Please give me some guidlines/etiquette on this whole parking "dibs" business (Chicago: legal, move)

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Suburbs generally prohibit overnight on-street parking except for a handful of places like Oak Park and there folks all pitch in together in a kumbayah spirit of "it takes a village" ....

Having driveways takes care of this problem...

[rvernsey]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

Dibs is a result of the labor you put in to dig out the snow from the parking spot.

Are you one of the "spent hours digging out my car" guys? I shoveled out like 16 spots clean to the pavement last year with a cast on one arm and it took me a couple hours tops.

If anything, dibs is the result of an overcrowded area that doesn't have adequate parking - compounded by laziness, opportunism, stupidity, entitlement and lack of respect. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that there are barely enough spots when people come and go, there just aren't enough spots for everyone to have one for weeks on end or they would zone them and sell them.

[Attrill]

Dibs finally hit our street today, mostly because the overnight freeze last night has made it impossible to shovel out new spaces. No one took my space today, and I think it's because my neighbor is keeping his lawn chair on the mound behind where I've been parking. People probably think it's been moved from the space in front of my house and so they aren't taking the space.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Attrill

Dibs finally hit our street today, mostly because the overnight freeze last night has made it impossible to shovel out new spaces. No one took my space today, and I think it's because my neighbor is keeping his lawn chair on the mound behind where I've been parking. People probably think it's been moved from the space in front of my house and so they aren't taking the space.

... also known as the "misdirection play" -- the confused souls see a space or two shovel out and the various bits of furniture that may designate one or two spaces scares off the timid. Of course without actually assembling your our full fledged barricade you are at not just the mercy of the passing motorists but the neighbor too -- should they sense that a anti-dibs activists is going to nab their beloved lawn chair that thing goes back in the garage and then all bets are off...

[MassVt]

If you're someone who takes "hours" to simply shovel out your car, then you aren't much of a shoveler..

Ok, Chet...

"Someone's shoveling, Lord...kumbayah...
Someone's ranting, Lord...kumbayah..
Someone's dibbing, Lord...kumbayah..
O Lord, *&%^$@!

[glass_of_merlot]

I saw a really cool bar stool last year. I didn't know at the time what it was for. I thought somebody tossed it. I took it home. It's really nice.

[UC18]

Theoretically, if the snow is really packed down into hard-to-shovel icy chunks, and you wanted to COMPLETELY clear it, I could see how it could take "hours," especially if you don't have a top-notch shovel or if the person using the shovel is older or out-of-shape. Personally I just do the minimum amount of shoveling necessary to get my car in and out, though. I think once it took 30-45 minutes last winter when it was really bad, but it has never taken "hours."

[Drover]

All I gotta say is winter tires and AWD. Haven't had to lift a shovel yet. What's more, I can plow right into un-shoveled spots that nobody else would dare to try, and plow right back out. It's like any given street has a bunch of open spots reserved just for me.

ETA: I take that back, I did have to shovel out my wife's car since she doesn't have the benefit of AWD. But with winter tires she still has a pretty solid advantage and I only had to shovel her out for about 10 minutes.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by rvernsey

Are you one of the "spent hours digging out my car" guys? I shoveled out like 16 spots clean to the pavement last year with a cast on one arm and it took me a couple hours tops.

If anything, dibs is the result of an overcrowded area that doesn't have adequate parking - compounded by laziness, opportunism, stupidity, entitlement and lack of respect. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that there are barely enough spots when people come and go, there just aren't enough spots for everyone to have one for weeks on end or they would zone them and sell them.

when the neighborhoods were built, there were not as many people, and with cars. maybe there was one car per house, now one apartment has 3 cars. next to my 2-flat on the northwest side, they had a Polish boarding house,, there may have been 10 people living in one apartment. they had many cars. i could not park in front of my house. one of their cars was this huge stretch van .. it would take up the space of 2 parking spaces.. they would drive that one off, then zip in one of their other cars in the same spot. what a racket. i did find space at the corner at least. After that i never rented a place without a parking space.. its too damn aggrivating. then the snow plows come thru and put a 2 foot high mound of snow next to your car. Eff that!

[pvande55]

"ya gotta respect the Chair," attributed to the late Mayor Richard J. Daley.