Snow & Space Savers

Starting this winter, (2014-2015) the South End is now a "space saver free" zone.

If the city receives significant amounts of snowfall, and you shovel out your car that is parked on the public street, you not be allowed to reserve that space by putting a household item in the spot to hold it until you return.

Some history

Saving the spot you have shoveled out has been a unique habit that used to be confined to South Boston.   A few years ago space savers made the news and caused a hubbub.  At that time the previous administration gave it's OK to space savers, saying they could only stay on the street for 48 hours after the snow storm.  (People were using space savers to save a spot all winter, even long after the snow was gone).  But with this formal announcement the sue of space savers proliferated throughout the city, form the South End to Alston to Hyde park.

Why now?

In general, the streets are public and they should be available to anyone at any time to park their car. But more than just the private taking of a public spot for private use, the space saver system itself is being abused.    People are using space saves without a snow storm.  (yes, we we got he half inch of snow that immediately melted, people has space savers out).  But on top of that is the violence.   People have had their cars vandalized when they parked in a spot that someone else thought they had saved.   Every year brings stories of fist fights, slashed tires and broken windshields.

Last year the South End Forum started a pilot program to discourage space savers.  (Winter had started already and the city didn't want to change policy mid season).    With the 2014 season about to start, and the new mayoral administration, the city agreed to have the South End be a space saver free zone.

Starting this year, South End residents are being discouraged from putting out space savers.   Anyone seeing a space saver can remove it, or call the city and they will remove it.  On trash days the city will automatically remove any space saver.

Hopefully this will not only be fairer for everyone, but prevent some of the violence seen elsewhere (someone has already had their tires slashed this year and we haven't even gotten any significant snowfall).

The new South End policy did make Channel 5 news tonight, as well as an article in the Globe this weekend (paywall).   We've also put some of the posters (as above) in a PDF that you can download and hand out if you wish.

And since we'll have out first measurable (non melting) snow on Tuesday, here is an older blog post covering sidewalk clearing after a snowfall.