# Do you have to park in the exact space you shoveled? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678 "2003-02-22T00:37:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/1 "2003-02-22T00:37:19Z")
I live in an apt. complex. I, like everyone else, busted my ass shoveling out my car when it last snowed. Is it OK for me to just take one of the open spots _near_ the spot I shoveled? ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/2 "2003-02-22T01:38:18Z")
Depends. Who shoveled the space you’re trying to park in, and would they have a problem with having to park in the space you busted your ass shoveling? What’s the big deal with parking in the space you shoveled? Personally, I would stay in the place I shoveled. Take pride in your work. Or discuss switching places with the person who typically parks where you want to park. Best of luck ---
**Author:** ![Pammipoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pammipoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pammipoo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/3 "2003-02-22T09:03:37Z")
In my neighborhood, soon after the shoveling process began, people startied “holding” thier space…lawn chairs, boxes, garbage cans, etc. It’s really annoying, because I was one of the good people who moved their car OFF the street before the snow came. So I go to park again, and now there’s no spaces. The snow is melting, but of course the blocades are still in place. Course, seeing as we don’t have assigned spaces or anything I suppose I’m in my right to move a chair and park there anyways, but I’m afraid of the revenge factor… ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/4 "2003-02-22T11:04:38Z")
You know what? It almost reached 70 today in California. _dons a pair of shorts and goes for a jog_ ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/5 "2003-02-22T11:18:39Z")
That’s funny. Today’s high in Boston was 54F. I saw many people jogging in shorts. It’s enough to make me sick. It’s supposed to be February! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sivalensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Sivalensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sivalensis)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/6 "2003-02-22T18:46:26Z")
Pammipoo, I realize that you’re frustrated with the fact that there are no parking spaces now to use…but if I were there, I sure as hell would not want to spend however many hours shovelling out a space only to have it gobbled up in under a minute. I spent the time shovelling it out, so at least for a couple days, I should get the right to it. Maybe I just feel that way because I grew up in Boston (I’ve heard it announced on NPR that that’s a Boston trait). Where did you park during the storm and why can’t you park there now? ---
**Author:** ![Sivalensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Sivalensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sivalensis)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/7 "2003-02-22T18:48:21Z")
To the OP, the thing is, the person who shovelled that spot isn’t going to know which spot you shovelled out, they might assume that you’re a freeloader who never shovelled anything, and they might get really miffed, not knowing which spot you shovelled so they can take it. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/8 "2003-02-23T02:23:47Z")
Well, I can report that in my fairly urban nieghborhood outside of NYC, when I first pulled my car out of the (not assigned) spot it was in during the storm, someone pulled into the spot right away. I did not think that strange or rude. ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/9 "2003-02-23T14:16:35Z")
> [@](#): > > (I’ve heard it announced on NPR that that’s a Boston trait). Nah, it’s standard practice in Baltimore too. In fact, I remember a few years back when some guy got pissed his chairs got moved and his space was stolen, and hosed down the car until it had about 2 inches of ice encasing it. Which is better than the guy who shot the space thief. ☹ When you have a city that consists almost entirely of rowhouses with curbside parking and no driveways, these things are bound to become a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Ave\_Minerva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@Ave\_Minerva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ave_Minerva)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/10 "2003-02-23T16:25:31Z")
The police in Philly have been handing out $100 tickets for holding spaces with chairs, etc. There have been some serious fights in the past over saved parking spaces and I guess the cops are trying to get people to stop thinking of a parking spot they shoveled on a public street as “theirs”. ---
**Author:** ![Pammipoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pammipoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pammipoo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/11 "2003-02-23T17:33:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sivalensis \* > \*\*Pammipoo, I realize that you’re frustrated with the fact that there are no parking spaces now to use…but if I were there, I sure as hell would not want to spend however many hours shovelling out a space only to have it gobbled up in under a minute. I spent the time shovelling it out, so at least for a couple days, I should get the right to it. Maybe I just feel that way because I grew up in Boston (I’ve heard it announced on NPR that that’s a Boston trait). > > Where did you park during the storm and why can’t you park there now? \*\* A day or two I can understand. However, it’s been almost a week now, and loking out the window, I can see at least 7 chairs in place. The snow has melted down considerably, it’s not really all that hard to find an available space. Well, it probably wouldn’t be anyways. I parked about 4 blocks away, in a shopping center parking lot. I’m not even sure I could park there everyday if I wanted to. But I shouldn’t have to park almost a mile away from my house… ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/12 "2003-02-23T20:03:02Z")
There has also been a [Pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=164075) devoted to this issue. While i’m sympathetic to someone who’s spent half an hour or more digging the car out, a public road is just that, a public road. And i certainly agree with **Pammipoo** regarding the ridiculous amount of time some people expect to hold their spots. If i can be permitted to quote my own (Friday) post from the Pit thread: > [@](#): > > OK, this is getting a little ridiculous… > > All the spots on my block have now been opened up. There is still plenty of snow around, and some of it is still partially blocking the kerbside lane. But there are enough gaps in the snow barrier that every parking spot can be entered and exited. Essentially, even though you might have to manoeuvre tightly around a snowbank, our block has now returned to having its usual number of free parking spaces. > > Yet, the guy across the street is still using a garbage bin to guard the space he shovelled out on Monday afternoon. Dude, that’s FOUR FUCKING DAYS ago. It’s not your spot permanently, you pinhead. I was quite happy to see that there is a car parked in the spot that does not belong to the “owner” of the spot, and the garbage bin has been moved aside. ---
**Author:** ![ghandi5569](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@ghandi5569](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ghandi5569)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-park-in-the-exact-space-you-shoveled/156678/13 "2003-02-23T20:40:11Z")
Yes. You must park in the spot that you shoveled. Until all of the parking spaces are cleared to the point where they are parkable, you must park in the spot where you shoveled. However, it is unacceptable to hold your spot with lawn chairs or other junk. If you put a freaking chair in your space, I’m going to park in the street, get out of my car and sit in your chair til you move it. It is also unacceptable in metered parking to park between meters, thus taking up two spaces. It WILL result in your car getting keyed and dented, plus getting a very nasty note on your windshield. Plus a call to the meter nazi to ticket your car for both meters. _evil grin_