"zacarious" (zacarious)
02/07/2014 at 16:30 • Filed to: parking
9
45|
"zacarious" (zacarious)
02/07/2014 at 16:30 • Filed to: parking | 9
| 45 |
Digging your car out after a major snow storm is never fun. What sucks even more is when someone steals the spot you worked so very hard digging out. Why? Because where are you going to park now? Piled snow takes up half the spots on your block and your '83 Camaro Berlinetta isn't climbing any snowbanks. Well, the people of Paterson, NJ are having none of that. They save their dug out parking spots. So how best to save that coveted snowpocalypse spot? Here's a guide of some popular choices:
There is the always popular garbage can (easy to move, readily available, a top choice);
the equally popular chair (coveys a little more solidity than the garbage can, also easy to move, plus if you personally want to guard your space, it's comfortable too);
traffic cones (because they look official like);
traffic cones and a garbage can (this family means business)
your vintage adult magazine collection (no one wants to touch that);
a camouflaged bucket (surprise you just ran over me, now move);
a car bumper (a neighbors' will do);
two buckets!;
a baby walker (it has wheels, so it is technically a car);
two milk crates (please note the possession of someone else's milk crate is a criminal act in some parts, so this method is not recommended)
a garbage can (with garbage!);
an empty box (but it's a big box);
an empty box filled with snow (rookie);
an upside down stool (it's like a Porcupine, but really not at all);
a weight bench (finally putting it to good use); and
an unregistered Chevy Astro Van (no one is ever moving that puppy, including you).
$kaycog
> zacarious
02/07/2014 at 16:44 |
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Funny stuff!
KB Garage
> zacarious
02/07/2014 at 16:57 |
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Well done
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> zacarious
02/07/2014 at 17:03 |
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You left out "steel oil drum with a fire in it".
Tekamul
> zacarious
02/07/2014 at 17:18 |
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I'm curious, does this stuff actually work? I have only ever lived places where there is A) no street parking, or B) no street parking December through March.
I feel that if I lived in the Mad Max world of street parking battles, I would gladly relocate a chair for a spot.
McMike
> zacarious
02/07/2014 at 17:20 |
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Haha, nice.
It's a "Porch-uh"
> zacarious
02/07/2014 at 17:21 |
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If it's a public street, I'm taking whatever place I want.
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zacarious
> Tekamul
02/07/2014 at 17:26 |
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It works surprisingly well in Paterson. You'll see a random chair still lingering in a spot long after most snow has melted.
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zacarious
> It's a "Porch-uh"
02/07/2014 at 17:29 |
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Not a recommended plan in Paterson (see e.g. http://www.usa.com/paterson-nj-cr… ), although I would like a turquoise Astro Van.
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> zacarious
02/07/2014 at 17:51 |
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True... and I wouldn't do it with a car I cared about since the person who claimed the space would feel the need to do bad things to my car if I parked there, but really, it's a public street so I'm taking the space and whatever you left in it to "claim" it since that's now abandoned property.
Triborough
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 19:50 |
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As it is Patterson, I am shocked there is no crime scene tape being used.
Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 20:00 |
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This has been going on in Chicago probably since the dawn of cars...
People mean business, and often have collection of decrepit lawn chairs and other random objects that are used just to keep their spot.
mcm2013
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 20:06 |
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Good luck getting out on that ice skating rink.
superturtle214
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 20:18 |
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TechWeasel
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 20:23 |
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This misses the point - the object isn't there to "save" the spot. It's there to indicate that if you park there, your car will be damaged.
OldManMcKenna
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 21:15 |
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Please help me understand this concept of a private parking spot on a public street? Is this something these people pay for and hold deed to? Or perhaps is it that people think they're entitled to a publicly owned patch of asphalt because they spent 10 entire minutes clearing snow from it?
OttoMaddox
> Tekamul
02/13/2014 at 21:31 |
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I grew up in Pittsburgh. Blocks and blocks and more blocks of 19th century rowhouses and no driveways. People block off shoveled spaces there too. I never ONCE moved a chair and parked my car there because I like coming back to my car and finding four fully inflated tires. I imagine it's like that in most snowy eastern cities that were built up before the automobile.
You want to park? Shovel out your own space.
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OttoMaddox
> It's a "Porch-uh"
02/13/2014 at 21:32 |
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Hope you like walking.
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zacarious
> OldManMcKenna
02/13/2014 at 21:35 |
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No deeds here. This is publicly owned asphalt that the residents of Paterson think they are entitled to because they cleared the spot. Street parking in Paterson is in limited quantity as a general rule and the city does a piss poor job of clearing the streets after a snow storm (among many things they do a piss poor job of). Supply is limited, demand is high, and saving your space is the only real option.
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Doctor-G-and-the-wagen
> Triborough
02/13/2014 at 21:55 |
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I did this once. The cops weren't too amused, but thankfully only gave me a warning.
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Doctor-G-and-the-wagen
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 21:56 |
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My personal method of saving a spot is to wheel out the garbage cans, or to plan ahead and shovel out an additional space under the guise of being "neighborly."
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zacarious
> superturtle214
02/13/2014 at 21:58 |
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spot on
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 22:06 |
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In the unplowed Hoboken, I just dont move my car for a while. Street sweeping is canceled so long as there is snow on the ground. My car takes up the spot lol
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OldManMcKenna
> zacarious
02/13/2014 at 22:38 |
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But again, it isn't "your" (their) space though. Its a space you cleared out. The city would have done it if your car wasn't there, so its your civic duty, a bit of sweat equity you get to invest for the privilege of parking on a street for free. This neanderthal "I can control access to public property because I cleared it of snow" mentality is one of the things that is wrong with society these days.
mad.anthony
> OldManMcKenna
02/13/2014 at 23:08 |
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The flip side of "what is wrong with society" is that one can spend hours shoveling out a spot, only to have someone else take that spot and leave the shoveler with no place to park. It takes considerably more than 10 minutes to shovel out a vehicle from a city street after it's been plowed in and there is a foot of snow.
In Baltimore City, while saving spots is technically illegal, the mayor went as far as to say she would not enforce the law back in the big snowstorm a few years ago. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-02-10/new…
The Biebster's got a P71 (Formerly not Justin Bieber)
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 01:33 |
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So when the plows come to actually clear these streets, what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to plow around all this garbage people are leaving in the street? Are the plow drivers supposed to move it and put it back after they clear the road? I hope they just plow over it all.
Notso Freshh
> OldManMcKenna
02/14/2014 at 01:37 |
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Just replace the word snow with the word indian, and you have how America was made.
"I can control access to public property because I cleared it of indians" mentality is one of the things that is wrong with society these days"
This mentality has long been a problem, the idea that anything not already claimed needs to be, and is up for grabs.
Finegreensilk1
> Tekamul
02/14/2014 at 02:31 |
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It works because most people are decent at their core. Rarely is it enforced with violence or vandalism. But everyone knows how much it sucks to dig a spot out, so when you see a spot's been marked you just go find somewhere else to park. It's courtesy and it works.
Highball!
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 07:56 |
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Check your local laws first* this act is illegal where I live so I clean off the car and do the absolute minimum of shoveling needed to get it out of the spot. I'm not busting my ass for someone else. I miss my Grand Cherokee on Dunlop all terrain tires. I only used the snow brush.
Cyfun
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 08:02 |
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Sad to say, but this shit is completely illegal. On-street parking spaces can only be taken up by a current-registered vehicle. Shit, you can't even park a trailer on a street unless it's attached to a vehicle.
But I've had neighbors, who, snow or not, would put cones in front of their house so only they could park there. Sometimes the space would sit vacant for weeks. I never thought much of it, until one day when a neighbor was having a party, one of their friend moved the cones and parked there. He came out to find his car keyed. Turns out, he was an off-duty cop, hence how he knew they couldn't save spaces. Of course he couldn't prove they did it, so he just made their life a living hell afterward instead.
In any case, here's what I do: park one of my street-legal motorcycles there. When I get home, I roll the bike into the front of the spot and squeeze in behind it.
Before I did that, though, if someone parked in my shoveled spot, I'd just go out in the middle of the night and shovel all the snow back on to their car. You want it? You can work for it. ;)
m
> Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
02/14/2014 at 09:23 |
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I too have seen this MANY times in Chicago. And I never understand why people think they're entitled to a parking spot. It just doesn't work that way, and these people need to get over themselves. If there are 100 parking spots on a street, there should easily be maybe 250 cars that can park on that street over the course of a day. This works, because many of the cars are not occupying the spots for the entire day. But if 100 self absorbed Chicagoans "claim" those 100 spots, 150 people are left driving in circles, clogging the streets, failing to find parking spots over the course of the day.
The right thing to do is to move the shit that somebody left in the road and take the parking spot. The more right thing is to not put your shit in the road in the first place. You (not you specifically whltnlth) made the choice to own a car, you made the choice to live in a place that forced you to park it on the street, and you made the choice to drive that day. That might mean you'll have to shovel a little snow. Get over it. Don't think it makes you more important than every other guy that needs to park.
Flavien Vidal
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 09:55 |
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We don't have that kind of problem here in Montreal...
I leave, someone takes mey spot... When I come back, I take another one or dig a new one until next day... Might be why Canadians are less fat :)
Beldrueger
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 10:24 |
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Dibs is such a shitty selfish tradition. It drives me fucking crazy. On every street I've lived in in Chicago, I've made a point to never claim a spot and to dig out half the street if I have to. I'll lead by example. I won't complain if my neighbor doesn't shovel their sidewalk. I'll shovel it for them. I'm not going to engage in any petty revenge. I'm not going to remove their trash, I'm just going to clear out the rest of the fucking street. When we finally decided to buy a house, I drove around in the winter looking for neighborhoods with no dibs. I figured, those are the neighborhoods where the good decent people live. I was right.
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juicehandy
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 10:34 |
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Jagvar
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 10:42 |
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What you really need is an inflatable car.
When_in_doubt_throttle_out
> zacarious
02/14/2014 at 10:55 |
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In Philadelphia your spot means nothing to me since I shovel your walks and create a path between cars. Do me a favor, shovel your fucking sidewalks before worring about your cars. Shovel your neighbors walk if they're old. And one more thing. BRUSH OFF ALL YOUR GOD DAMN WINDOWS BEFORE YOU START DRIVING LIKE AN ASSHAT.
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GanjaTwister
> Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
02/14/2014 at 11:57 |
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Yup, winter tradition in Chicago. Only valid for snowfall in excess of 6" or so (basically anything you'd need to shovel a car out of before driving away).
John Kass at the Tribune has a whole series on it: https://www.google.com/search?q=Tribu…
Louie
> OldManMcKenna
02/14/2014 at 12:10 |
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The people claiming "it's not their space" or "it's a public street" are the same inconsiderate people that have caused "dibs" to catch on. It's not like this concept applies year 'round. Many cars can't simply drive over a foot of snow, so try to put yourself in this situation: you spend a good 20-30 minutes (maybe more) really clearing out the area around your car so you can get in and out easily. Maybe even clearing a path for your small kids to get from the sidewalk to the doors easily. Then you run to the store for some more milk and bread. You come home only to find some car parked in the spot you just spend considerable effort to clear out, this is despite the fact that there is still plenty of "parking" available along your street. Someone parked in that spot because it was already clear and a) they couldn't drive their car up on a foot of snow either, or b) too lazy to break out a shovel so they can park. Then you can begin to see why people call "dibs" and inconsiderate jerks who simply push the snow off their hood and drive away but still take someone else's easy access parking spot end up with slashed tires.
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Louie
> It's a "Porch-uh"
02/14/2014 at 12:24 |
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Why don't you instead bring a shovel and help clear out more parking spaces so others can park also, instead of just taking that nice easy access space that you didn't dig out yourself.
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OldManMcKenna
> Notso Freshh
02/14/2014 at 12:31 |
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Only partially correct. Culling the population of whichever group stands in your way of your perceived destiny (in this case, snow) is how practically every single nation on this planet was made since the beginning of human history. The stronger ones take things from the weaker ones, regardless of the justification. It isn't something that's wrong with our society "these days" it's something that's been wrong with society since the beginning of time.
So I partially agree with you, however this is on a much smaller scale.
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Louie
> The Biebster's got a P71 (Formerly not Justin Bieber)
02/14/2014 at 12:34 |
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If it's anything like my street, the plows clear out the middle of the road just after to the snow stops and never return. Typically leaving all of the parking spots along the side still covered in snow.
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OldManMcKenna
> mad.anthony
02/14/2014 at 12:37 |
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I get the "I shoveled this literally 2 minutes ago, I'm just running to go grab my car thats idling around the corner" place-holding. I don't get the "all day / all week / all winter" dibs calling that people think they're entitled to do after a few minutes of snow clearing.
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OldManMcKenna
> Louie
02/14/2014 at 12:56 |
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I posit that putting a physical obstacle with your name on it in a public street is the worst kind of "calling dibs."
Thisnewformatisrubbish
> Flavien Vidal
02/14/2014 at 14:02 |
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And before too long, all the spots are cleared. New Jersey might be lazy. Hmm.
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The Biebster's got a P71 (Formerly not Justin Bieber)
> Louie
02/14/2014 at 15:38 |
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Where do you live? Here we have pretty specific rules about when and where you can park to make sure they can actually clear the street.
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Louie
> The Biebster's got a P71 (Formerly not Justin Bieber)
02/17/2014 at 08:21 |
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I'm in Maryland. A few years ago the county announced they would no longer plow "curb-to-curb" as a cost saving measure. So now a few days later we have about a foot of ice where cars normally park. My truck had a hard time ramming over it when a car jacked our shoveled spot yesterday, so I know a regular sedan has no chance (probably why they swiped our spot, too lazy apparently to break out a shovel for themselves).