I’ve already devoted plenty of blog space to the “space-saving” efforts of the parking public in snowbound areas like Chicago and Boston, but I’m so fascinated by this phenomenon, I can’t help myself. The idea that people choose to live in a place where they are so antagonized by the weather is only part of my fixation, but it’s mostly the whole “Lord of Flies,” survival of the fittest, “anarchy lives” approach to parking that I find interesting. We’re talking about parking, first of all, and a whole list of unwritten rules that give people the idea that they can save a public parking space for their own use just because the snow is piled up to their eyeballs. It’s study on human nature being played out on city streets.
It’s not going to be happy ending for those who have tricked themselves into thinking they really can save their parking spaces with lawn chairs and stolen pylons. City workers are already moving more than 900 truckloads of snow of the streets every day. And now, as a new storm is on its way and Boston approaches its all-time snow record, wstv.com reports that city garbage collectors will be picking up space saving items with the trash.
“It’s going to continue to be difficult probably for the next month. It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be a thaw anytime soon,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said. “We’re going to be living with these snow piles for a while.” Massachusetts has already spent $100 million on snow removal this winter and that number may grow, especially with another round of snow on the forecast for Tuesday.
I think that in moments of extreme, it’s smart for somebody to keep the shenanigans down to a minimum. Mayor Walsh has to keep a city in duress from falling apart and fighting over parking spots won’t help anybody. It’s time for Bostonians to practice the “we’re all in this together” approach” until the worst is over.
Read the rest of the article here.
