How do you really feel about the parking chair? (Pittsburgh: homes, legal)

[TylerJAX]

The chair is only valid a day or two after a major storm imo. It has it's shortcomings as only polite people will respect the fact that you have spent an hour or two digging out your car. Make sure you lay some caltrops for the jerks. Before you accuse me of being a jerk for suggesting this, you have nothing to worry about if you aren't a jerk.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by shadowfax

Meh.

If I see a chair I respect the chair. I don't personally use a parking chair but then I have off street parking so not really necessary.

It is part of the culture of Pittsburgh. If you don't like the culture, don't live here. Or at least have some respect even if you do think it's silly.

and will not respect a culture that grants private citizens de facto property rights over public property. Not all cultural norms are legal or respectable. I've lived in neighborhoods where littering was socially acceptable too, doesn't mean I have to respect it or leave.

[PghYinzer]

Feelings about this issue divide pretty evenly between those who are jagoffs and those who are not. I will let each person decide if the jagoff is the one who uses the chair, or moves the chair.

[toosie]

In Pittsburgh I find it to be excessive but also endearingly identifiable as a somewhat acceptable Pittsburgh thing to do. It will irk me to see it in good weather but I'm fine with it after a big snow. I'm also fine with people moving them - you take your chances. Personally, I've never moved nor placed a parking chair in Pittsburgh.

After this weekend's snow in Virginia and digging out our cars and part of the common parking lot at our complex - ya, between the two of us we have one chair and are respecting others. Chances are we'll take it in tomorrow.

[erieguy]

Doesn't everyone have to dig out? So everyone puts a chair out?

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I currently have off-street parking, but I have routinely moved/destroyed parking placeholders in Pittsburgh, Boston and Chicago.

Originally Posted by gg

Back in the day, I have run over the chair now and again.

Bless your hearts.

[lprmesia]

I have one neighbor that does it year round, I don't mind at all. He's owned his house for 30+ years, we live close to 2 funeral homes (so spots get taken up frequently), and it's not a permit area (which I prefer because I like to have company). For all I care, it's his spot. It's been his spot since before most of the rest of us moved in. To me, it's not a big deal.

[PghYinzer]

I feel like when I moved here 13 years ago, and lived in Shadyside, it was completely acceptable to cross traffic to park. I almost feel like people took it as being something that was a completely legal thing to do. My neighbor does it daily, however outside of that I don’t see it very often anymore. Yet another Pgh quirk that has passed.

[toosie]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

I feel like when I moved here 13 years ago, and lived in Shadyside, it was completely acceptable to cross traffic to park. I almost feel like people took it as being something that was a completely legal thing to do. My neighbor does it daily, however outside of that I don’t see it very often anymore. Yet another Pgh quirk that has passed.

You mean doing a u-turn in order to park? Totally do that.

[SteelCityRising]

I find it so irksome because as a delivery driver I just need to park for 30-60 seconds at a time and then be on my merry way, yet if I dare take someone's "spot" or move a chair there's hell to pay. I will never forget the shouting match on the South Side when I dared park in someone's personal on-street parking space as he came around the corner in his pick-up truck 10 seconds later. He stopped his truck in the middle of the street (it was Larkins Way or Edwards Way---don't remember which), got out, and stared me down as I crossed the street to make my delivery to his neighbor. I asked if I could help him with anything from her front sidewalk, and he said I was in "his" spot. I asked where his name was on the spot, and he said "You gettin' smart with me, boy?" Words continued to be exchanged as I handed my customer her food.

Sorry, PGHYinzer, but there's a difference between being a good-natured down-to-earth blue-collar yinzer and being uneducated condescending white-trash, and I've found the latter to be the types who want to throw-down over "their" on-street parking spaces for no reason other than to be insufferable. Those types of people can't be gentrified out of this city quickly enough for my tastes.