It’s been nearly two weeks since the snow and sleet storm came through the D.C. region, causing traffic problems, school closures and delays that are still lingering.
As part of the cleanup process, cities have plowed public roads and families had to clear the “snowcrete” mixture from the areas around their cars. And in the days since, some have used various objects to claim their parking spots, hoping to guarantee they’re available whenever they return home.
It’s happening on D.C. streets from Southeast to Northwest, and in Northern Virginia neighborhoods where some residents don’t have assigned spots in parking lots.
In some cases, people hoping to take the parking spot simply move whatever object is in their way. In others, though, verbal altercations have followed.
“I just don’t think it’s right,” said Kevin, who lives near Eastern Market. “You can’t save a spot. I can understand your feeling, but it’s just not right. It’s a public street. I’ve been here a long time, and see people do it all the time, and it can cause problems. People can get pretty angry.”
In Kevin’s neighborhood, spots are reserved with cones and lawn chairs. In one case, the chair had a note — don’t take the space, “because it took my daddy 2 hours to shovel this.”
However, he said, it’s an approach that’s not always effective. Half of the time, he said, people move the objects out of the way.
In a D.C. neighborhood near Sibley Memorial Hospital, meanwhile, Catalina Zorc said she understands the need to reserve the spot. There are several chairs on both sides of her street, and in one, there’s a large stuffed banana.
“I appreciate their need, and they did all the work, so they’re kind of entitled to it,” Zorc said. “But at the same time, other people come and they need to park.”
Is it legal?
A D.C. Department of Transportation spokesman said in a statement that under city law, streets and sidewalks have to remain clear for public use.
“While we understand why residents wish to save spots that they worked hard to clear, now that the snow emergency has been lifted for more than 48 hours, residents are strongly encouraged to remove any items left in the street that may block Snow Team operations and the public right of way,” the statement read.
Using objects to save parking spots is a common approach that happens in cities across the country, including Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Mia Smith-Bynum, who chairs the Department of Family Science at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, said people have a “psychological sense of ownership” over a parking spot they may use regularly.
It’s human instinct, Smith-Bynum said.
“That normal sense of psychological ownership, if not literal ownership, over the space, it intensifies when you’ve done hours and hours of labor to clear that space,” Smith-Bynum said. “And so it’s not based in anything that is necessarily rational from a legal standpoint, but I do think no matter what space you inhabit on a regular basis or that you develop an attachment to, you’re going to try to claim it.”
In Northern Virginia, some residents have used step stools, tables and various types of chairs to reserve their spaces within parking lots. The challenge, some said, is spaces aren’t assigned.
“I understand people wanting to keep the space if they’ve worked hard to clear it,” said Timothy Conboy, who lives in Arlington.
Brian Hu, who has seen people use chairs and cardboard boxes, said, “It’s not really fair, even though they worked hard to clean the driveway. But it’s not their driveway, it’s the community’s shared driveway.”
No matter where it’s happening, it’s causing strife among neighbors.
“There’s a lot of tension,” Kevin said. “You’ve got to realize, if you’re going to move your car, there’s a chance somebody’s going to park there.”
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