Chair free Chicago? (Lincoln, Cambridge, Dorchester: buy, safety, parking)

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Drover

I'm pleased to say I haven't seen any chairs or old stoves or other placeholders in my neighborhood. I saw some in Bridgeport yesterday where the practice is notoriously revered, but not as much as I had anticipated and parking was still pretty easy.

It's way, way down this year. I consider that a sign of progress.

to Tony: I sympathize with the space saving practice only in that yes, some lazy people will never do their fair share. As with all such civic issues, it's easy to get frustrated. But as several people have commented, you can't extrapolate an entire moronic system with no defined rules out of that. Otherwise, yeah, do I get to hit you with a shovel if you walk down my shoveled sidewalk and you haven't shoveled yours? And when do the chairs/junk need to be removed? Over the years this practice has just gotten out of hand, it's time to just give it up already.

The streets are public, shoveling out your car is just part of living in a city with inclement weather. It doesn't take much time at all, and honestly, try helping one of your older neighbors shovel, you'll feel a lot better than you will about being a troll under a bridge trying to stop "them" from taking "your" space.

As for retaliation - people with $5 chairs from Tar-jay and boxes aren't really placing any serious obstacles. My guess is the threat of retaliation is proportional to what has been placed in the street - washing machine? I'd suggest not touching it (and yes, during the 78/79 blizzard Lake View was full of such appliance-sized items saving spots).

Best retaliation I ever personally saw was an old-timer icing down a car in front of his house during the blizzard. He spent an entire afternoon doing it, with the clear go-ahead from the cop who lived next door.

But after the satisfaction of that was gone, what was he really left with? A chunk of car-sized ice in front of his house guaranteeing he wouldn' be able to park there again until the weather warmed up. That's the bottom line IMO - this practice reduces on-street parking spaces as everyone shovels only enough for their car, and you end up with a half-car of wasted space between "spots".

One positive note Daley deserves is that some of this problem dates back to long-abandoned cars just wasting public space. At some point there was a drive (ha ha) to get those towed off the street & that definitely helped. There used to be cars that were basically just being stored on the street indefinitely.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

And when do the chairs/junk need to be removed?

Yesterday would have been the day. The snow will all be gone by New Years Day.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by tonythetuna

Yesterday would have been the day. The snow will all be gone by New Years Day.

And yet, straggler chairs and boxes are still out there as of this morning.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

And yet, straggler chairs and boxes are still out there as of this morning.

When this happens, I fully support Muppet123 or anyone else going out there tomorrow and cleaning house.

[tonythetuna]

Should be fun this week!

[Chi-town Native]

can't wait to see the idjits out there putting junk in the street while it's still snowing. ah, well. been a good year so far in my neck of the woods.

[monsar]

Last year my husband moved somebody's card board box and got his tires slashed. This was not a rough neighborhood, Old Irving Park. But really when talking about entitlement it's kind of a head off between those who put up chairs and those who move them. They are probably on equal heading.

[Attrill]

This week may possibly be the only time since '99 that I think anyone may be justified in saving a space, but after Saturday morning the space saving should come to an end.

[Drover]

I'm lucky enough to have my own built-in space saver: One of my cars is on the driveway, the other blocking the driveway.

I once had a bitchy neighbor threaten to call the cops on me for blocking my own driveway. Evidently it "wasn't fair" that I got to park there and nobody else did. It never occurred to her that by parking there I was freeing up another spot that she or someone else could be using instead of me. Ditz.

[tonythetuna]

I saw a spot already plotted out Monday afternoon with industrial strength big orange cones. Probably a city worker's house.