Chairs, trash save Boston parking spots

BOSTON, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Some Bostonians clearing snow from parking spaces are flouting rules by saving the spots with chairs, traffic cones and other objects, city officials say.

The scofflaws say they are ignoring the city regulations, which only allow for space saving up to 48 hours after the lifting of a snow emergency alert, because others are doing the same thing and it makes parking spots hard to find, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

"I cleared it, I get to keep it," said Savin Hill-area resident Lorenzo Paulino, who saved the spot near his home with a chair. "Everyone does it here, so I have to, too."

City officials say crews have been regularly removing furniture, trash cans and even piles of rubble from shoveled parking spaces.

"We know that people worked hard to get their spots, and it was tough shoveling that heavy snow," said Joanne Massaro, Boston's public works commissioner. "But to be fair to the rest of the neighborhood, they need to remove them."