Everything You Need to Know About Space Savers in Boston

Winter in Boston brings with it buckets full of snow. The whole New England region is prone to extreme weather during this season. Just last year, the coldest temperatures ever recorded for the area hit during the first week of January. Back in 2015, the city of Boston registered a staggering snowfall count of around 90 inches in just 30 days. How does this impact the residents and the area they live in?

Besides the usual closures and delays—like schools having to let the kids take a snow day, delayed flights and cabin fever—there are other pressing issues at hand. Rooftops can collapse under the weight of snow, dead trees can fall onto power lines, and an intense war over parking ensues. The latter is an intensely contested issue in Boston, with residents fighting to claim their public street parking in a decades-old practice called “space saving.”

What are space savers?

Space saving is a tradition in Boston that follows after a snowstorm. A parking spot may be reserved for up to 48 hours by an owner of a vehicle after they have shoveled and swept the snow away from that space. Despite how straightforward this sounds, the city receives a steady stream of complaints in the wintertime on the subject of parking misconduct.

Driving in Boston is as fun as watching an unskippable ad on Youtube. Both drag on forever and cause an excessive amount of rage. But what is worse than sitting in traffic? Finding parking in the city.

There is a considerable lack of public parking spaces available in the city because of poor urban planning, and rapid population growth is only making it worse. Too many cars are competing for too few parking spots. And after a heavy snowfall or storm, the roads are left covered in a thick blanket of snow, resulting in an even scarcer number of parking spaces.

Residents need to shovel out their car and clear the space for easy entry and exit. But it is a strenuous and time-consuming process to pull out a spade and face the cold for hours. So how do you ensure this neatly shoveled out piece of road remains yours?

Introducing space saving, a tradition in Boston to reserve a cleared out public parking spot with a cone or marker to indicate temporary private ownership.

(Source: Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Nothing quite indicates winter in Boston like a beach chair placed in a parking space. Drive down any street in the neighborhood following a snowstorm and you’ll likely encounter the strangest placeholders. Anything from plastic chairs, rubbish bins, and ladders, to cutouts of Gronk and electric-wired barrels.

If you happen to park somewhere that contains a space saver, someone’s going to be upset. There have been reports of anything ranging from angry notes placed — or written in permanent marker — on the windshield, to actual damage. Keyed cars and slashed tires aren’t unheard of.

Space saving isn’t endemic to New England, but is widespread across the snowy states of America. Chicago faces its own parking nightmare each winter when space savers fight over who parks where.

The legal issues around space saving

The City of Boston and their mayor, Martin J. Walsh, have enforced several clearly-defined laws regarding space saving. On their website, they list these, as well as other helpful tips and guidelines regarding conduct during and after a snow emergency. The two most noticeable rules are:

● You can only use a space saver when the city declares a snow emergency.

● You have 48 hours to use a space saver after the city ends an emergency. After that, you must remove it from the street.

A snow emergency is declared when the weather forecast predicts a heavy onset of snow and ice. During a snow emergency, all vehicles need to be removed from arterial streets to allow the Department of Public Works to clear the accumulation from the roadways. Vehicles that block or obstruct public streets that run along a primary route may be towed away.

The city’s website states: “We will ticket and tow your car if you park on a posted snow emergency artery during a declared snow emergency.” However, the city does offer parking alternatives and tries to assist those who need to move their vehicles when this occurs. “If you can’t find a spot, some lots and garages offer discounted parking to vehicles with Boston resident parking stickers,” the website adds.

If you suspect your vehicle has been towed away, search the towing database or call the Boston Police Tow Line at 617-343-4629.

After the snow emergency signal is lowered, the public streets are once again accessible for general use and parking. Parking spots running along the side of the road will likely be covered in snow. Residents and car owners will need to shovel out a space for use.

For the 48 hours following the snow emergency, the above-mentioned parties have the right to reserve this parking space for up to 48 hours. To claim your space, simply leave a cone or other distinguishable marker on a parking spot you have cleared out.

When the 48 hour period expires, the city has the right to remove any markers or cones. The right to continue space saving falls away, despite car owners and residents hotly contesting or defending their parking bay. The city of Boston has a hotline available to report a person that violates this rule.

The practice of space saving is banned in the South End. This means no parking spots may be reserved or coned off regardless of who shoveled them and when. This social engineering experiment was petitioned for by the South End Forum and approved by the mayor back in 2015. Another Boston suburb, Jamaica Plain, is considering banning the practice, too.

How can you respond to space savers in your neighborhood?

If you happen to live in a city that is prone to snowstorms and where public parking is scarce, then you need to be aware of what ensues shortly thereafter. How can you get ready for space saving and the next snowstorm? Read up on the regulations set up by the City of Boston, stay updated with the latest weather announcements, and be an active member in your community’s online forums and groups.

Education is key when trying to resolve space-saving conflicts. The City of Boston is ready to assist you should you encounter any issues, but it is best to understand first what constitutes as unlawfulness and what is not. Rather than immediately alerting authorities, try to engage with the party at fault to see if you can reach an agreement. Will they move their car? Was the cone not visible enough? Who is in the wrong?

Here are some simple tips on how to save a parking space. Follow them to avoid breaking the law, annoying your neighbors, and worse, getting your car keyed or towed away.

You may only place something in the spot after a snowstorm has ended. As tempting as it may be to leave a cone or chair out overnight or just before it starts to snow, it is against the law and will just anger those around you.
If you reverse your car out of a snow-covered parking spot without shoveling it first, then you cannot reserve the space. All-terrain type vehicles can easily maneuver over the snowy ground, but if you wish to keep this place, you will need to shovel.
Avoid removing other people’s cones or placeholders. If you park in a space that has been cleared out and reserved, be prepared to face the consequences for doing so.
Although only a maximum of 48 hours is allocated following the storm to reserve the space, most people continue to hold it until the city removes it by force. So long as you are not the last one with a cone out, you’re fine.
Be respectful when clearing your space. Shovel the front and back neatly out and do not dump the snow in another space, but rather on the sidewalk or flattened out on the road.