WWTKD? Neighbor Parking Problem

scrunchythief · January 2016

So, we live in a rented townhouse, on the end of a building of 4 of them. We got new neighbors this August, and have had minor issues with them for a while. They're very noisy at night, sometimes till 4 in the morning(this has gotten a bit better since we spoke to them about it). They let their dog go on our side of the yard and don't pick it up always. They tend to leave trash around.

We just got snow, and we were out of town when it fell, so our parking area was covered when we got home. We parked on the snow, and my H shoveled in front of and behind the car. When we next went out we pulled forward so we could shovel under our normal spot and hadn't moved the car yet.

The neighbors have 2 huge trucks and they normally park one in front and the other behind their unit. Today, they parked the second truck in front, over the spot my H shoveled, right in front of the steps that lead to our door (each unit has their own steps). This blocks where we normally park.

I really want to be able to park where we normally do, even though we have a bit more room, especially since we're having a lot of guests coming soon. Also, our car is a small Civic, and can't handle parking in the back as well as their huge trucks, because it's not paved.

Am I being petty? Should we say something? Leave a note?
TLDR: Neighbors parked their car in the spot we shoveled for our car.

lyndausvi · January 2016

If there are not assigned spaces I think you are SOL.

Which sucks. In Philly they would be all:

ShesSoCold · January 2016

scrunchythief said:

So, we live in a rented townhouse, on the end of a building of 4 of them. We got new neighbors this August, and have had minor issues with them for a while. They're very noisy at night, sometimes till 4 in the morning(this has gotten a bit better since we spoke to them about it). They let their dog go on our side of the yard and don't pick it up always. They tend to leave trash around.

We just got snow, and we were out of town when it fell, so our parking area was covered when we got home. We parked on the snow, and my H shoveled in front of and behind the car. When we next went out we pulled forward so we could shovel under our normal spot and hadn't moved the car yet.

The neighbors have 2 huge trucks and they normally park one in front and the other behind their unit. Today, they parked the second truck in front, over the spot my H shoveled, right in front of the steps that lead to our door (each unit has their own steps). This blocks where we normally park.

I really want to be able to park where we normally do, even though we have a bit more room, especially since we're having a lot of guests coming soon. Also, our car is a small Civic, and can't handle parking in the back as well as their huge trucks, because it's not paved.

Am I being petty? Should we say something? Leave a note?
TLDR: Neighbors parked their car in the spot we shoveled for our car.

Hmmm. I don't know where you live, but in Chicago, it's common for people to hold their shoveled spaces with misc. household bullshit like lawn chairs or ironing boards. Maybe you could have done that?

Otherwise, snow/shoveling not being a factor, the spot in front of your house is public property and I would not ask them not to park there. That just seems so petty. If someone asked me not to park on the public street because it was near their home, I'd roll my eyes and not give a rat's ass.

scrunchythief · January 2016

ShesSoCold said:

scrunchythief said:

So, we live in a rented townhouse, on the end of a building of 4 of them. We got new neighbors this August, and have had minor issues with them for a while. They're very noisy at night, sometimes till 4 in the morning(this has gotten a bit better since we spoke to them about it). They let their dog go on our side of the yard and don't pick it up always. They tend to leave trash around.

We just got snow, and we were out of town when it fell, so our parking area was covered when we got home. We parked on the snow, and my H shoveled in front of and behind the car. When we next went out we pulled forward so we could shovel under our normal spot and hadn't moved the car yet.

The neighbors have 2 huge trucks and they normally park one in front and the other behind their unit. Today, they parked the second truck in front, over the spot my H shoveled, right in front of the steps that lead to our door (each unit has their own steps). This blocks where we normally park.

I really want to be able to park where we normally do, even though we have a bit more room, especially since we're having a lot of guests coming soon. Also, our car is a small Civic, and can't handle parking in the back as well as their huge trucks, because it's not paved.

Am I being petty? Should we say something? Leave a note?
TLDR: Neighbors parked their car in the spot we shoveled for our car.

Hmmm. I don't know where you live, but in Chicago, it's common for people to hold their shoveled spaces with misc. household bullshit like lawn chairs or ironing boards. Maybe you could have done that?
Otherwise, snow/shoveling not being a factor, the spot in front of your house is public property and I would not ask them not to park there. That just seems so petty. If someone asked me not to park on the public street because it was near their home, I'd roll my eyes and not give a rat's ass.

I don't know if it makes a difference, but it's not on the street. There's a recessed area that's owned by the rental company. It's more like our driveway, but there aren't clear markers where the space for one place starts and the next ends. Everyone else has always used the stairs as where theirs starts.

We'll probably next time save the spot with a chair or something. That's a good idea.

ETA: There aren't strictly assigned spots, so we may be SOL. But you do have to register your car to park there.

lyndausvi · January 2016

The key words here are ASSIGNED PARKING.

If it's assigned you complain to them to move. If they are not assigned, yes they are assholes, but there isn't anything you can do.

ShesSoCold · January 2016

lyndausvi said:

The key words here are ASSIGNED PARKING.

If it's assigned you complain to them to move. If they are not assigned, yes they are assholes, but there isn't anything you can do.

Yep. This.

Maggie0829 · January 2016

If the parking spots are not number/assigned then there is nothing that you can do. Would it be polite of them to leave the spot in front of your unit open for you and not take up both spots? Yes. But not everyone is polite or courteous.

So next time the spot is open grab some lawn chairs or parking cones and put them in the spot as a way to hold it. But don't be surprised if they just move those things and park there anyway.

kvruns · January 2016

I've seen lots of articles about this very recently and whether or not cities or towns allow people to save spots with chairs or cones. Seems to be most places don't allow it since you don't own the ground on which the car is parked (ie not your driveway or assigned parking). It totally sucks and is rude for sure

scrunchythief · January 2016

Thanks for all quick the responses! We've always had super polite neighbors, so this has been an adjustment. Next time they move, I'll shovel where we normally park and move there, since they're currently on top of the snow. I just didn't want to start a "war"

And thanks @Maggie0829, I would've have been surprised if they moved the stuff.

KatWAG · January 2016

kvruns said:

I've seen lots of articles about this very recently and whether or not cities or towns allow people to save spots with chairs or cones. Seems to be most places don't allow it since you don't own the ground on which the car is parked (ie not your driveway or assigned parking). It totally sucks and is rude for sure

Of course this wouldn't be city sanctioned. In Chicago they have started towing away the lawn furniture, cones, racks, etc so people cant try to hold spots. Logically, I know I don't own the street spot but I would still be pissed if someone parked there after I dug out the spot.

PamBeesly524 · January 2016

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

Maggie0829 · January 2016

PamBeesly524 said:

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

Because not everyone will shovel out a spot. They will just wait for someone to leave and then take their spot, leaving the person who shoveled a spot shit out of luck and then having to shovel another spot just so they can park. Really it is about being courteous to your neighbors. If I shovel a spot out in my neighborhood do not take it. If you need help shoveling ask, but do not take my spot that I shoveled out just because you are too damn lazy to shovel one yourself. And lets remember people wouldn't have to save spots if others were kind and didn't take a cleared spot because they were too freaking lazy to shovel one out for themselves.

**All the you's in that post were general.

teddygirl9 · January 2016

I totally understand how you feel. My neighbors on both sides have a rear garage, and I do not, so they both park in the back and I park in front of my house. The neighbors kid's GF comes over and will park in front of my house for the evening or as long as days at a time. It is very annoying, because she knows no one parks in front of their house. I know I don't own this spot or anything, but I also hate parking in front of other peoples houses. I don't usually dig out a spot or anything, so that's not an issue. I've never said anything to them, I just park in front/behind where there is a free spot. At least my street isn't super busy and packed so we do usually have the extra room.

I've never seen anyone put a lawn chair in their spot though haha. That sounds extra annoying.

Anyways, in your situation, if you think it's YOUR property/driveway, I think you can ask them to leave you a bit of room. If it's not, you can still ask nicely, and note the size of your car or whatever. If they were polite about being quieter then they might be receptive to that approach. However, if they say that they don't want to park in the back (for whatever reason), I'd just leave it. Rather park further away than have neighbors that hate me!

scrunchythief · January 2016

teddygirl9 said:

I totally understand how you feel. My neighbors on both sides have a rear garage, and I do not, so they both park in the back and I park in front of my house. The neighbors kid's GF comes over and will park in front of my house for the evening or as long as days at a time. It is very annoying, because she knows no one parks in front of their house. I know I don't own this spot or anything, but I also hate parking in front of other peoples houses. I don't usually dig out a spot or anything, so that's not an issue. I've never said anything to them, I just park in front/behind where there is a free spot. At least my street isn't super busy and packed so we do usually have the extra room.
I've never seen anyone put a lawn chair in their spot though haha. That sounds extra annoying.
Anyways, in your situation, if you think it's YOUR property/driveway, I think you can ask them to leave you a bit of room. If it's not, you can still ask nicely, and note the size of your car or whatever. If they were polite about being quieter then they might be receptive to that approach. However, if they say that they don't want to park in the back (for whatever reason), I'd just leave it. Rather park further away than have neighbors that hate me!

I think the bolded is the key! I don't want to be walked over. (hence asking them to keep it down. I have a 5 month old and need sleep!) But I don't want to go too far and create a bad situation.

I think I mostly needed to vent and have people affirm that how I'm feeling is natural.

And that's so bizarre about that GF parking in front of your house. I'd never want to park in front of a stranger's house if I can park in front of where I'm going.

sunflower0592 · January 2016

teddygirl9 said:

I totally understand how you feel. My neighbors on both sides have a rear garage, and I do not, so they both park in the back and I park in front of my house. The neighbors kid's GF comes over and will park in front of my house for the evening or as long as days at a time. It is very annoying, because she knows no one parks in front of their house. I know I don't own this spot or anything, but I also hate parking in front of other peoples houses. I don't usually dig out a spot or anything, so that's not an issue. I've never said anything to them, I just park in front/behind where there is a free spot. At least my street isn't super busy and packed so we do usually have the extra room.
I've never seen anyone put a lawn chair in their spot though haha. That sounds extra annoying.
Anyways, in your situation, if you think it's YOUR property/driveway, I think you can ask them to leave you a bit of room. If it's not, you can still ask nicely, and note the size of your car or whatever. If they were polite about being quieter then they might be receptive to that approach. However, if they say that they don't want to park in the back (for whatever reason), I'd just leave it. Rather park further away than have neighbors that hate me!

I have somewhat of a situation like this where I live. I live in an old house that's been divided up into apartments, on a street that's a mix of other multi-family (double) houses and single-family homes as well. Most of the houses have driveways, but obviously not everyone in the doubles can park in the driveway. We have the one driveway spot in our house since we pay the most rent, and then our other car goes on the street. Our street has alternating parking 9-4 M-F, M-W it's on our side, then Thurs-Fri it's the other side.

Across the street, there's a guy in a very nice Victorian single-family home. He doesn't work, per se, he owns a bunch of rental homes and he's at his house the majority of the time. He has this big, ugly work truck that he theoretically has to do work on his properties, but it never leaves our street. He also has a nice, big driveway and a big detached 3-car garage behind his house. Where does he park his truck? On the street, which obviously is his prerogative, but it's inconsiderate considering between our house and the two houses on either side of us alone, there are 11 cars that need to park on the street. Not only does he park it on the street, he likes to park it in front of OUR house, always, not his own, presumably because he doesn't want the view of that eyesore out his front window. So his driveway sits empty, and he takes up 2 street spaces with his truck that has commercial plates (which is illegal to park on a residential street from 7 pm - 7 am). I've even noticed him on days when the parking regulation has parking on his side, come 4 pm once the restriction is up, he goes out and moves his truck back in front of our house if the space is open.

It shouldn't matter that much but ugh! It's totally frustrating.

PamBeesly524 · January 2016

Maggie0829 said:

PamBeesly524 said:

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

Because not everyone will shovel out a spot. They will just wait for someone to leave and then take their spot, leaving the person who shoveled a spot shit out of luck and then having to shovel another spot just so they can park. Really it is about being courteous to your neighbors. If I shovel a spot out in my neighborhood do not take it. If you need help shoveling ask, but do not take my spot that I shoveled out just because you are too damn lazy to shovel one yourself. And lets remember people wouldn't have to save spots if others were kind and didn't take a cleared spot because they were too freaking lazy to shovel one out for themselves.

**All the you's in that post were general.

Totally agree, I think the root issue is that some people are assholes - If everyone just shoveled out whatever spot they left, then anyone could take any spot like they do in the summer and life would go on.

I can see both sides of it, but I would still never put anything in a spot I shoveled to save it... Though I won't pretend it didn't cross my mind a couple of times last winter in Boston!

short+sassy · January 2016

That is frustrating! But I agree with the other PPs. Although they are not showing common courtesy, if there isn't assigned parking, they can do that. If it were me, I'd probably wait a bit to see if this starts becoming a regular thing. If so, I'd politely request they leave that spot open for me when possible. If it turns out to be just once in awhile, I'd just let it go.

I don't know if some of the people in my area are just ignorant or are hoping I'm ignorant, but I've twice had someone threaten to tow my car because I parked on the street next to their house.

The first time, I was actually going to view a house I was considering purchasing. The street parking directly in front of the house was taken, so I parked directly across the street. The neighbor guy literally barges into the house (the door was open, but still) screaming about "who has the red car parked in front of his house". I told him I did, but was just viewing the house and did not expect to be there for longer than 30 minutes. He demands I move my car, still screaming, or he is going to call the police to have my car towed. I don't raise my voice even a notch and calmly tell him it is street parking, that anyone can use, but he can certainly waste the police's time if he so chooses. And I turn back to the matter at hand. He starts screaming again, but now my agent and the seller's agent tell him he needs to leave the premises. Done.

The other time I was coming home from grocery shopping. The spots in front of my house were taken, so I parked in front of my neighbor's house. Who had a bunch of construction work going on. I'm grabbing my first load and one of the workers comes over to me and tells me I need to move my car because they have a dumpster coming. I told him I had a lot of groceries to bring in and needed to do that first. He then gets more forceful and tells me that spot belongs to that house and I HAVE to move. I explain he is wrong, it belongs to no one, and is street parking. He tells me he is going to call the police to have me towed. I said, "Good luck with that."

And, the craziest thing about it was, just to be a good neighbor I would have moved my car once I was done unloading my groceries. Five minutes tops. But there is NO WAY I was going to move it after that rude encounter. He even came knocking on my door 15 minutes later, when their dump truck arrived. I told him, the next time he wants someone to do him a favor, he is much better off not being a rude a**hole.

STARMOON44 · January 2016

I don't understand feeling entitled to a parking spot on a public street at all. Shoveling out a spot and potentially losing it is the price you pay for otherwise free parking. My neighbors are going crazy complaining about this. We live 300 feet from a covered lot. Either suck it up or pay to park every now and again.

JoanE2012 · January 2016

OP, I think you're SOL. It's one of the things I don't miss about apartment living. The spaces weren't assigned and when it snowed, there were even less spaces. And for some reason, it seemed like after the storm there were more cars in the parking lot, so by the time I'd get home from work, I'd have a hard time finding a clean spot. It sucked.

photokitty · January 2016

Call the rental company. Tell them that you would like assigned spaces. If its not in your lease that snow removal is your responsibility, I would use that as leverage. If they won't assign spots, ask them to clear the snow from the front and the back in a timely fashion.

emmaaa · January 2016

photokitty said:

Call the rental company. Tell them that you would like assigned spaces. If its not in your lease that snow removal is your responsibility, I would use that as leverage. If they won't assign spots, ask them to clear the snow from the front and the back in a timely fashion.

I think this is an excellent suggestion. For the time being, it sounds like you're out of luck because the spaces aren't assigned, but that doesn't mean you can't ask for assigned spaces.

MrsMack10612 · January 2016

PamBeesly524 said:

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

I live outside of Boston and the mayor of Boston actually recently gave permission to do this for 24 (or maybe 48) hours after a snow storm before they start hauling the space markers away.

Heffalump · January 2016

ShesSoCold said:

scrunchythief said:

So, we live in a rented townhouse, on the end of a building of 4 of them. We got new neighbors this August, and have had minor issues with them for a while. They're very noisy at night, sometimes till 4 in the morning(this has gotten a bit better since we spoke to them about it). They let their dog go on our side of the yard and don't pick it up always. They tend to leave trash around.

We just got snow, and we were out of town when it fell, so our parking area was covered when we got home. We parked on the snow, and my H shoveled in front of and behind the car. When we next went out we pulled forward so we could shovel under our normal spot and hadn't moved the car yet.

The neighbors have 2 huge trucks and they normally park one in front and the other behind their unit. Today, they parked the second truck in front, over the spot my H shoveled, right in front of the steps that lead to our door (each unit has their own steps). This blocks where we normally park.

I really want to be able to park where we normally do, even though we have a bit more room, especially since we're having a lot of guests coming soon. Also, our car is a small Civic, and can't handle parking in the back as well as their huge trucks, because it's not paved.

Am I being petty? Should we say something? Leave a note?
TLDR: Neighbors parked their car in the spot we shoveled for our car.

Hmmm. I don't know where you live, but in Chicago, it's common for people to hold their shoveled spaces with misc. household bullshit like lawn chairs or ironing boards. Maybe you could have done that?
Otherwise, snow/shoveling not being a factor, the spot in front of your house is public property and I would not ask them not to park there. That just seems so petty. If someone asked me not to park on the public street because it was near their home, I'd roll my eyes and not give a rat's ass.

Ah, that takes me back. I miss Chicago sometimes, but I never miss winter. Here, when it snows everyone stays inside until it melts in a day or two. At noon last Friday, DD was able to make a snow angel in the center of our street, and it stayed there until everything started melting the following afternoon.

sarahufl · January 2016

I don't know how it works where you live- but where I live, property owners are responsible for clearing snow from outside their properties within, like, 6 hours of when it stops falling. If you are renting, they may actually be responsible for clearing out the parking.

If not, I agree with PPs, sounds like your neighbors are being rude, but if you don't have assigned spots, you can't force the issue.

scrunchythief · January 2016

sarahufl said:

I don't know how it works where you live- but where I live, property owners are responsible for clearing snow from outside their properties within, like, 6 hours of when it stops falling. If you are renting, they may actually be responsible for clearing out the parking.

If not, I agree with PPs, sounds like your neighbors are being rude, but if you don't have assigned spots, you can't force the issue.

It is in our lease that we're responsible for snow removal. I actually have a friend at the rental company, so I might ask her what the spot policy is. But now that I've thought about it, it seems like it's not worth making an issue, especially since I don't want the noise issue to come back. Definitely looking forward to when we're able to not rent!

PamBeesly524 · January 2016

MrsMack10612 said:

PamBeesly524 said:

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

I live outside of Boston and the mayor of Boston actually recently gave permission to do this for 24 (or maybe 48) hours after a snow storm before they start hauling the space markers away.

BOX

Yeah, that didn't happen. Crews were so busy dealing with the snow, who did he expect was going to pick up all that garbage? Stuff stayed for weeks in my neighborhood.

huskypuppy14 · January 2016

PamBeesly524 said:

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

I haven't read all the comments, but if you lived in Boston, you know that there aren't enough spots for everyone who has a car in every neighborhood, when there isn't snow. Add snow in the mix and smaller/less spots and it's mayhem. Some people park in garages, some people park on the street. Boston allows you to save a spot for 48 hours.

I moved to the subburbs in 2014 so we have a huge driveway , so I was lucky not to have to deal with spot stealing in last year's blizzards. The apartment I lived in for 5 years was on a one way street. I lived by myself for 3 years, and I had a driveway spot, so I always had a spot. However, when my now husband moved in with me, he worked until midnight. Good luck finding a spot on the street at midnight in the summer, let alone when it snowed. I told him i would park on the street when i got home (at 6pm) and he could have the driveway spot, but he didn't want the driveway spot because it was really tight next to the house and my car was smaller. Fine, so I would park on the street until he got home and then we'd play musical cars, so he would take my spot and I'd go in the driveway. So glad that shit is done, especially because our neighbors would sometimes block us in (though not on purpose).

Anway, to the OP- where is your car if it's not in your usual spot? Sorry, but if you already have a spot, that's where your car is. You don't get to claim two spots. maybe I'm missing something, but if you wanted that spot you should have cleared it to begin with and taken it.

huskypuppy14 · January 2016

MrsMack10612 said:

PamBeesly524 said:

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

I live outside of Boston and the mayor of Boston actually recently gave permission to do this for 24 (or maybe 48) hours after a snow storm before they start hauling the space markers away.

48 hours after a snow emergency has been lifted. It's been like that for years. It only applies to Boston neighborhoods though, not Brookline or Cambridge. I yelled at someone for almost taking my spot in the past.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking/

jenna8984 · January 2016

@pambeesly524 I agree with you. I understand the frustration of clearing a spot and then returning to not have one. But that's one of the prices you pay with city living, and if you're not ok accepting that fact for 3 months per year then you need to live somewhere else.

PamBeesly524 · January 2016

huskypuppy14 said:

PamBeesly524 said:

I might be in the minority here, but I've lived in both Philly and Boston and I HATE the whole save your spot with a piece of furniture thing. Shoveling snow is a part of living in a cold climate, and just because you shovel a piece of road out doesn't mean you own it, like @kvruns said. If you leave a spot, it's not yours anymore. My logic is that everyone must shovel out a spot SOMEWHERE, so if everyone shovels out the spot they were originally in, who cares if you get the same one or not?

I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone shovels perfectly, etc. etc. but I just think saving it is lame. But OP, I wouldn't be surprised if your neighbors move the stuff either because if I saw that in an area that sounds like yours I'd roll my eyes... I wouldn't have parked in your spot either though!

I haven't read all the comments, but if you lived in Boston, you know that there aren't enough spots for everyone who has a car in every neighborhood, when there isn't snow. Add snow in the mix and smaller/less spots and it's mayhem. Some people park in garages, some people park on the street. Boston allows you to save a spot for 48 hours.

I moved to the subburbs in 2014 so we have a huge driveway , so I was lucky not to have to deal with spot stealing in last year's blizzards. The apartment I lived in for 5 years was on a one way street. I lived by myself for 3 years, and I had a driveway spot, so I always had a spot. However, when my now husband moved in with me, he worked until midnight. Good luck finding a spot on the street at midnight in the summer, let alone when it snowed. I told him i would park on the street when i got home (at 6pm) and he could have the driveway spot, but he didn't want the driveway spot because it was really tight next to the house and my car was smaller. Fine, so I would park on the street until he got home and then we'd play musical cars, so he would take my spot and I'd go in the driveway. So glad that shit is done, especially because our neighbors would sometimes block us in (though not on purpose).

Anway, to the OP- where is your car if it's not in your usual spot? Sorry, but if you already have a spot, that's where your car is. You don't get to claim two spots. maybe I'm missing something, but if you wanted that spot you should have cleared it to begin with and taken it.

Honestly, I do get the point of it if you live in, say, Southie or the South End. Parking is at a premium even in the summer. But there are outer neighborhoods (Somerville, Brighton, etc.) where this was happening and it just wasn't necessary. I never saved the spot I dug out and I always found one when I got home, even with the ridiculous snow we got last year.

WWTKD? Neighbor Parking Problem

Re: WWTKD? Neighbor Parking Problem

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