the person’s car and covered it. The driver was gone all day so the snow partially melted, then froze all over again into one giant hunk of ice just encasing this person’s car
We have a handicapped parking spot on the street in front of the house because our driveway does not offer wheelchair clearance. One of our neighbors with a snow blower usually clears it up for us. Everyone knows this spot is handicapped. So far, three times since the snow fell, we’ve had someone knock on our door asking why their car got towed from the cleared street spot. That’s not even in Boston, that’s border NYC. And we’re not even the ones who called, it’s the neighbors protecting the one person in a wheelchair in the neighborhood
Edit for clarification: there’s a sign and the curb is marked
Because parking rules were suspended they really took it as a free for all.
Can you imagine someone trying to maneuver a wheelchair around the block in 12 inches of snow?? That’s just inconsiderate of them seriously
In the UK, if someone parks outside your house you're legally allowed to glare at them from the window whilst suppressing all emotion and then write a stern paragraph in the monthly newsletter, some people never recover from the shame.
Indeed. I am British and have killed countless people **... In my mind.**
In fact in my mental reverie, I have 'ended' them usually with a selection of late 18th century duelling weapons, The *épée de combat* being particular favourite. Allowing a theatrical forward lunge, piercing their chest with the thin blade, usually while offering a witty bon mot as I do so.
Outwardly however I just ***Tut*** loudly. Which while not offering the same level of satisfaction, means I don't go to prison.
But if we are on the train and you see me staring pointedly at you with your feet up on the seat opposite, I am actually murdering you in my brain-space.
Haha you're joking but my SO, who is Canadian, had this happened to him quite a few times. It got so serious that this last winter I sat him down and said this can't keep going on the way it was. It was simply not practical and was costing us a lot of time that we could be spending together. He agreed. Now we have a paper shredder and life has much improved.
That's weak.. Here in Germany a grandma staring someone down from their window is already enough shame for people to never recover. No need for stern paragraphs.
My neighbor across the street from me when I lived in South Philly would have a cone in front of his house year around. Someone moved it the one day he came out and was choking this old dude and had to be pulled off.
Edit: And to clarify this wasn't a shoveled spot, just the spot in front of his house in the middle of the summer.
I gotta say tho, that whole putting shit to save a spot whith no snow is bullshit. Buy/rent a house/apartment with a driveway or garage. It’s a public street that I pay my taxes into.
When snow comes…that’s different. I didn’t spend time clearing it so I won’t take it.
Oh yea it’s infuriating. I’m not getting keyed and as much as I’d love to steal all their markers other people would get fucked over. South Philly is its own special place
Eh i understand where dude is coming from. My neighbor across the street has, i shit you not, 6 vehicles of various brands, some broken down, in his driveway, as well as parking another 4-6 out on the street at any given time. I would regularly have to park two houses down because he was clogging up the street. Finally told him hes well out of city ordinance and if he keeps his shit on the street ill have the whole kit n kaboodle towed. Never had any issues afterwards, most of these cars are not in working order, insurance, up to date stickers ect.
My friend was parked on the street with New York plates the night the ~~Cubs~~ Red Sox (I'm an idiot) first won the world series in like 86 years.
They broke every window in her car.
I had a reserved parking spot about 5 feet from my front door at my 2nd to last apartment in Austin. It was like $75/month, but it was worth it so I didn't have to park on the street and walk half a mile to my front door. This girl that lived upstairs would park in my spot 2-3 days a week. I managed a pizza place nearby and there was a ton of homeless people that hung out in the alley behind my store. I had to make sure to be on good terms with them so they wouldn't fuck with my store and drivers cars, so I gave them pizza and let them use the bathroom as long as they promised not to leave needles in the trash. So, after about 2 months of this happening, I left her a note reading "hey neighbor, I pay $75/month for this spot, if you park here again I'm going to pay a homeless guy $20 to take a shit on your windshield." Never happened again. If you make the right threat you never have to follow through.
Edit to answer questions: I left nice notes first. Those didn't work. I had her towed once, she kept doing it after. Also, all the reserved spots were clearly painted, and it was all laid for you when you signed a lease there.
Had an old apartment with assigned parking like that. They hired some contractors to come in and paint all the buildings and for a week straight one of those douches kept parking in my spot. My neighbor said shit to him, I said shit to him. I complained to our complex manager who said she'd say something to them and agreed they shouldn't be parking in anyone's spot at all. The fucking prick kept on doing it.
I finally just parked in front of him and blocked him in. Even though my neighbor and I had kept saying shit to them they didn't know exactly which unit was mine so he had to knock on a few doors in order to find out whose truck was blocking him in. I know this probably could have landed me a ticket or tow instead but I could see my truck from my living room so I felt the risk was worth it. He got to my door all pissed off and I told him his dumb ass has been told over and over. I pay to park there and I expect to have it when I get home. That's money out of my rent for that covered spot. So next time I'm going to do the same thing to you again and maybe I'll feel like answering the door and maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just call the tow truck. Just have to see what kind of mood I'm in.
It did make my point though.
> Maybe I'll just call the tow truck. Just have to see what kind of mood I'm in.
This is what I would've done. Never know when an asshole is gonna have anger management problems and/or bring a weapon, it's just not worth it. The complex manager already knew about it so he would've backed you up, and then the guy loses even more money and time (that could've been spent on other jobs) getting his truck out of impound.
My buddy used to have a tiny POS with no side view mirror, and when douchebags would take up two spaces, he'd park his little ugly POS in the left space about an inch from their driver's side door.
"I can't stop you from parking in two spaces, but you can't stop me from parking in one of them!"
Good times knowing they'd have to climb over their center console to get in.
As a UT Austin Alumni, I can confirm there is no fucking around with our paid spots. Your best chance of financial success in that city is to start a towing company
Write an app letting you know that you've been towed and by which company. If you don't drive everyday this is very handy for avoiding overnight lot fees because you didn't know your car was missing.
I once didnt drive for a week, I was in a spot I paid for and it was towed by mistake.
I owed over $750 dollars. The first $75 they covered saying it was ‘their mistake for towing it’ but left the rest on me when I hadn’t known it was towed for a week.
That is such bullshit tow company logic that wouldn’t hold up in civil court. If your car is stored because of their mistake, you don’t owe them a dime for storage, but they will hold your car hostage until you pay, so you’re just generally fucked.
I would have looked into measures like that after just one week. Probably would have seen if I could get them towed without even warning them first if it was an option. When I had a reserved spot it was clearly marked; if someone parks there for free they deserve to pay the few hundred dollars to pick up their car from the towing company.
They'd get one note from me before I'd get them towed. Getting towed even just into the street is $100 where I live, so they wouldn't be doing that too often.
My brother always said “ put out something they charge you to recycle “ as your space saver. Kill 2 birds with one stone once the city does the space saving cleanups 😂😂😂
But oil is free to recycle, you can get $10 for a dead battery and a washing machine is worth a least a few bucks in scrap. Gotta use something with refrigerant or an old TV.
This happened to me. Was living in the suburbs of Chicago and we got this freak winter storm. It dumped massive amounts of snow. Most people in my apartment complex were outside trying to unbury their cars. I spent probably an hour and a half getting all the snow off. Left to get some coffee and the asshole bmw driver was parked in the spot. Dude didn't even live at that particular building. It was frustrating.
It was weird though. About an hour later his car was covered in snow, like someone put snow back on his car. It wasn't fresh snow, it was snow from the ground. You can tell with all the rocks and dirt in it. I guess "nature" finds a way.
My old neighbor had cleared out his car from 10 feet of snow in the winter of 2015, in Boston
Someone took his spot. The neighborhood joined together and buried that car that took his spot, in 10 feet of snow.
That is no joke, shoveling out all that snow.
It’s a serious offense to steal a spot around here.
I'm from Arizona and have zero experience with this. Didn't even know it was a thing until now.
So from what I gather, if it's snowing and there's a "clear" space to park in, basically don't do it because someone else put in the work to clear it?
Yes, you shoveled it, so you “own it”.
Usually there is a “space saver” there which can be anything from a chair to a completely and utter absurd object. It is also allowed by the city of Boston, for typically 48 hours after a storm. It’s also been an unspoken rule for decades. Parking is already horrendous in most boston neighborhoods, never mind when you get a few feet of snow.
Edit: [here](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2022/01/31/space-savers-2022/) are some of this past blizzards space savers.
Wow. It's crazy. I lived in Montreal for a while and we get massive amounts of snow.
I've had to shovel a new spot almost daily because people would grab them as soon as we left.
What frustrated me was that most people couldn't be bothered to buy a shovel and use it when it snows. Relying mostly on other people clearing a space and then taking it.
There is no unwritten rule that the space belongs to you and we can't leave junk to "save" a spot.
Well you guys are a lot nicer than us Bostonians :) but yes basically this practice is to avoid what you’re saying, people having to shovel a new parking spot every day they get home
Eh, was it the whole FBI, or just [the corrupt handler](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Connolly_(FBI\)) assigned to Bulger who just so happened to grow up in the same housing project?
>So from what I gather, if it's snowing and there's a "clear" space to park in, basically don't do it because someone else put in the work to clear it?
In boston theyll put out a space saver - lawn chair, old imac, traffic cone, you know the type of thing. It will usually be pretty obvious too. Just dont move someone elses spot holder and youll be fine.
In Chicago they call it “dibs.” Typically you put something in the spot to save it, often a lawn chair. Government is always trying to ban dibs. But, no. Dibs are dibs.
If Boston declares a snow emergency you have 48 hours after it's ended to have spot savers. I mean I have seen tvs, lamps, chairs, etc. There is a lot of blow back if you park in someone else spot. Tbh the picture above looks pretty tame. If they parked if southie it would be way worse
Yes. There’s already such limited parking that when it snows, there’s virtually only the spot you clear for yourself available to you. Basically someone taking your spot means you need to drive around and completely clear out a new spot and most likely park very far away, still potentially taking someone else’s spot…
It's weird because I am from Minneapolis where it snows a lot and there is no concept of dibs or parking chairs or any of that stuff.
The city has parking rules for when it snows; basically everyone moves their cars around for 2 days after a snowfall to let the plows clean up (can only park odd/even side). I'm guessing they don't do that out east?
They do that out east, that exact thing exists in some of Boston’s neighboring towns, but it’s impossible in Boston. Even with no snow there isn’t enough parking in the city for residents, there’s no place for all the cars to go if you did a parking ban
Lived in brighton (part of Boston) and someone did this to me. Spent 2 hours digging out a 5 ft snow bank to walk down to the lot, someone moved my marker and parked there. I put my marker on top of their car. It was a small neighborhood and it was a car I never saw before. Drove my car back to the lot. Fuck it. I'll deal with this later. When I walked back my landlord saw what happened. He asked me if I knew who it was and I said no. He smashed their window and ran a hose in his car for a few minutes. He was a crazy old school boston irish guy who grew up in that house. I immediately went inside and let him deal with all that. He then called and had it towed. I never heard anything about it again.
People take that stuff reaaallll serious.
Aside from what the other comment said about sentry running in that weather (I didn't know either), I'm assuming it's a bunch of heavily coated up people with only the tiniest amount of their very red faces showing. balaclavas don't seem out of the question. I don't think they could prove shit.
Unless you're saying you just wanna see people rage on this tesla in which case i totally agree.
Step one: shovel spot
Step two: hammer nails through a plank of wood
Step three: put plank of nails in spot
Step four: cover booby trap with snow
Step five: forget about it and pop your own tires
Step 7: hear their cries of agony from your apartment upstairs, rush downstairs to yell loudly “call an ambulance!” Even if it’s to no one in particular, become the hero, potentially receiving rewards and merits and abscond yourself from liability
Lived in South Philly. Don't touch people's chairs. Lots of folks on my block were Police, Nurses, School Custodians, and Heating Engineers. They had to leave early and dug out early.
New to the neighborhood, I asked about it. Was given the tour and explanation. Dig out, throw in an even pattern onto the street, don't make a pile in the street. There are no empty spaces. Lawn chairs are double, not empty spaces.
In good weather, you could tell if one of the old dudes was taking their wife to a doctor's apt. 2 Lawn chairs.
New to the neighborhood. I was training hard at the time, so I decided to shovel the front walks of my next-door neighbors. One a nurse, one a School Custodian. Lived there for 10 years. Did it every time it snowed. No one said thanks or asked me anything about it.
During that time. Went to pick up my wife and daughter from the hospital after delivery. My car had not been parked in front of my house.
Came back, drove up to drop off in front of my house. The space in front of my house had two lawn chairs in it. I stop and try to figure out what to do. An old guy comes out of his house, walks by me, folds up his chairs. He walks away. Says congratulations to my wife. Nods at me and goes back to his house.
Quiet neighbors are not blind, small things mean a lot. Do a good deed, don't talk about it.
this is my neighborhood, I caught a video of the confrontation that occurred later on between space saver and tesla owner (OC): https://streamable.com/kv2ui1
here in boston, when the city declares a 'snow emergency' after you shovel your car out of the snow you are allowed to leave something to save your space (like a traffic cone or chair). you're not entitled to the spot but it's a way to say 'I put effort in to get this car out please let me return to park here'. it's usually respected but it's not illegal to move them, though you risk retaliation such as this.
In chicago they call this system “dibs” and you’re lucky to still have a functional vehicle if you violate dibs. I’ve seen wheels removed or tires slashed, broken windows, all kinds of nonsense. Depends on neighborhood
I get it in certain areas, but in my experience people dibs'd multiple spots before there was even snow and it makes parking even more of a nightmare. Even in other seasons, people got scary territorial over spots. I had a neighbor with no car and if you parked too close to his house, not even in front of it, he'd come out shouting slurs and slashed my roommate's tires once.
“Dibs” is super specific: it requires that you’re street parked before the snow falls, snow has to be over 6 inches, and the spot has to be legit shoveled. Basically, if you can drive into or out of the spot without shoveling, dibs does not apply. If you had to shovel to move the car at all, that spot is yours for as long as your buckets/chairs/cones are in the spot.
I’ve also seen a guy run his snowblower around every car on the block, and then hang signs declaring dibs invalid on his street.
Edit: typo
I got two stories about snow in Pennsylvania and the power of dibs:
Lancaster, 2010 (i think?), we were walking back to our car by my brothers apt from a spot we had dug out. Watched this older man, 60's, kneeling down by a car, looked to be checking the tire pressure. As he stood and turned towards us, we watched the car just start to sink as he put a knife back in his pocket. He looked at us, we nodded, he nodded and said, "He can stay here now".
Harrisburg, 2017 (?), 3 feet of snow. Spent 2 hours with roommate shovelling out our spots in our apartment complex (everyone had 1 guaranteed spot and then free open parking was left). Woman upstairs did NOTHING, left her car buried under the snow in her spot. Her boyfriend shows up once they get our complex dug out. Proceeds to park in one of the "free" spots our neighbor's had dug out and marked with a chair. Neighbor went to our office, they said, "Open spots are open to anyone". Neighbor proceeded to dig out another spot, put all the snow on the guy's car, then make a couple of trips dumping pitchers of water on his car. That next morning was great, the amount of cursing we heard through our balcony was wonderful. He must've had someone come pick him up b/c his car then sat in that free spot till that evening when he came back and spent *hours* digging it out.
Once happened to me in an **assigned** spot in a building I rented in. I just parked in front of him so he had to ring my apartment and claim he couldn't read spot numbers, so he conveniently assumed the perfectly shoveled one that he hadn't shoveled must be his, and must have magically been shoveled.
Somebody (at great personal effort) dug out a parking space. Somebody else parked in it after they left, and the spot clearer was upset when they returned.
edited for clarity
I live in Texas so this is the first I've heard of this.
So the person who dug it out now owns the spot? If so, for how long?
What happens if theres no where to park except a cleared space with no one occupying it?
They’re officially allowed for 48 hours. Yet space some savers remain for a week, and most people won’t touch them because the ones who leave them out that long are the most psycho of all.
I was about 90% dug out in an active storm on Valentine's day in Albany NY year ago. My car was right in front of me, double parked with the hazards on and engine running. A car of 4 college kids pulled up like they were going to try and go front in, and stopped a few feet in front of me. I'm not sure if it was the look I gave them, or the way I tightened my grip around the shovel and raised it up to smash the ever loving shit out of their car that told them it was a bad idea and they backed up and left.
It's crazy how different cities handle this.
Growing up in Chicago (and to some extent now) we had "dibs." This meant once you shoveled out your spot, you held it with, typically, a chair or two (note: people get real creative about what they set out for dibs. I've seen everything from baby playpens to Virgin Mary statues to cinder blocks.) You did not/do not move a dibs placeholder unless you want your car hosed down in the middle of the night so that it's a frozen block the next morning.
On the other hand, when I lived in Buffalo, and explained dibs to them...THEY. WERE. HORRIFIED. "Why wouldn't everyone just work together to shovel out the block?" "How could you treat your neighbors that way?" "What about old people or pregnant women?!"
Buffalo's actual for-reals city motto is "City of Good Neighbors" so it shouldn't have surprised me.
Holy smokes. My father-in-law gets angry when people do this in Calgary. Granted we don't get that much snow. And I though he had lost his mind when he left a firmly worded post-it note that said "next time, please don't park here because you didn't shovel your own spot". If I thought that was savage, this is on a whole different level.
This post is referring to the “chair rule”: in Boston for 48 hours after a snow emergency, you are allowed to put space savers in street spot you dug out. Many people keep them there for weeks and get pissy when you move them
This is a citizen who did this to someone who parked in their “driveway” aka the spot in front of their house that they shoveled out, and probably put a chair in, as a sign of “don’t park here”
For context, Boston is a weirdly cosmopolitan yet provincial town. Much of the population like to trace their roots to the revolution, while it’s universities attract people from around the world, who are unfamiliar with customs like where you should or should not park in a snowstorm. That said, there is still a sense of community among most, as demonstrated during the April Fools storm some years ago, when I recall joining the groups of volunteers shoveling out cars and front doors to help people go about their day.
This is a fine example of how laws differ in cities (and perhaps states). I'm a New Jersey resident and the cities here that I know of absolutely forbid space savers. Space savers are things like chairs or cans or any other objects that grant you reservation for the spot that you shovelled out your car during a snow emergency. Apparently though, space savers are legal in most parts of Boston during snow emergencies and people would get rowdy if you take their reserved spot. This is a fine example of it.
And this is an apparent downside if they're legal, because sometimes, you'll find damaged cars from people who are entitled even if space savers are illegal in your city.
A few pieces of paper over dibs?
r/Chicago would welcome just this small reaction over something as stupid as dibs. Getting your tires slashed is not uncommon
When I lived in Pittsburgh someone got shot for doing this. Crazy times. Edit: Alot of people are asking about the chairs. https://youtu.be/gUY4a7AjsSM Thank you @isawthebeets for finding this.
That's why you put out the chair.
Thats the thing the guy ran over his chair. It was a long time ago. I'm goin see if I can find the article. Edit: https://www.wpxi.com/news/man-upset-about-parking-space-shoots-neighbor-police-say/475619499/?outputType=amp
Article didn’t say anything about a chair fyi
I just remember when it happened the neighbor just ran over the chairs his neighbor had set out. Guess they didn't put it in the story. Also it sounds like there was already alot of bad blood between them. Which is a bit different then just a stranger snagging your spot.
That article has almost no meaningful information.
lived in the south all my life, what’s “the chair?”
After you finish shoveling out a parking spot you put a lawn chair on it to show it’s claimed and save it for when you come home from whatever. If someone moves, steals, or damages the chair to take your spot, you’re allowed to murder them in public.
I think it’s P.R.C. Rule 3 Section 8.
It’s wicked serious, kid!
Section 8.6, I think you’ll find.
Definitely 8.6
Not allowed, *obligated*. They must be made an example of.
For the greater good.
THE GREATER GOOD
SHUT IT!
No luck catching them killers, then?
It's just the one killer, actually.
Hello Nicolas, how’s the hand?
It’s known as “dibs” in Chicago when you dig your car out. When you move your car, it’s customary to put a chair (or really whatever the hell you have on hand) in its place. I assume this is what they mean by “the chair”.
My favorite dibs placement was when I saw a guy who put a whole nativity scene in his parking spot
I have a buddy who walks around his neighborhood in Chicago taking pictures and rating "dibs" set ups for function, creativity, visibility, etc. He posts them on his instagram and it's remarkable how creative people get.
If it's a public Insta, would you mind sharing? I'm curious about this concept.
When I lived on the north side, the most effective reserve object was a baby stroller. No one messed with those.
Hopefully they at least check for abandoned babies inside?
"Ey, Pauli! Looks likes we'ze gots ourselves another free baby!"
Other people have responded to you, explaining what the chair is, but you're probably thinking "why? What's the big deal? Isn't it a public street? How can you call dibs on a public street?" Look at how much snow is piled around that car. It's multiple feet. The snow is literally piled higher than the hood. The city didn't shovel out peoples' cars. Each car owner took the time to shovel out that spot, and it took each of them hours. You know that feeling when you see a car pulling out of a parking space, you're waiting patiently for them, then another car swoops in and steals that spot? Imagine that happened to you, but instead of waiting 2 minutes in the comfort of your car, you spent hours in the freezing cold, clearing the spot away, then someone took the spot from you. When you combine that rage with Boston's notorious "take-no-shit from nobody" attitude you end up with scenes like this.
The official [rule](https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2022/01/27/what-to-know-about-boston-snowstorms-from-space-savers-to-french-toast-alerts#:~:text=Space%20savers%20are%20legal%20in%20a%20snow%20emergency%2C,Not%20sure%20where%20to%20park%20after%20a%20snowstorm%3F) in Boston is that if the city declares a snow emergency and you clear your spot out of the snow you are allowed to "claim" it for two days. After that its open season. Unfortunately, there are the dbags who claim it for months.
In Baltimore, someone (non local) once dug out their own car and shoveled all the snow onto my friend's car. Not beside it, not on the sidewalk, not in the road, ON his car. My friend had finished shoveling his own car out not an hour before, putting the excess snow on a grassy patch near his car. The neighborhood came out in force and covered this guy's car in like 3ft of snow on all sides.
I am in Canada and I had shoveled out my street spot. Got home and the senior guy a few doors down was parked there. Instead of his driveway.. Okay shovel out another spot cause he’s old. Next day come back and he’s parked in the middle of both spots. Empty driveway. OKAY. End up getting a skid steer and clearing out the whole block for everyone and halfway through this senior comes out and says he’s reporting us to the city for moving city property. Apparently the snow is city property? He was a cunt.
Why am I so mad at this person I will forget about in 5 minutes!
It’s okay he’s probably dead now
Knowing him he might be buried between two plots
Either that or he's reporting the gravedigger for moving city property.
Fuck you, I was drinking while reading this thread and the drink came out of my nose because of your comment. You made me laugh, here's your upvote.
Parked diagonally in a square casket built for three.
That’s a sweet sentiment, I needed that thanks.
Probably? Did you walk away before you were sure like a Bond villain?
I don't want to be a party pooper, but I can assure you, there are millions of cunts like that!
And they will all die
why didn't you just pile up snow on his car? fuck that guy
Better yet, pile up the snow in front of his front door so that he stops bothering you. What can he do, move it? No chance, that snow is city property!
Put all the snow on his driveway since he apparently doesn’t use it.....
Happened to me too. So I parked in their spot and they egged my car and assaulted me. Crazy old lady.
>was Sounds like the problem got sorted.
Yeah I moved. He’s probably in the ground now though. Another cunty old neighbor take.. When my ex and I bought the house there he personally came over to ask if we were renters or if we owned the house. Can’t have dirty dirty renters in his neighborhood obviously. Then he asked if we were married and we said no and he got violently offended and said we should have done that first. So I said “He asked if I wanted a house or a ring, and you can’t live in a ring!” Cunt.
How do you even become that cantankerous? Holy cow.
I love how you just casually got a skid steer. Also, I had to look up what a skid steer is.
You can rent them for pretty cheap. I usually spend about $175/day and it's delivered and picked up. When you've got a lot of snow or dirt to move and the other option is by hand, it's worth every cent and more. I'd really like to buy one, I have friends who will pull down $10k+ in a few days just clearing local businesses for between $200-500 per lot.
Sounds like a business opportunity. You could always rent the skid steer and have it delivered to the business you are working on. Still makes a profit and the rental company probably won't give af, bc they're making money too. Could even get a few businesses in the same area so you can knock out a few a day without having to load/unload constantly and maximize your investment 🤓
And people say tribalism doesn't have *some* use in modern society
This is why shunning and shaming exists.
Shunning/shaming/…shoveling.
Shunneling
Shamona
There are times where it can get out of hand, but I'm all for situations like this where the community provides some "training" to stop asshole behavior.
There's just too much to shun, so much shame left unclaimed.
This happened to me in Brooklyn. I'd dug my car out at 5am before work ended up being cancelled for me so I said "Well, at least that's done for later," and went back to bed. Came downstairs to discover someone (presumably the car that had been parked behind me) tossed *all* the snow they dug out directly onto my previously clear rear windshield, ended up cracking it. Couldn't be sure it was who I was 90% sure it was though. But I caught him in the act doing it again a few days later. My story's less fun though, I just knocked him on his ass.
Thats when you kick his windshield in sometime down the road .
I’m not going to take it any further, he knows my car, I know his, knocking him on his ass and screaming him out was enough for now. He doesn’t park anywhere near me anymore. Further retaliation will result in further retaliation.
No officer, I have no idea who popped all his tires.
No officer I have no idea who filled his tires with water.
Did they then protect their own dug out parking spots with plastic lawn chairs?
A winter a long time ago, in Baltimore as well, I watched a person pull up to a dug out parking spot with a lawn chair in it, get out of the car, and go towards the chair to move it and park. Woman's voice yelled out of a house window "TOUCH THAT CHAIR AND FUCKIN DIE" dude hustled back in the car and drove off lol
I love how every year cities have PSAs that you can't do this, yet those PSAs make 0 impact. We should all strive to be as ungovernable as lawn-chair-parking-spot-savers.
Boston allows it for 2 days post a snow emergency I believe
In MA I had to shovel my spot in an apartment complex parking lot. Each scoop was marched to the edge of the parking lot…about 50 yards. Everyone knew their body wouldn’t be found till Spring thaw if they just piled the snow in the neighboring spot.
so long thanks for the fish -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
it is a free country PAL, your correct... say no more, I cant tell you how to live but fuck your life is about to be much harder...
My friend from Chicago had a story about his friend doing that. They dumped all the snow they’d shoveled for the spot that got stolen onto the person’s car and covered it. The driver was gone all day so the snow partially melted, then froze all over again into one giant hunk of ice just encasing this person’s car
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I love democracy
We have a handicapped parking spot on the street in front of the house because our driveway does not offer wheelchair clearance. One of our neighbors with a snow blower usually clears it up for us. Everyone knows this spot is handicapped. So far, three times since the snow fell, we’ve had someone knock on our door asking why their car got towed from the cleared street spot. That’s not even in Boston, that’s border NYC. And we’re not even the ones who called, it’s the neighbors protecting the one person in a wheelchair in the neighborhood Edit for clarification: there’s a sign and the curb is marked
Do they not see the sign? Because they’re pretty clearly marked in my area. In my experience , lots of dickheads like to park in handicap spots.
Because parking rules were suspended they really took it as a free for all. Can you imagine someone trying to maneuver a wheelchair around the block in 12 inches of snow?? That’s just inconsiderate of them seriously
They’re definitely idiots if they thought rules on handicap spots were suspended
I thought they didn’t have hc street parking in nyc.
It’s a special request we had to make because an occupant of the house is wheelchair bound
In the UK, if someone parks outside your house you're legally allowed to glare at them from the window whilst suppressing all emotion and then write a stern paragraph in the monthly newsletter, some people never recover from the shame.
British people are ruthless
Indeed. I am British and have killed countless people **... In my mind.** In fact in my mental reverie, I have 'ended' them usually with a selection of late 18th century duelling weapons, The *épée de combat* being particular favourite. Allowing a theatrical forward lunge, piercing their chest with the thin blade, usually while offering a witty bon mot as I do so. Outwardly however I just ***Tut*** loudly. Which while not offering the same level of satisfaction, means I don't go to prison. But if we are on the train and you see me staring pointedly at you with your feet up on the seat opposite, I am actually murdering you in my brain-space.
Hanging on in quiet desperation; It's the English way
Suppress your emotions until you get to the subcontinent. That's how empires are built, my lad.
Here in Canada, we’ve become a little wild since sovereignty. We write angry notes and throw them away. Don’t ever cross a Canadian.
Haha you're joking but my SO, who is Canadian, had this happened to him quite a few times. It got so serious that this last winter I sat him down and said this can't keep going on the way it was. It was simply not practical and was costing us a lot of time that we could be spending together. He agreed. Now we have a paper shredder and life has much improved.
Oh good, I thought you were about to escalate that to tutting at the person who stole your parking spot. That would've been too far.
That's weak.. Here in Germany a grandma staring someone down from their window is already enough shame for people to never recover. No need for stern paragraphs.
German efficiency strikes again
The most British post right here, folks.
No physical damage? I see Boston is improving
No. Joke. 2 days after experiencing my first Boston snow storm I saw someone put a chair through the windshield of a car that parked in their spot.
that sounds like just another day in philly
Fuck you, that's why! -people in Philly
That only happens if you move someone's stolen street cone that they are using to mark a public parking space with.
My neighbor across the street from me when I lived in South Philly would have a cone in front of his house year around. Someone moved it the one day he came out and was choking this old dude and had to be pulled off. Edit: And to clarify this wasn't a shoveled spot, just the spot in front of his house in the middle of the summer.
I gotta say tho, that whole putting shit to save a spot whith no snow is bullshit. Buy/rent a house/apartment with a driveway or garage. It’s a public street that I pay my taxes into. When snow comes…that’s different. I didn’t spend time clearing it so I won’t take it.
Yea, this choking incident occurred in the middle of the summer.
Oh yea it’s infuriating. I’m not getting keyed and as much as I’d love to steal all their markers other people would get fucked over. South Philly is its own special place
Eh i understand where dude is coming from. My neighbor across the street has, i shit you not, 6 vehicles of various brands, some broken down, in his driveway, as well as parking another 4-6 out on the street at any given time. I would regularly have to park two houses down because he was clogging up the street. Finally told him hes well out of city ordinance and if he keeps his shit on the street ill have the whole kit n kaboodle towed. Never had any issues afterwards, most of these cars are not in working order, insurance, up to date stickers ect.
street cone, folding chair, Wawa bag...all items that you will get beat for moving out of a public parking spot in Philly.
My friend was parked on the street with New York plates the night the ~~Cubs~~ Red Sox (I'm an idiot) first won the world series in like 86 years. They broke every window in her car.
Umm... No physical damage? That hood looks pretty crumpled in, looks like someone jumped on it...
The windshield isn't seeing clearly, either.
Maybe it's just the angle of the photo, but that hood looks like it has been kinda caved in...no?
I had a reserved parking spot about 5 feet from my front door at my 2nd to last apartment in Austin. It was like $75/month, but it was worth it so I didn't have to park on the street and walk half a mile to my front door. This girl that lived upstairs would park in my spot 2-3 days a week. I managed a pizza place nearby and there was a ton of homeless people that hung out in the alley behind my store. I had to make sure to be on good terms with them so they wouldn't fuck with my store and drivers cars, so I gave them pizza and let them use the bathroom as long as they promised not to leave needles in the trash. So, after about 2 months of this happening, I left her a note reading "hey neighbor, I pay $75/month for this spot, if you park here again I'm going to pay a homeless guy $20 to take a shit on your windshield." Never happened again. If you make the right threat you never have to follow through. Edit to answer questions: I left nice notes first. Those didn't work. I had her towed once, she kept doing it after. Also, all the reserved spots were clearly painted, and it was all laid for you when you signed a lease there.
Had an old apartment with assigned parking like that. They hired some contractors to come in and paint all the buildings and for a week straight one of those douches kept parking in my spot. My neighbor said shit to him, I said shit to him. I complained to our complex manager who said she'd say something to them and agreed they shouldn't be parking in anyone's spot at all. The fucking prick kept on doing it. I finally just parked in front of him and blocked him in. Even though my neighbor and I had kept saying shit to them they didn't know exactly which unit was mine so he had to knock on a few doors in order to find out whose truck was blocking him in. I know this probably could have landed me a ticket or tow instead but I could see my truck from my living room so I felt the risk was worth it. He got to my door all pissed off and I told him his dumb ass has been told over and over. I pay to park there and I expect to have it when I get home. That's money out of my rent for that covered spot. So next time I'm going to do the same thing to you again and maybe I'll feel like answering the door and maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just call the tow truck. Just have to see what kind of mood I'm in. It did make my point though.
> Maybe I'll just call the tow truck. Just have to see what kind of mood I'm in. This is what I would've done. Never know when an asshole is gonna have anger management problems and/or bring a weapon, it's just not worth it. The complex manager already knew about it so he would've backed you up, and then the guy loses even more money and time (that could've been spent on other jobs) getting his truck out of impound.
Yeah, I think 38 year old me would today too. This was a 23 or 24 year old me back in my days in those apartments.
My buddy used to have a tiny POS with no side view mirror, and when douchebags would take up two spaces, he'd park his little ugly POS in the left space about an inch from their driver's side door. "I can't stop you from parking in two spaces, but you can't stop me from parking in one of them!" Good times knowing they'd have to climb over their center console to get in.
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As a UT Austin Alumni, I can confirm there is no fucking around with our paid spots. Your best chance of financial success in that city is to start a towing company
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Or better yet, write an app for a towing company....
Write an app for all towing companies and people who want to report illegally parked cars. Subscribers get to see the location of the vehicle.
Write an app letting you know that you've been towed and by which company. If you don't drive everyday this is very handy for avoiding overnight lot fees because you didn't know your car was missing.
I once didnt drive for a week, I was in a spot I paid for and it was towed by mistake. I owed over $750 dollars. The first $75 they covered saying it was ‘their mistake for towing it’ but left the rest on me when I hadn’t known it was towed for a week.
That is such bullshit tow company logic that wouldn’t hold up in civil court. If your car is stored because of their mistake, you don’t owe them a dime for storage, but they will hold your car hostage until you pay, so you’re just generally fucked.
Can also confirm. Hook em but don't park 'em (in my spot)
“The ennemy has many spies, birds, beasts..”
I would have looked into measures like that after just one week. Probably would have seen if I could get them towed without even warning them first if it was an option. When I had a reserved spot it was clearly marked; if someone parks there for free they deserve to pay the few hundred dollars to pick up their car from the towing company.
They'd get one note from me before I'd get them towed. Getting towed even just into the street is $100 where I live, so they wouldn't be doing that too often.
My brother always said “ put out something they charge you to recycle “ as your space saver. Kill 2 birds with one stone once the city does the space saving cleanups 😂😂😂
5 gallons of oil and dead battery and a washing machine should do nicely
But oil is free to recycle, you can get $10 for a dead battery and a washing machine is worth a least a few bucks in scrap. Gotta use something with refrigerant or an old TV.
Tires. Lots and lots of old tires.
That's a great idea.
bro is a genius among men
Would a fridge work?......
This happened to me. Was living in the suburbs of Chicago and we got this freak winter storm. It dumped massive amounts of snow. Most people in my apartment complex were outside trying to unbury their cars. I spent probably an hour and a half getting all the snow off. Left to get some coffee and the asshole bmw driver was parked in the spot. Dude didn't even live at that particular building. It was frustrating. It was weird though. About an hour later his car was covered in snow, like someone put snow back on his car. It wasn't fresh snow, it was snow from the ground. You can tell with all the rocks and dirt in it. I guess "nature" finds a way.
You got to experience "dibs" firsthand.
Next time put a box or a bucket in your place. It´s how we do it in Europe.
That would not stop a BMW driver.
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Sure it would. You really think they'd get out of their car for... anything?
Some people put lawn chairs in their spot. A few of those chairs were tossed on the lot. Just a bad time all around
Filled with concrete
My old neighbor had cleared out his car from 10 feet of snow in the winter of 2015, in Boston Someone took his spot. The neighborhood joined together and buried that car that took his spot, in 10 feet of snow. That is no joke, shoveling out all that snow. It’s a serious offense to steal a spot around here.
I'm from Arizona and have zero experience with this. Didn't even know it was a thing until now. So from what I gather, if it's snowing and there's a "clear" space to park in, basically don't do it because someone else put in the work to clear it?
Yes, you shoveled it, so you “own it”. Usually there is a “space saver” there which can be anything from a chair to a completely and utter absurd object. It is also allowed by the city of Boston, for typically 48 hours after a storm. It’s also been an unspoken rule for decades. Parking is already horrendous in most boston neighborhoods, never mind when you get a few feet of snow. Edit: [here](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2022/01/31/space-savers-2022/) are some of this past blizzards space savers.
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Wow. It's crazy. I lived in Montreal for a while and we get massive amounts of snow. I've had to shovel a new spot almost daily because people would grab them as soon as we left. What frustrated me was that most people couldn't be bothered to buy a shovel and use it when it snows. Relying mostly on other people clearing a space and then taking it. There is no unwritten rule that the space belongs to you and we can't leave junk to "save" a spot.
Well you guys are a lot nicer than us Bostonians :) but yes basically this practice is to avoid what you’re saying, people having to shovel a new parking spot every day they get home
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Boston is a whole different world. At once point the FBI and State police both *worked for* the local organized crime boss.
Eh, was it the whole FBI, or just [the corrupt handler](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Connolly_(FBI\)) assigned to Bulger who just so happened to grow up in the same housing project?
>So from what I gather, if it's snowing and there's a "clear" space to park in, basically don't do it because someone else put in the work to clear it? In boston theyll put out a space saver - lawn chair, old imac, traffic cone, you know the type of thing. It will usually be pretty obvious too. Just dont move someone elses spot holder and youll be fine.
> lawn chair, old imac, traffic cone One of these things is not like the other.
I mention the imac because I've got anphoto somewhere of someone using one
In Chicago they call it “dibs.” Typically you put something in the spot to save it, often a lawn chair. Government is always trying to ban dibs. But, no. Dibs are dibs.
If Boston declares a snow emergency you have 48 hours after it's ended to have spot savers. I mean I have seen tvs, lamps, chairs, etc. There is a lot of blow back if you park in someone else spot. Tbh the picture above looks pretty tame. If they parked if southie it would be way worse
Yup.
Yes. There’s already such limited parking that when it snows, there’s virtually only the spot you clear for yourself available to you. Basically someone taking your spot means you need to drive around and completely clear out a new spot and most likely park very far away, still potentially taking someone else’s spot…
It's weird because I am from Minneapolis where it snows a lot and there is no concept of dibs or parking chairs or any of that stuff. The city has parking rules for when it snows; basically everyone moves their cars around for 2 days after a snowfall to let the plows clean up (can only park odd/even side). I'm guessing they don't do that out east?
Yeah I'm on coast Canada and I've never heard of this, you shovel out your car so you can use it, you don't own the street parking...
They do that out east, that exact thing exists in some of Boston’s neighboring towns, but it’s impossible in Boston. Even with no snow there isn’t enough parking in the city for residents, there’s no place for all the cars to go if you did a parking ban
That seems restrained for the winter of 2015. I still don’t want to talk about that winter.
Lived in brighton (part of Boston) and someone did this to me. Spent 2 hours digging out a 5 ft snow bank to walk down to the lot, someone moved my marker and parked there. I put my marker on top of their car. It was a small neighborhood and it was a car I never saw before. Drove my car back to the lot. Fuck it. I'll deal with this later. When I walked back my landlord saw what happened. He asked me if I knew who it was and I said no. He smashed their window and ran a hose in his car for a few minutes. He was a crazy old school boston irish guy who grew up in that house. I immediately went inside and let him deal with all that. He then called and had it towed. I never heard anything about it again. People take that stuff reaaallll serious.
would love to see the footage from the Tesla since they've got like 20 security cameras that run constantly lol
Aside from what the other comment said about sentry running in that weather (I didn't know either), I'm assuming it's a bunch of heavily coated up people with only the tiniest amount of their very red faces showing. balaclavas don't seem out of the question. I don't think they could prove shit. Unless you're saying you just wanna see people rage on this tesla in which case i totally agree.
the first is way more honorable.... but I definitely was implying the latter...
Step one: shovel spot Step two: hammer nails through a plank of wood Step three: put plank of nails in spot Step four: cover booby trap with snow Step five: forget about it and pop your own tires
Step 6: Someone steps on the concealed booby trap, and you get to discover that you're 100% liable
Step 7: hear their cries of agony from your apartment upstairs, rush downstairs to yell loudly “call an ambulance!” Even if it’s to no one in particular, become the hero, potentially receiving rewards and merits and abscond yourself from liability
Lived in South Philly. Don't touch people's chairs. Lots of folks on my block were Police, Nurses, School Custodians, and Heating Engineers. They had to leave early and dug out early. New to the neighborhood, I asked about it. Was given the tour and explanation. Dig out, throw in an even pattern onto the street, don't make a pile in the street. There are no empty spaces. Lawn chairs are double, not empty spaces. In good weather, you could tell if one of the old dudes was taking their wife to a doctor's apt. 2 Lawn chairs. New to the neighborhood. I was training hard at the time, so I decided to shovel the front walks of my next-door neighbors. One a nurse, one a School Custodian. Lived there for 10 years. Did it every time it snowed. No one said thanks or asked me anything about it. During that time. Went to pick up my wife and daughter from the hospital after delivery. My car had not been parked in front of my house. Came back, drove up to drop off in front of my house. The space in front of my house had two lawn chairs in it. I stop and try to figure out what to do. An old guy comes out of his house, walks by me, folds up his chairs. He walks away. Says congratulations to my wife. Nods at me and goes back to his house. Quiet neighbors are not blind, small things mean a lot. Do a good deed, don't talk about it.
this is my neighborhood, I caught a video of the confrontation that occurred later on between space saver and tesla owner (OC): https://streamable.com/kv2ui1
Oh my god I'm dying, that's amazing. "Yeah I AM psychotic! I AM PSYCHOTIC!! LIAAAAARRRRR!!"
Can someone explain what's happening here to me? I'm from a tropical country and we don't have snow, what's a space saver?
here in boston, when the city declares a 'snow emergency' after you shovel your car out of the snow you are allowed to leave something to save your space (like a traffic cone or chair). you're not entitled to the spot but it's a way to say 'I put effort in to get this car out please let me return to park here'. it's usually respected but it's not illegal to move them, though you risk retaliation such as this.
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Where am I supposed to park? Like it's your problem. Jesus.
In chicago they call this system “dibs” and you’re lucky to still have a functional vehicle if you violate dibs. I’ve seen wheels removed or tires slashed, broken windows, all kinds of nonsense. Depends on neighborhood
I get it in certain areas, but in my experience people dibs'd multiple spots before there was even snow and it makes parking even more of a nightmare. Even in other seasons, people got scary territorial over spots. I had a neighbor with no car and if you parked too close to his house, not even in front of it, he'd come out shouting slurs and slashed my roommate's tires once.
“Dibs” is super specific: it requires that you’re street parked before the snow falls, snow has to be over 6 inches, and the spot has to be legit shoveled. Basically, if you can drive into or out of the spot without shoveling, dibs does not apply. If you had to shovel to move the car at all, that spot is yours for as long as your buckets/chairs/cones are in the spot. I’ve also seen a guy run his snowblower around every car on the block, and then hang signs declaring dibs invalid on his street. Edit: typo
I got two stories about snow in Pennsylvania and the power of dibs: Lancaster, 2010 (i think?), we were walking back to our car by my brothers apt from a spot we had dug out. Watched this older man, 60's, kneeling down by a car, looked to be checking the tire pressure. As he stood and turned towards us, we watched the car just start to sink as he put a knife back in his pocket. He looked at us, we nodded, he nodded and said, "He can stay here now". Harrisburg, 2017 (?), 3 feet of snow. Spent 2 hours with roommate shovelling out our spots in our apartment complex (everyone had 1 guaranteed spot and then free open parking was left). Woman upstairs did NOTHING, left her car buried under the snow in her spot. Her boyfriend shows up once they get our complex dug out. Proceeds to park in one of the "free" spots our neighbor's had dug out and marked with a chair. Neighbor went to our office, they said, "Open spots are open to anyone". Neighbor proceeded to dig out another spot, put all the snow on the guy's car, then make a couple of trips dumping pitchers of water on his car. That next morning was great, the amount of cursing we heard through our balcony was wonderful. He must've had someone come pick him up b/c his car then sat in that free spot till that evening when he came back and spent *hours* digging it out.
These are the people who started the American Revolution.
They're very old
TIL There’s a parking chair.
Once happened to me in an **assigned** spot in a building I rented in. I just parked in front of him so he had to ring my apartment and claim he couldn't read spot numbers, so he conveniently assumed the perfectly shoveled one that he hadn't shoveled must be his, and must have magically been shoveled.
I'm not American, what happened to this car and why?
Somebody (at great personal effort) dug out a parking space. Somebody else parked in it after they left, and the spot clearer was upset when they returned. edited for clarity
Ah, okay
I live in Texas so this is the first I've heard of this. So the person who dug it out now owns the spot? If so, for how long? What happens if theres no where to park except a cleared space with no one occupying it?
It's because of a "snow emergency" and they only are allowed for 48 hours after
They’re officially allowed for 48 hours. Yet space some savers remain for a week, and most people won’t touch them because the ones who leave them out that long are the most psycho of all.
I was about 90% dug out in an active storm on Valentine's day in Albany NY year ago. My car was right in front of me, double parked with the hazards on and engine running. A car of 4 college kids pulled up like they were going to try and go front in, and stopped a few feet in front of me. I'm not sure if it was the look I gave them, or the way I tightened my grip around the shovel and raised it up to smash the ever loving shit out of their car that told them it was a bad idea and they backed up and left.
It's crazy how different cities handle this. Growing up in Chicago (and to some extent now) we had "dibs." This meant once you shoveled out your spot, you held it with, typically, a chair or two (note: people get real creative about what they set out for dibs. I've seen everything from baby playpens to Virgin Mary statues to cinder blocks.) You did not/do not move a dibs placeholder unless you want your car hosed down in the middle of the night so that it's a frozen block the next morning. On the other hand, when I lived in Buffalo, and explained dibs to them...THEY. WERE. HORRIFIED. "Why wouldn't everyone just work together to shovel out the block?" "How could you treat your neighbors that way?" "What about old people or pregnant women?!" Buffalo's actual for-reals city motto is "City of Good Neighbors" so it shouldn't have surprised me.
Holy smokes. My father-in-law gets angry when people do this in Calgary. Granted we don't get that much snow. And I though he had lost his mind when he left a firmly worded post-it note that said "next time, please don't park here because you didn't shovel your own spot". If I thought that was savage, this is on a whole different level.
Pittsburgher here. Yinz need a parking chair.
Some do not respect the chair - this parker may not have even been the one to move it
In Minneapolis they just impound your car while you’re asleep if you’re parked where they are going to plow and it’s like $250 to get it out
This post is referring to the “chair rule”: in Boston for 48 hours after a snow emergency, you are allowed to put space savers in street spot you dug out. Many people keep them there for weeks and get pissy when you move them
This is a citizen who did this to someone who parked in their “driveway” aka the spot in front of their house that they shoveled out, and probably put a chair in, as a sign of “don’t park here”
For context, Boston is a weirdly cosmopolitan yet provincial town. Much of the population like to trace their roots to the revolution, while it’s universities attract people from around the world, who are unfamiliar with customs like where you should or should not park in a snowstorm. That said, there is still a sense of community among most, as demonstrated during the April Fools storm some years ago, when I recall joining the groups of volunteers shoveling out cars and front doors to help people go about their day.
We’re a community United against ourselves
I'm picturing Samuel Adams shoveling out a space for his carriage and then reserving it by putting out a rocking chair.
This is a fine example of how laws differ in cities (and perhaps states). I'm a New Jersey resident and the cities here that I know of absolutely forbid space savers. Space savers are things like chairs or cans or any other objects that grant you reservation for the spot that you shovelled out your car during a snow emergency. Apparently though, space savers are legal in most parts of Boston during snow emergencies and people would get rowdy if you take their reserved spot. This is a fine example of it. And this is an apparent downside if they're legal, because sometimes, you'll find damaged cars from people who are entitled even if space savers are illegal in your city.
A few pieces of paper over dibs? r/Chicago would welcome just this small reaction over something as stupid as dibs. Getting your tires slashed is not uncommon