Pittsburgh Chairs (Ambridge, Beaver, Clark: house, neighborhoods, to buy)

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

By the way, here is a random thread on this topic I googled up:

Saving Parking Spots with Furniture | Apartment Therapy Chicago

It is apparently a fairly common practice, with people reporting it from a lot of different cities (Chicago, Boston, Philly, New Jersey, and on and on). One poster claimed the practice was already informally in effect in Boston, so they instituted the 48-hour rule to put a time limit on it.

Anyway, lots of debate back and forth in that thread, which we are pretty much just repeating here.

I found a link about the Boston situation. I'm not debating whether it happens or not, but here's the question I asked on the other forums.

"So does this happen in (insert major city name)? If so, do residents respect this?"

And here's the type of answers I'm getting from the biggest city of them all

//www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...y-streets.html

THAT'S what I'm talking about.

[hnsq]

Saving parking spots on the street is an a*shole thing to do. Finding parking is one thing you have to deal with if you don't have your own space. I have street parking and never save a space. Everytime I walk by a space with a chair in it I move the chair out of the space. If you are too lazy to walk a little bit if you can't have your perfect space then you have real problems. I am not going to drive around the block for 30 minutes when there is an open space right there.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by hnsq

Saving parking spots on the street is an a*shole thing to do. Finding parking is one thing you have to deal with if you don't have your own space. I have street parking and never save a space. Everytime I walk by a space with a chair in it I move the chair out of the space. If you are too lazy to walk a little bit if you can't have your perfect space then you have real problems. I am not going to drive around the block for 30 minutes when there is an open space right there.

That's what I'm talking about!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

I found a link about the Boston situation. I'm not debating whether it happens or not, but here's the question I asked on the other forums.

"So does this happen in (insert major city name)? If so, do residents respect this?"

And here's the type of answers I'm getting from the biggest city of them all

//www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...y-streets.html

THAT'S what I'm talking about.

That's not what you were talking about when you started out. You clearly stated that it doesn't happen anywhere but Pittsburgh.

btw, nobody should be surprised with how things are in NYC. That's like comparing apples and oranges.

It's not like someone saving a space in front of their individual house. There might be 50 families living in front of one parking space in NYC.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

I spent 4 hours digging my fiance's car out after some other thoughtless nut buried it with his driveway snow. I'll be damned if someone else will be able to take that spot. We have many lazy people on our street who would rather poach a spot than shovel out their own driveway and park there.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

"So does this happen in (insert major city name)? If so, do residents respect this?"

So that thread I linked contains a lot of discussion. I think it is pretty clear at least a decent number of people respect this practice where it is common, and some report vigilante enforcement of the practice with the keying of cars and the like (which I don't condone, by the way).

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by hnsq

Saving parking spots on the street is an a*shole thing to do. Finding parking is one thing you have to deal with if you don't have your own space. I have street parking and never save a space. Everytime I walk by a space with a chair in it I move the chair out of the space. If you are too lazy to walk a little bit if you can't have your perfect space then you have real problems. I am not going to drive around the block for 30 minutes when there is an open space right there.

During a snow storm, I don't think anyone should need to save a parking space. People should just honor that someone else dug it out.

I think this is more of a problem in areas where there are more rental units.

People aren't as respectful of their neigbhors because they don't have a long term committment to getting along with them.

In neighborhoods were most houses are occupied by homeowners, residents are more respectful of where they park their cars.

[BrianTH]

Incidentally, as the discussion flies back and forth, it is really seeming to me like Boston has the right idea. I don't think this practice should generally be allowed, but I do think it makes sense for something like 48 hours after a major snow emergency.

[AaronPGH]

I'm going to preface this by saying I am not from Pittsburgh. I am a transplant.

When the streets are clear of snow completely:
No....parking chairs are ridiculous.

When there are 20+ inches of snow on the ground and you spent hours digging your spot out:
Go for it. Put that chair out there. You earned it.

[BrianTH]

Incidentally, it doesn't make sense for something like this to be a common practice somewhere if it doesn't generally work. So when people report it being a common practice somewhere, I think that is pretty good prima facie evidence that other people in that area tend to respect it (maybe not always, but enough to give people an incentive to do it).