Dear Urban Diplomat: how do we keep our neighbours from hogging all the parking spots?
Dear Urban Diplomat,
My wife and I live in the west end, where street parking is limited. There are two spaces in front of our house; if we don’t get one, we have to park way down the block or pay for a spot around the corner. A new couple to the neighbourhood now park one of their two cars in a way that hogs both spots, to save a place for the other. We chatted, and they said we have “too much time on our hands” if we’re monitoring their parking tactics, and that one of them often gets home late and doesn’t want to hunt for a spot. We have two young children, so parking closer helps us a lot too. Suggestions?
—Circling the Block, Hillcrest
Given your neighbours’ Machiavellian ways, it would be nice if the city had your back. But while it’s against bylaws to use traffic cones, chairs or house pets to reserve a parking space, hogging two with one car is not. So, you have two choices. Start a feud, complete with nasty notes and calls to the city every time they commit a minor infraction, like parking more than 30 centimetres from the curb. Or, preferably: kill their attitude with kindness. Host them and other neighbours for a barbecue, and make them see you’re more than just competitors for scarce parking resources. Once you’re all pals, hopefully they’ll be more inclined to park nice. If not, nobody will blame you if you invest in a tape measure.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
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My wife and I live in the west end, where street parking is limited. There are two spaces in front of our house; if we don’t get one, we have to park way down the block or pay for a spot around the corner. A new couple to the neighbourhood now park one of their two cars in a way that hogs both spots, to save a place for the other. We chatted, and they said we have “too much time on our hands” if we’re monitoring their parking tactics, and that one of them often gets home late and doesn’t want to hunt for a spot. We have two young children, so parking closer helps us a lot too. Suggestions?
—Circling the Block, Hillcrest
Given your neighbours’ Machiavellian ways, it would be nice if the city had your back. But while it’s against bylaws to use traffic cones, chairs or house pets to reserve a parking space, hogging two with one car is not. So, you have two choices. Start a feud, complete with nasty notes and calls to the city every time they commit a minor infraction, like parking more than 30 centimetres from the curb. Or, preferably: kill their attitude with kindness. Host them and other neighbours for a barbecue, and make them see you’re more than just competitors for scarce parking resources. Once you’re all pals, hopefully they’ll be more inclined to park nice. If not, nobody will blame you if you invest in a tape measure.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com){kind=link}
Better yet, buy a beater and leave it in front of your place, occupying both spaces full-time, driving it around the block once in a blue moon and moving it to accommodate your other vehicle as needed. Problem solved.
I think the suggested “kindness” approach would simply whistle right over their heads. Buy a forklift.
i hate it whren they built garages for townhouses then park on the street!
come to one way street where they allow biking and townhouses owner don’t use there garage!
Worse are the driveways to the garages take what would have been parking spaces on the street away.
They have cars?!? Burn them!!!
Let’s gloss over the fact that you bought a house without parking and didn’t consider what would happen if you couldn’t get one of the two spots in front of your house
I’m going to introduce you to some simple facts of life: some people are jerks, you don’t own a parking spot and life isn’t fair.
You want to get their attention, park your one car in the middle of the two spots and leave it there. They will then see how their actions affect others. But just stop complaining because you have to walk an extra block. If walking that block is so bad, buy a house with a parking pad.
Slash their tires. Shrug when accused.
Well said!
I’ll never understand why people think they are entitled to spots on a public street!
you snooze you lose
Do you have a dog? Let them urinate on the car.
Use Uber code UBERTORONTOFREERIDE to get $20 off your first ride. Just download the Uber app and enter the code. Valid anywhere in Canada!
Buy 1 or 2 crappy motorbikes and park them super close front and(or) back of the car. When they leave, use the bikes as cones.