Walsh signals no change in space-saver policy

Older or disabled people on a fixed income who can't afford someone to dig out their car, maybe?

I thought we were done with that shit when Menino retired.

Really?

I shoveled out three spaces today. The first two took over an hour (they were together) and the last one took close to two hours. First every shovel full had to be carried about 20 feet and second the spot was loaded with snow from plowing and people dumping snow from other places into it. Certainly more than half the spot was over 3 feet deep when I started. The spot where I dumped the snow had snow up to about 5 1/2 feet.

Given what I see out my window most people spent about 15 minutes. Most people don't give a shit and just throw the snow back out onto the street or sidewalk until there is just enough space for their car to inch in or out.

Maybe the 10 hours includes finding something to put in the spot and messing with whoever had the nerve of parking in "your" spot.

I shoveled three times today...10am, 4pm, and 10pm...on a small but heavily traveled street in Roslindale (I think we're an emergency artery because we were generally well plowed throughout the day). Two of the three times it was two of us doing it and it took us an hour each time. The people on my street and the surrounding streets were shoveling for about an hour as well. We're able-bodied, in our 20's and 30's. But we also made sure to not shovel in the street or screw any of our neighbors by shoveling in their directions. We were 2.5 ft from the car to the road with snow from the plows, and up to the top of the car, at 10am. Plus, I try to shovel as much of the front of the house as I can for my landlord who is busy with three young kids.

But maybe you're doing sarcasm wrong?

I spent 30 minutes shoveling yesterday before my back gave out. I tried tonight for 15 minutes until my back gave up again. I called a handy-man who had the rest done in 20 minutes. Keeping that dude on speed dial the rest of the Winter!

It was common in Southie & parts of Dot, not the whole city.

He's just pandering to the old time townies who think its their god given right to use a space saver. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's see if his pandering works out for him in the next election, some how I doubt that.

I keep saying this but Marty is more and more the mouth piece for just about everything wrong in Boston (space savers, townies, unions, and more)

I disagree - myself having been born and raised to use space savers in C town since forever. Now I would not consider saving the space I shovelled out, because it is just another example of the entitled behavior that is widespread in our community and has really gotten out of control. I am trying to raise my kids so they don't take or do what they want, despite the sake of convenience.

The people who benefit from space-saving, or who perceive that they do, will vote for it. Others will be screwed. There's a reason why we don't let people vote on other people's rights.

Wait, so you didn't move the cone?

Tires and brakes.

That requires getting all the cars OFF the streets. You'd have to give advance notice (via signs), then go in with scoops and dumptrucks (slow job)...if you did every street in the city like that, you wouldn't be done until spring.

1) I don't believe the mayor is pandering to anyone. I think he grew up in the city and actually believes that people should be able to save spaces.

Why can't both be true?

2) I understand that this has been a movement on this site but many many Bostonians support saving spaces. They are not crazy or selfish or cave dwellers, they are just doing what they have been doing for 30 + years.

And when the reality on the ground changes such that your cherished 20 + years practice now infringes significantly on others, you are crazy or selfish or a cave dweller if you don't grow up, put on your big kid pants, and start sharing nicely.

3) Stop saying that this is a new practice, see #2.

An official city practice of enabling it is relatively new.

4) I don't believe that the mayor meant that it would literally take 10 hrs to shovel a parking space, clearly it does not. But it takes more than the 45-1hr some of you are stating. There's about 2 ft of snow out there. It takes awhile.

And yet we have people who actually timed themselves -- that's where those numbers come from. Are you calling them liars?

on Savin Hill Ave (in front of the mayor's house!), the "driving" portion of the street is plowed and the "parking" portion is completely unplowed. I'm pretty sure the entire point of the parking ban is that the parking area also gets plowed.

That would diminish over time, as retaliators started realizing they were vandalizing the cars of (to say nothing of committing violence against) innocent people who didn't recognize spaces as previously saved. The fact that it's a difficult problem doesn't mean we should concede it as hopeless from the get-go.

I also think there are other steps that need to be taken to relieve the pressure on resident spaces, maybe like limiting the number of permits per household. Tacitly condoning vigilante behavior because some neighborhoods are inured to it is an abjuration of the Mayor's responsibilities to the citizenry. I understand his political motivations, but I can't support them.