Reserved parking

I am truly becoming a local. This is a quirk that even locals are annoyed by, but I couldn’t care less. I guess because I don’t drive, but still I think it is great.

Anyway, when it snows in Philadelphia (and Upper Darby) you have the right to reserve your parking space for a period of time by placing a household item in the spot. I think this is the idea that you did the hard work of shoveling a spot and now you get to keep that spot. There is a debate as to how long you get to reserve the spot. In Upper Darby it seems to be until the snow melts, though in other areas different rules apply.

The think that interests me about it the most are the items used to reserve the spot. I think kitchen chairs are a standard. Construction cones are also quite popular if you have them available. There is a fine line because you want something substantial enough where people don’t just think it is trash, but expendable enough where you don’t mind if someone steals it. It should also be able to put up with the elements. Some of the items that I’ve seen on my walk home include doors on folding chairs (just to be sure it takes up the full spot I guess), giant tubs that used to have electrosol dish washing detergent (this seemed a little chintzy to me, but it seems to work for them),and indoor garbage cans (though not outdoor garbage cans, though I can’t imagine why).

There is a great blog where people are heavily debating this topic. Does this happen in your town? Please comment.