Walsh addresses winter preparation at DPW salt and equipment area off I-93.
Mayor Walsh said this morning it's steady as it goes for the city's informal rule that lets residents save parking spaces they've shoveled out after the end of a snowstorm serious enough to require declaration of an emergency declaration.
The one exception is the South End, where the city will continue to ban all space saving all the time, Walsh said at his annual pre-winter preparation news conference at the DPW facility off I-93 in the South End.
Jerome Smith, the city's chief of civic engagement, asked residents to shovel out hydrants after a storm.
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Comments
How do you know the car
By anon
Fri, 12/01/2017 - 6:46pm
How do you know the car currently occupying the spot is owned by the person why dumped snow on the sidewalk?
Um
By Waquiot
Fri, 12/01/2017 - 10:40pm
Are you positing that someone took shovelfuls of snow, walked all the way to the sidewalk in front of my house, then dumped it there, just so it would look like the people whose cars are parked in front of the house shoveled the snow onto the sidewalk?
Oh, and I shovel the sidewalk next to my property on one side and the driveway cut to the street is on the other side.
Here's some BOS311 reports for my bus stop
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 5:02pm
https://311.boston.gov/reports/101002012019
https://311.boston.gov/reports/101002014273
https://311.boston.gov/reports/101002013831
https://311.boston.gov/reports/H194025-101001306836
https://311.boston.gov/reports/H194025-101001306836
https://311.boston.gov/reports/H190475-101001288520
And would you look at that, crystal clear roads for the motorists, ice and snow mounds for the plebs!
Mostly examples of city-owned property but not sure how I can cite the people who throw snow on the sidewalks? Also judging by how the sidewalks are never narrow enough to pass, either fines are laughably low or theres not enough enforcement. Either way, the city coddles motorists and tells everyone else to go screw.
I totally agree w/ the
By Lmo
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 5:05pm
I totally agree w/ the beginning of your comment, they city does a s*** job of removing snow. I was referencing the second part re: clearing a spot and throwing snow onto sidewalk.
Same difference
By anon
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 2:38pm
As the Hubway bike stands all over the streets AND sidewalks of Boston. Same as the spots saved on city streets and municipal parking lots for Zipcars so all you big mouths shut your face.
Oooh
By anon
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 3:40pm
An internet tough guy ... and Mommy just ran out of hot pockets!
If you want to pay what zipcar pays
By anon
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 3:44pm
You can have your own spot.
Yes, Zipcar pays.
Hubway is owned by the City.
By izzy
Fri, 12/01/2017 - 12:43am
Hubway is owned by the City. Public transportation option using space on public lands.
No, it's not
By adamg
Fri, 12/01/2017 - 7:48am
It's a private company that the city pays a fee to because of the value of getting people out of cars and exercising, supporting tourism, etc.
boo space savers
By Stacey
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 1:33am
As shown by the number of comments on this article I'm not the only one with strong feelings on this. So here's my 2 cents to be ignored or maligned to your liking, and here we go shouting into the void.
Space savers are incredibly stupid. You don't own the road or the spot you park in. Most snow storms I clear out 2-3 extra spaces over the course of the melt. During the storm I clear out my car and if I have the energy left I clear the handicap space at the end of my street.
When I leave for work my spot becomes available to anyone with a resident parking permit. When I get home if the only spot I can find (or just the one closest to my front door) has a saver in it I'll take the saver. You left the trash in the street, I'm just helping pickup the trash (got some nice camping chairs a couple years back)
At least around me, people with larger vehicles (SUVs and what not) tend not to actually clear the spot they're in if it's anything under 2 feet of snow. More often than not I end up having to shovel out at least 1 if not 3 of those each storm just to park on my block. (My car is small, and it was at least in part selected because it's easier to shovel out)
Do your part, help your neighbor, and if you can't shovel that scrap of pavement, ask for help, or pay someone.
It's not an accident
By Stevil
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 4:31pm
Space savers are not permitted in the South End and nobody does that in Back Bay/Beacon Hill (at least that I've ever seen).
You're right - this is a stupid tradition and to Bob's point below - completely illegal.
It's ironic how a little bit
By cden4
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 2:52pm
It's ironic how a little bit of shoveling brings out all the snowflakes. "But I had to shovel it myself! It's my spot now! WAHH!"
Walsh is flat-out refusing to enforce the law
By Bob Leponge
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 3:35pm
In 2014 the City Council passed an ordinance that states:
There's nothing ambiguous about this: space savers are illegal.
I understand that under our city charter, the city council is close to meaningless and the mayor is all-powerful, but, still, this is a blatant case of "Who cares if it's the law; I'm not going to enforce it."
http://www.universalhub.com/files/haystack-report.pdf
Ever heard of legislative history?
By Waquiot
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 5:10pm
The ordinance has nothing to do with this.
But hey, good luck suing the City about this.
Ever hear of textualism?
By Bob Leponge
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 6:06pm
How about we have enough respect for the law to believe that those who wrote it and voted for it meant it to say what it says?
Under what theory does an ordinance that explicitly bans the reserving of parking spaces, not actually ban the reserving of parking spaces?
File a lawsuit, then
By Waquiot
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 6:30pm
If you think that a jury of Suffolk County residents (who support this, don't forget) or an appellate judge will buy your claim that an ordinance passed expressly to deal with parking apps applies to this policy, do it. It'll make for good reading in the papers. Otherwise, just admit that original intent has a meaning in the law.
Expressly?
By Bob Leponge
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 10:33pm
Parking apps may have initially surfaced the need for an ordinance, but the ordinance is much broader: If the city council had wanted to limit it to apps, or to commercial services, they would have done so; instead they chose to pass a general ban on the reserving of parking spaces, which of course includes the apps, cones placed by valets outside of the designated valet dropoff zone, and personal space-savers. Give them some credit for their legislative drafting abilities.
And, by the way, this type of case is usually decided by judges rather than by juries, and judges tend to have a position on legislative intent versus textualism.
Can't wait to see how things work out
By Waquiot
Fri, 12/01/2017 - 9:29am
But in the meantime Walsh will follow the precedent of Menino.
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