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Experiment in Allston: How long will shoveled spaces last?

Unshoveled space

Rory Nolan doesn't have a car, so doesn't need a parking space. Shortly after 5 p.m., he reported he cleared three spaces in the street:

Seeing how long it takes some1 to take or mark it. Let's go.

Around 7:30, he reported:

Going on 3 hours and it's still open. Difference between Allston and Southie.

In fact, a few minutes later, he updated:

Closing in on hour three and someone left a spot next to the ones I cleared. WE'RE UP TO 4 SPOTS!

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Comments

I hope someone who has had a long, hard day gets one of these nice spots! Way to go Rory! (PS: Do NOT try this in Southie, you will get smacked foshizlit!!)

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Creaps are Southie creaping again or is it OCD?

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would be proud.

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An Eagle Scout! What an incredible gesture from an awesome guy!

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Nice work! I've never understood why most people force us into this shortage of spots during and after snow storms. Seems simple: if you have a car, dig it out. If everyone followed this simple rule, there would be just as many spots available as there are on no-snow days. Common sense and neighbourly... Maybe we can call it Rory's Rule?

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Not quite. Snow emergencies mean people are parked in municipal lots and one entire side of streets are car free. If you are in a lot you dig out your car there and then try to park it on your street where someone is going to need to shovel spots on the empty side of the street.

Snow banks also turn stretches of curb that fit two cars into 1 car stretches. Spots are limited. No reason to be a dick about it but the "if we all just shovel 1 spot" story isn't correct.

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Hey Rory, you're good a shoveling. Sign up to be notified by email when an elderly or disabled neighbor in Allston Brighton or all Boston, Cambridge, Somerville neighborhoods - https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNEIGHBORS/subscriber/topics?qs...

Joseph

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Umm... There is a parking ban! Epic fail!!

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Only along major streets:
"During declared snow emergencies, parking is prohibited on major arteries and discounted parking is available at several parking lots and garages to cars with Boston resident parking stickers."

http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parkingmap.asp

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Aren't parking bans in residential areas this area only for one half of the street? That's what I was told by my friend who lives around there, but I could be wrong.

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Somerville does the park-on-one-side during snow emergencies, but Boston does not. In Boston, you cannot park on major arteries, but side streets are fair game either side. Not sure what other locals like Cambridge do off-hand.

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A few years back, Cambridge revamped their snow emergency rules.

It used to be no parking on both sides of major streets, and one side of smaller streets (unless one side already was no parking).

Now it's just major streets, and one side of a few particularly tricky narrow streets. And all such streets have snow emergency signs.

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bad experimental design & methodology.

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Sorry to rain on Rory's parade, but it looks like he shoveled the snow from those parking spots onto the sidewalk, and that's not cool.

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No good deed goes unpunished. Looks like there's still room to get by on the sidewalk. Where should he have put the snow?

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A fair question, but the answer is definitely not "on the sidewalk."

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The guy does a fine neighborly thing and all you can do is complain about a small part of the sidewalk having some snow on it?

How do you even know HE put that snow there? Maybe the person who shoveled the sidewalk put that there from shoveling the sidewalk? Man...

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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Clearing parking spaces for others is indeed a fine neighborly thing to do. But so is clearing the sidewalks. And I repeat: throwing snow from the street onto a cleared sidewalk when digging out a car or a parking space, without then clearing the sidewalk again, isn't at all neighborly. Doesn't matter if there's still a partial pathway left, it's not nice. (BTW, the law in Boston calls for the full width of the sidewalk, or at least a 42-inch wide path, to be cleared: http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/removal/snowremoval.asp)

Unfortunately, it's something I see happen all too often around my neighborhood. After the last storm I watched someone digging out their car and actually crossing the street to dump snow on another neighbor's clean sidewalk. There was certainly nothing neighborly about that move.

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hey Allstonian! After I shoveled the snow out of the road and onto the sidewalk, I moved it onto my yard and cleared the sidewalks.

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Thank you! That's the correct answer.

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Still don't see any problem with it being where it was, but glad everybody is happy.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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if he shovels the spot and then:

1. someone else comes along and puts a space saver, does it then invalidate the use of space savers?

2. someone else comes along and takes it, does it mean we need space savers?

3. nobody takes the spot out of respect for it being shoveled by someone, does it invalidate the need for space savers?

4. or, does it just prove we can all shovel the parking spots without leaving a space saver, and have a peaceful neighborhood?

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hopefully it's option 4.

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I'm writing up an opinion piece on space savers. I'm trying to give a balanced view, so would appreciate quotes from one or two who are utterly opposed to their usage. If you are willing to give actual name and address, and a contact phone number, please e-mail me at [email protected] (I'll use your name, but only give the town or neighborhood. Need the full address and phone for verification, in case my editor wants to fact-check it.)

Give me your argument in as succinct a fashion as possible - no more than three or four sentences, please. Don't be afraid to be obvious. What you think is easily understandable may be a new thought to someone else.

FYI: I'll be coming down on the side of pro-saver, for the most part, but I promise I won't say anything personally insulting to you. Your words will speak for you, if you're willing.

Thanks!

Jim Sullivan (Suldog)
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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If I saw a shoveled spot like that, I wouldn't park in it. I know someone took the time to shovel it, and most likely intend to park in it. Also, I'd be afraid of what would happen to my car. I mean, who goes around shoveling random spots? Bostonians would be suspicious.

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