Monday, January 12, 2009

I Despise Parking Space Saving in Southie

I just had the chance to survey the local environs during my morning walk with Rosie, and I must say, my Southie neighbors, you've disappointed me this time.

I wish people wouldn't use ANY amount of snow as an excuse to clean out their basements and save parking spots.

It's a bit absurd.

I spent far more time shoveling and salting my sidewalk (probably 30 minutes) than I did shoveling out my spot (probably 2 minutes). Perhaps I should put a cone, garbage can, and oscillating fan onto the sidewalk, thereby signifying that I don't want people walking on it.

But why did I mark my spot this morning? Because everyone else did, and out of fear for no spot when I return from work because everyone else has marked their spots.

Lemmings.

I despise this.

And please don't tell me that if I don't like it, I should move. I'm not moving...but I can still not like it.

Take these two spots:

This person clearly did a little bit of shoveling. Emphasis on "little":















While this person did not:



Not much of a difference in the amount of snow on the street.

I would fathom to guess that even a rear-wheel drive sedan can make it into and out of either spot safely. You wouldn't need an SUV to traverse this quantity of snow.

But alas, here we are. Once again. A little snow falls in Southie, and out come the space savers.

I know this won't change. Ever. But neither will my grumpiness with the system.

Ever.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

And all us that come to your house and watch Eli and the Giants go down like bitches have nowhere to park. I shoveled to get into a spot becuase i rode in my first Jeep that didn't have 4WD. Don't feel bad, I lost money on those Bitches.

Anonymous said...

I came back from a friends early, early Sunday morning, and some masshole had a space saver in, get this, 6 inches of un-shoveled snow. I kid you not, not once ounce of shoveling had taken place in this spot since the storm started.

Who ever it was, they decided they were just going to save their space period, without bothering to shovel it.

Sorry buddy, but that's not even the point of using one to save a shoveled space. The idea is you did work, so you are loosely entitle to it for a small amount of time. Saving a space you did no work for on a public street? Tough luck man if you decide your gone for the night.

His milk crate was properly and promptly disposed of.

Anonymous said...

I'm pro-space saving. You do the work, you deserve the spot. I like the 2-3 day limit though. Too many ignorant yuppies and hard guy, born and breds that think they're punking out if they pull their barrel too soon. This weekends snow was borderline. I definitely shoveled out some cars that warranted a space saver, but there were some areas that didn't catch as much snow.

Anonymous said...

There always seem to be quite a debate about this issue, but no one really presents a solution. Perhaps they could institute an odd-even parking system the day of and the day after a storm in order to get the roads fully plowed to the sidewalk. In addition, I think it would be a good idea for a small special assessment in the neighborhood to employ homeless individuals to shovel and salt the sidewalks.

Casey said...

maybe i'm just ignorant to the whole process in general, but based on the examples in your pictures, i'd be moving the spacesavers or just running them over on my way to park in that spot! in college, parking was limited and people literally sat in the parking spots to save them for friends. i was of the mindset that they were people, and my car would eventually edge them out of the spot (if they were smart). are cars vandalized if they steal a spot or something? if not, i'd be on it... i apparently don't have the same etiquette as most in southie. :)

Jason said...

Hey Casey - most assuredly, people who move cones get their cars vandalized. Not always, but the risk is there.

Another risk is parking in an "open" spot, which might not have really been "open." Someone else might have moved the marker out, and then one might unknowingly park there, only to find slashed tires the next morning. It's horrible!

Anonymous said...

Oh those photos make me giggle!

The joys of city living!

: )

Anonymous said...

I don't know his name, but I know where he lives and what he drives. He is a masshole in the truest sense of the word. He lives on E. 8th, between H and I. He drives a new Cadillac small SUV. He THREW dog shit at a girl Wednesday morning last week (yes, garbage day), after she placed a blue bag in his garbage, which as you know would have been picked up in a matter of hours. A whole bus stop full of people, of which I was one, witness this. And on Saturday, as I walked my dog and as he was leaving his house he did what I'd never seen. He had moved his car to a double-parked position, was sweeping the spot (wtf?), placed salt down, and put a bright orange cone to mark it, then drove away. It was not snowing yet, it was 4 p.m. I actually felt like sucker-punching him. That was sort of a vent. Phhheeew.

Anonymous said...

We recently moved here and I can't tell you how aggravating it is to deal with such childish narrow-mindedness. There is plenty of parking in Southie and anyone who uses a space-saver is too lazy to find a spot. The entire concept is an excuse for people to save a convenient spot during the cold winter months and has very little to do with level of effort in shoveling their spot. People, it takes 15 minutes to shovel your spot and guess what – everyone has to do it at least once. Unless you're 65 years old or handicapped, you're a lazy SOB for saving a spot - period. We’ve lived in other parts of town and fact that this phenomenon only happens in this neighborhood says a lot about the people who live here. Until City Hall outlaws space-saving entirely, then the people of Southie will have an excuse to be lazy and unnecessarily inconsiderate of their neighbors.

Anonymous said...

It's not just Southie that saves spots. I have lived in Brighton for 40 years and we save spots too. It's a tradition and I agree with it