More images

It is illegal to ‘reserve’ cleared parking spaces. Objects left in on-street parking spaces may be removed when crews are available after a snow event or when a snow emergency has been lifted.

This space saving situation is troubling for many reasons, but one is that it has not enforced immediately or consistently. Crews often do not start clearing space savers until a week or more after people have been space saving. At that point, the damage is already done and the removal efforts have little to no impact. This issue does not seem like a city priority, as resources in the form of removal crews are not dispatched in a timely or effective manner. I know that the city has so much to manage and I have been directly impacted by the wonderful work that city employees do, but this issue does need more attention.

This space saving situation is troubling for many reasons, but one is that it has not enforced immediately or consistently. Crews often do not start clearing space savers until a week or more after people have been space saving. At that point, the damage is already done and the removal efforts have little to no impact. This issue does not seem like a city priority, as resources in the form of removal crews are not dispatched in a timely or effective manner. I know that the city has so much to manage and I have been directly impacted by the wonderful work that city employees do, but this issue does need more attention.

These are all over the neighborhood. It's disgraceful.

When found, I usually move them to the side of the road.

Feel free to walk down Otis and Thorndike and do your thing! There must be at least a dozen as you drive from 3rd Street towards 6th. I really wish law enforcement would do this though - that sends a stronger message that this is illegal (and generally terrible) behavior.

what's really fun is when a space saver is moved, the 'owner' comes back and gets super @#$% and smashes your car. Ask me how I know! (I'll tell you, it happened to my wife and caused $2k in damages)

This issue was recategorized from Other to Space Saver Complaint (Internal).

City Hall – DR assigned this issue to Public Works - JN (Operations)

It is illegal to ‘reserve’ cleared parking spaces. Objects left in on-street parking spaces may be removed when crews are available after a snow event or when a snow emergency has been lifted. Public Works crews have been and continue to focus on snow removal operations to help widen streets, increase sight lines at corners, and improve access at intersections for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles. As crews become available, they will be removing space savers across the city.

Thank you for your comment. I feel that "as crews become available" has been a convenient excuse for not taking this issue seriously. Never have I see any crews over the years come by and remove space savers before nearly a week has gone by. Furthermore, they will often times come by at 7am - which does no one any good. Space savers are used during the day, when people leave for work. Crews need to come by after 9am to see the complete picture. Also, it is ESSENTIAL for crews to do this the day or two after the storm. When 5 days goes by with Space savers being used, the damage is done. People are really angry and upset and have perhaps already retaliated against their neighbors. This needs to stop. If that means hiring more crews to do this work, that is what needs to be done. If you say you "dont have enough" resources, what that really means is that this is not and never was a priority.

I appreciate Public Works commenting here, but we know the legalities of space savers, and hence why we're complaining about them using this tool. The city's inability (or refusal?) to act in a timely fashion perpetuates this problem year after year. As the previous commenter has stated, the timing here is key. It's clear this is not a priority for the city of Cambridge. This is an embarrassment.

I echo the thanks and sentiments that Bob and Doug shared. I am aware of the legality of this issue, but when the city does not enforce this law in a timely manner, something is not working in the system. I report this issue each year, receive the same response from the city, and the space savers remain. Is it up to the City Managers to properly allocate funds so that the DPW has the resources to fully manage this issue? I imagine that workers are stretched very thin. What kind of support would be helpful to make this a real priority? Space savers are litter, support the growth of rodents, and perpetuate animosity between community members. Please, let's fix this.

Well, it's now been a week of constant space saver use in East Cambridge with absolutely zero action by the city. People are upset. People are threatening others when their space saver is moved. This is an important issue that is IGNORED by the city every year. What must be done so someone takes this issue seriously? See the attached image that shows a space saver and the note left on it by a person who was threatened after parking there (contact info removed). When is the city going to do something about this? Is it ok for residents to ignore this law and then threaten their neighbors?

As stated in the Snow Center at www.cambridgema.gov/SNOW, it is illegal to ‘reserve’ cleared parking spaces in Cambridge. Objects left in on-street parking spaces may be removed when crews are available after a snow event or when a snow emergency has been lifted.

Public Works will be removing space savers this Friday, January 12th.

Please remove all space savers from the roadway by 7am Friday morning or they will be collected by Public Works crews.

Yes, we all know it is illegal to save spaces, that's why we report them here. We have been reporting them for a week. Does the city understand that waiting that long to remove them effectively means that nothing is being done? And again, you're coming around at 7am? Do you not understand that the majority of space savers are NOT being used at that time because people are home and their cars are parked there? I feel like I am commenting to a wall and not someone who actually cares or even understands the real problem. I suppose it's time to start emailing and calling every city official I can find every day that there are space savers in the street.

Oh good - wait a full week to remove them. Bob, who do we need to contact? Tim Toomey? ECPT?

This content is currently blocked. The content is either under review by SeeClickFix or has been confirmed by SeeClickFix for violation(s) of SeeClickFix Terms of Use (https://www.civicplus.com/terms-of-service). Content that aligns with SeeClickFix Terms of Use will be posted, and content that does not align with our Terms of Use will not be permitted for public viewing.

You can find all the city council email addresses here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/citycouncil/citycouncilmembers

I suggest emailing all of them.

I did just that, and to their credit most wrote back promptly.

Apparently it's the city manager's problem. I suggest we contact them: citymanager at cambridgema.gov

This location was given to our crews and addressed last week.

Thanks guys. See you next storm!