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Citizen complaint of the day: Hobbesian post-snow war for the parking spaces of Southie
By adamg on Sat, 01/06/2018 - 12:22am
At 9:28 p.m. on Friday, an outatowna in South Boston for the weekend to bar hop (OK, he or she actually said the purpose of the visit is to "bar hope," which works just as well) filed a 311 complaint about the locals:
This is ridiculous same $&@$ every year. So let me get this straight if ur spend 15 minutes to shovel out your car you own the spot. I'm here for the weekend Staying with friends to bar hope and I've been driving around 45 minutes looking for parking and I can't find any. This is so frustrating rrrrrrrrrr I'm gonna flip out.(end rant)
Naturally, one of the Southie residents who scan 311 reports on a Friday night would not let that stand:
Hey yuppie! No bars where you live? Better yet have your buddy's dad buy a nice big lot you people can park in,WELCOME TO SOBO BRO
Another local jumped into the fray:
We need 24/7 resident parking. There aren't enough places for residents to park and this neighborhood is filled with out of state license plates and cars without resident stickers every weekend starting Friday at 4 pm until late Sunday early morning. Bad enough we are prisoners in our homes after 5pm but now we can't even take our car on the weekends because there's nowhere to park it when we return! Enough is enough.
All that was after another South Boston resident complained about the outsiders:
I shoveled out my entire spot yesterday during the blizzard and left a cone and someone moved my marker and took my spot. It was also someone that did not have a South Boston resident parking permit parking in a resident only space!
Another South Boston resident waxed outrage about the city itself:
311 is a joke! They never towed ANY cars even though there was a parking ban. So now since the city didn't want to do their job the street was never plowed. Now you have ass holes parked 5 feet off the curb. Their cars are legit to the double yellow lines in the middle of the road. Am cars are parked on the opposite side as well. This is going to get real ugly when a fire truck has to pass by. 311 is legit dumbest app they have for our community considering all they do is reply with "case noted" SCREW YOUR CASE NOTED. Do your damn job and provide safety for our community. How do you expect the school buses to pass this come Monday when our children have to report to school. GET IT TOGETHER!
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Comments
I feel the locals' pain about parking in Old Southie.
As someone who usually gets home from work after 7pm, finding a resident parking spot in City Point was painful; snow and space-saver abuse in the winter made it unbearable. (I didn't so much notice the problem the complainer cites about lots of space being taken up by non-residents, but that was a few years ago.) I moved back to the South End, where street parking is still a chore, but at least the city doesn't allow space-savers.
I don't have a comforting answer for non-residents looking for easy street parking. The restaurants and bars in both neighborhoods seem to be doing fine without it. I advise friends who are visiting that trying to park on the street for a few hours, never mind a couple of days, is going to be difficult. If you're just coming to the neighborhood to dine or bar-hop, do what grownups do: look for places that valet or have nearby public lots/garages, or use public transportation and/or Lyft.
Less expense, less energies required for Carsharing!
Less expense, less energies required for Carsharing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carsharing
Ask the people of Houston
who didn't own cars and sponged off others to get around, what happend when they got hit by a hurricane. Those who promote the reliance of others for getting around and bad mouth car ownership are bigots. You only take cars away from the poor and those who barely afford car ownership. And yes, you are a bigot.
Nobody is taking a car away from anyone
We are just asking car owners to be responsible for their decision. As the population in boston rises, all the cars won't fit.
Really?
I work in emergency management.
The problem isn't that they could not evacuate - the problem was that people were told not to evacuate.
Notice how many cars underwater in all the pictures?
You are full of shit. People in PR and people in Florida had no problem evacuating with or without cars because they were prepared.
If you're bar hopping you
If you're bar hopping you shouldn't be driving. That's what Uber is for.
If you are bar hoping all weekend
Garage the car.
My sons went down to NYC and stayed in Brooklyn and ditched the car for the entire weekend in a cheap garage that they researched ahead of time. My husband and I did the same in Montreal. It isn't rocket science.
What is this bar hoping of which you all speak?
and is it the same for guys and girls?
Did you see the original post?
I don't really know.
Perhaps it is something along these lines, but involving public alcohol consumption?
Bar Hoping back in the day
Usually involved hoping the bar would be full of girls, at least one of which would show an interest in us.
When we got to the bar it was a bunch of drunk guys all wishin and hopin for the same thing.
Lasciate ogne speranza
voi ch'intrate
If you swap
the ‘e’ in ogne with the ‘i’ in intrate you’ll have it right- Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch’entrate
At a bare minimum
.... it involved hoping Larry ("the stache") was on duty behind the bar, 'coz he hated his boss and thought that pouring triples was a good way to eat into the boss's profits.
Brooklyn has cheap garages.
Brooklyn has cheap garages. Most of Southie doesn't have any garages or off-street lots for any price.
Brooklyn also has several 24-hour subway lines, and a 24-hour bus line within walking distance of every residential property. And street parking is available to anyone, regardless of residence.
Southie is in serious need of
Southie is in serious need of parking lots.
Modest proposal
Hunger Games style televised lottery to see which homes are seized by eminent domain in order to razed and replaced by parking lots.
South Boston has plenty of parking
Nobody is entitled to parking unless they own or rent a parking space. you can rent a 24/7 space for $275 a month. And if you just visit the bars in Southie, you can get an evening weekend space for $125 a month. I left my car at the Braintree Mbta garage for the weekend for $16 once for a trip to DC.
True
But I would also point out Residential parking in the neighborhood is only from 6PM to 10AM.
That seems to be parking enforcement's down hours, so it's easy to skate by without getting ticketed. Moreover it's working hours, and with Fort Point and the Seaport booming, more and more commuters are figuring out this loophole to skip $20-30 daily charges at garages in those areas. Add the weekend bro floaters and it's getting bad.
Solution? Simply change it to 24hr resident parking like other neighborhoods in the city. There's still plenty of visitors parking for legitimate business.
They'll enforce at night
I'm too lazy to find the link, but not too long ago we were talking about resident parking enforcement over by Symphony Hall. The Fenway and Back Bay gets enforcement, and I have to admit that I once got ticketed in Cambridge for parking in resident parking while watching a band play at the Middle East (and yes, this was a long time ago, so I'm not even sure the Middle East is still around.)
Correction
Ticketing in the Fenway is risible. Your chances of getting ticketed are almost nil.
Good to know
I know they're pretty good to make round 5-6am to catch cars before people get up.
Also forgot to mention it's free, non-resident parking through out South Boston every weekend, which also seem crazy when you compare density statistics with other areas of the city.
Maybe not at 5 AM
But the CPD ticketed me at midnight, which would be a good time to catch people. And yes, it was the cops, and it was freezing cold, and the ticket was on the windshield on the side of my car closest to the street, meaning the cop wrote the ticket from his cruiser. Fenway enforcement is probably at 8 PM, which is when events at the park or Symphony Hall would be going on.
But I shall not comment on South Boston parking, as I don't live there and haven't really visited there in the past 5 years.
Resident Parking
..should be 24/7/365.
That would go a long way in helping the parking problem. 20-something bros that got priced out of Southie come here from Thursday to Sunday to ruin the neighborhood. They take up spots and piss and puke everywhere.
We could get together and work with city hall but there will be the usually 10 grumpy old townies that would oppose this because they want their niece to have a parking spot when she visits from the burbs...
Hopefully this snow stays until the Saint Phony Irish Day Parade in March!!
Lots?
Garages.
garages are eyesores
and cars ruin neighborhoods. we don't need to encourage anymore driving.
The parking problem can be solved in a few easy steps:
1. Improve Public Trans so people don't rely on driving. run the buses more frequently (esp. on the weekends) and have bus only lanes. it shouldn't take 30 minutes to go 4 miles.
2. Bike only lanes. many people don't bike because it is not safe. this will get them out of their cars and off the buses and subway.
3. 24/7/365 resident parking - hundreds of spots get taken up by non-residents.
4. Charge people for a resident parking permit. Obviously people will think twice about bringing a car here if they have to pay more. With the implementation of the first 3 steps, their decision will lean towards 'no car'.
5. Cancel the Saint Phony Irish Day Parade - (ok, this is just a nice to have).
With these 4 steps parking would improve drastically. Of the 35,000 residents in South Boston (and growing by the day) the majority of people would be in favor of this plan.
Pushing Snow
Doesn't help the city mainly just pushed snow around in Southie, instead of removing it. Get off Broadway, and a lot of streets are down to one passable lane because they weren't properly plowed and snow was just shifted around. If at all.
I'll say it again. It's ludicrous that a city as far north as Boston doesn't have a real snow removal plan. Especially with this cities tax base and the economic wealth we produce.
When a snow emergency goes into effect we could institute even side parking bans and clear / remove to the curb. When it ends the odd side has a ban for the next 48 to clear. Issue resolved.
You're singing my song
I've said the same thing about the odd/even snow removal for years. Once snow is removed no savers allowed.
The odd/even parking ban hasn
The odd/even parking ban hasn't been used since like 2005. Even in 2014-2015, the mayor opted to not use it. If there was ever a time to use it, it was 2015.
Walsh is also dragging his feet on this resident parking free vs. non-free question. The Globe runs a story about it every couple years, and it sounds like something is going to happen, then nothing happens. Parking gets scarcer and more valuable every year, and the city still hands out resident parking permits like candy.
Broadway literally marked no parking for snow removal right now
Give the plow drivers a break...literally. They work 24-36 hours straight. Same guys do hauling. Try doing a great job after you've worked that many hours. Sure, it could be better, but it could be a lot worse too.
"Removing" snow is like
"Removing" snow is like
hoping
They're trying to park before they've been at bars all night.
Parking Wars!
Southie has survived Gang Wars,Parade Wars, School Busing Wars. Parking wars between Southie residents and out of towners could be the tipping point in the old town.
They don't ticket for
They don't ticket for resident parking at night? The police cruisers have license plate scanners. They can just scan plates as the drive by, know who's nonresident, and print money for the city on the go.
Police don't ticket or tow*
*Except in circumstances that are urgent or due to public safety. Personally I'm fine with them not wasting time better spent elsewhere.
Boston Transportation Department is the one enforcing non-moving violations. And they don't nearly have enough people to keep up with the number, while still bringing in millions and millions of revenue to the city coffers.
1) easy solution 2) topic complaint
1) take a damn Uber, out-of-towner. Then you don't have to worry about where to park, and you're not drinking and driving. Two problems solved.
Also,
2) I am disappointed that a topic referring to Hobbes after a snowstorm, was not about Calvin & Hobbes, who made some kickass Snow Art in that comic strip.
Perhaps
the out of towner drove their car in from out of town.
Their rant is incoherent, but I do feel their pain. People who live in the city are entitled to have visitors, and sometimes those visitors live places where a car is the most convenient means of transportation into the city. People should not have to stay in the town where they live, simply because transportation options are limited. That's ridiculous.
THERE IS A 48 HOUR SPACE
THERE IS A 48 HOUR SPACE SAVER RULE STILL IN PLACE UNTIL SUNDAY, FYI SO YOU ARE STILL ALLOWED TO SAVE YOUR PARKING SPACE IF YOU SHOVELED IT OUT AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO. A LOT OF THE TIME PEOPLE LIKE TO WAIT UNTIL THEY SEE SOMEONE SHOVEL OUT A SPACE, LEAVE FOR THE DAY AND THEN THEY TAKE IT WHICH IS UNFAIR. SHOVELING IS HARD WORK ESPECIALLY IF YOUR NOT USED TO DOING THAT KIND OF LABOR. IT TAKES TIME AND I FOR ONE DO NOT LOOK FORWARD TO SHOVELING OUT ANOTHER PARKING SPACE BECAUSE SOME IGNORANT PRICK TOOK MINE. PARKING IN SOUTHIE IS HARD ENOUGH ALREADY ESPECIALLY NOW WITH ALL THIS SNOW. AND BEING THAT IT IS THE WEEKEND YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF THIS GOING ON.
I saw this and thought
Wow, that's what the writers at the National Weather Service do when they are not at work.
Much like The Onion, Uhub satire predicts reality
http://www.universalhub.com/comment/209110#comment-209110
They seem like opposites
But then again, opposites attract.
There is no "rule"
The law is: no space savers.
The fact that Walsh defiantly states that he won't enforce the law for 48 hours after a snow storm, doesn't actually mean that there is any such "rule".
As for the people who "take" the shoveled out space -- doesn't the fact that they are driving around sort of imply that they shoveled out the space they had been parked in?
Careful, Bob
That kind of logical thinking, coupled with properly-punctuated sentences, is going to get you branded an outsider in Southie. And as we all know, you’re not allowed to have an opinion about Southie issues unless you’ve lived there since the Coolidge administration.
Not Necessarily
It's possible they brought their car home from having kept it in one of the listed garages used during snow emergency status. These garages offer lower parking rates during the parking bans in a deal set up with the City.
After a storm like this, you
After a storm like this, you’re never going to “find” a parking spot. You’d have to shovel out a spot, did she forget her shovel at home?
How could you shovel out a spot?
What people who don't live in town don't seem to get: There are no spots available to shovel out. The night of the storm, every single space has a car in it, just as it does every other night of the year. You can't have your own space "just by shoveling".
Every single spot does not
Every single spot does not have a car in it. I’ve seen plenty of snow filled spots that are just waiting to be shoveled.
Again I will note
That in Bob's part of town, what he says is true. In almost all other parts of town, what you say is true. My goal is to convince Bob that Dorchester and Beacon Hill have different transportation issues, including parking.
Many neighbors that actually
Many neighbors that actually cared would feel awkward about taking a spot within a day of someone who spent a lot of time shoveling snow.
Another excuse to be enraged?
So much gruff over dealing with hulks of metal, glass and plastic that serve the sole purpose of getting from point A to point B. Sort of thing that makes me think living in Southie requires having some reason to be angry.
Has there ever been an era when Southie residents were not up in arms over one thing or another? Is potable water flowing into Southie laced with a drug that increases anxiety, makes people quicker to anger and rage?
Hey, the angry out-of-Towner
Hey, the angry out-of-Towner started it, the Southie residents reacted.
Ah, this attempt at charm
Ah, this attempt at charm must be an effort to bolster the flail to become a world class city.
Sounds all the same to me
In each case, this is all about people who bring a car into an area where parking is scarce and then demand that the city provide a place to put it.
It’s actually the case in
It’s actually the case in most towns but it’s just not blown out of proportion and written about as much. I have family and friends all over and they deal with similar stuff. Some towns are just not as congested as Southie so probably not as stressful because people have space.
The sole purpose
Ah yes, the sole purpose of cars - you've finally decoded it! Seems pretty much like that's also the 'sole purpose' of buses and trains?
What about art cars? they have two purposes?
no people more entitled
...than car drivers in the city. Residents and visitors have pretty much the same crappy attitude.
It's a city, space is limited, unless you buy it, you're not owed it. There are reasons cities have public transit, livery, and walking corridors called sidewalks.
Carsharing organizations.
Carsharing organizations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_carsharing_organizations
Zipcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipcar
Zimride https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimride
UZURV https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UZURV
Uhaul Car Share https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhaul_Car_Share
Turo (car rental) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turo_(car_rental)
RideCell https://www.google.com/search?q=RideCell
Maven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maven_(car_sharing)
JustShareIt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JustShareIt
Gett https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gett
Fasten https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasten_(company)
Enterprise CarShare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Holdings#Enterprise_CarShare
DriveNow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DriveNow
Poetic 311
https://311.boston.gov/reports/101002305600
With a Southie reference!
This post with all its 311
This post with all its 311 complaints achieves a rare feat in making us feel contempt both for the clueless outatowna and the insane entitlement of the responding residents.