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Respect or ignore Boston’s space savers? Here’s what readers say.
After last weekend’s storm, Boston.com readers weighed in on the city’s “dibs” tradition — from “you shoveled it, you earned it” to “it’s public parking.”
A cone, a chair, a random household item — in Boston, any one of these can turn into a “dibs” sign after a snowstorm. Space savers are one of the city’s most stubborn winter traditions, and one of the quickest ways to start an argument on a narrow street.
After the weekend’s storm, we asked Boston.com readers whether they feel space savers should be respected or ignored. Many said they’ll honor the effort after a major storm — especially when digging out can take hours.
As one reader put it: “I know the labor that goes into digging out a spot!”
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Others drew a harder line, arguing that it’s public parking, and no amount of shoveling gives anyone ownership of the street.
“You shoveled it out to get out, you do not own the street,” one reader wrote, adding that he’s had “plenty of fist fights” over the practice.
“It’s all PUBLIC parking,” another reader wrote, “Ask the City.”
A third group landed somewhere in the middle: respect them briefly, then it’s fair game.
“Yes, agree with it, but there should be a time limit,” one reader wrote.
At least one reader said their decision comes down to presentation: “The level of creativity and self expression used in selecting the item directly correlates to the level of likelihood of me respecting it.”
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According to the City of Boston, space savers are only allowed when the city declares a snow emergency. Once the emergency ends, residents have 48 hours to use a space saver — then it must be removed from the street.
Space savers are banned in the South End and Bay Village.
Of the nearly 200 readers who responded to our poll, 66% said yes, respect the tradition. Another 24% of readers said space savers should be ignored, while 10% said it depends.
Do you believe in Boston’s space saver tradition?
Yes, respect the tradition!
66%
No, ignore them.
24%
It depends.
10%
Ahead read a sampling of responses about respecting or ignoring Boston’s space savers tradition.
Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
Do you believe in Boston’s space saver tradition?
Yes, respect the tradition!
“Local tradition: If you put in the work to clear the spot, whether it be you doing the work yourself or getting help clearing the space – then the space is yours… for the rest of the week, at least!” — Jessen F., Hyde Park
“If you shovel out that spot and your car… IT’S YOUR SPOT… no one else… you did the work for it!!!” —’White Snow,’ Dorchester
“Until the city does a better job of carting away the snow and thereby freeing up spots for people to park, the amount of time, effort, and energy that goes into clearing this much snow must be respected.” — Catherine S., Roslindale
“The level of creativity and self expression used in selecting the item directly correlates to the level of likelihood of me respecting it.” — A Boston.com reader
“Are we going to do this every snow storm? Former Mayor Walsh even acknowledged that spot savers are fair game. Respect the saver!!” — Andrew, Brighton
“In Southie the space saver is a time honored code that is now a genetically ingrained ethos.” — Alicia, Dorchester
“If it takes hours to shovel a space you should have some ownership of it, but maybe allow healthcare workers delivery people to share it if you are away all day.” — A Boston.com reader
No, ignore them.
“So a spot on a public street should sit empty for maybe 10-12 hours per day so that someone can use it at night? If there wasn’t snow all around, how would that make sense? I get it, shoveling out a car stinks and takes a lot of time and effort. But if everyone shovels out, then you can get any of those spots.” — A Boston.com reader
“You shoveled it out to get out, you do not own the street. I had plenty of fist fights over this practice. Inner city streets should be for the residents only. With resident parking only there would be plenty of spots for parking. It’s tough owning a car living in the city. But let’s face it, the only reason that you cleared the spot was to have access to your car. It’s not like you own it. Yea, plenty of fist fights.” — Robert L., Saugus
“All’s fair in the game.” — John M., Brighton
“One time after a big storm, I spent hours digging out my car. When I finished, I made a quick dash to a convenience store for milk and returned to see someone had put a “space saver” in the spot that I had spent hours clearing. Often people put space savers in spots before the storm hits. Space savers shouldn’t be a season long entitlement.” — John, Brighton
“Its all PUBLIC parking! Ask the City.” —A Boston.com reader
It depends.
“After a big storm like the one on Sunday, it can take hours to shovel out a vehicle. I don’t live in Southie, but I think if I expended that much time and effort to clear a space, I should be entitled to it. For smaller storms like the one last weekend, it’s fair game.” — Janet, Salem
“Yes, agree it with it, but there should be a time limit. Like 3-5 days after the storm, depending on how much snow fell.” —A Boston.com reader
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