Marathon Pundit: "Dibs" parking in Chicago

As far as I know, Chicago is the only place in the world where winter "dibs" parking takes place. Here's how it works: A Chicagoan shovels out a parking place on a street, parks his car, and when he leaves, the spot is marked with an old chair, a trash can, or a table. That motorist has "dibs" on the spot. And if someone else decides to park there--well, the car could be keyed, or its tires could be slashed. It's illegal--the dibs part--and of course so is vandalisim, but I've never heard of anyone being arrested for reserving a parking spot on Chicago's public streets.

City officials are ambivalent in regards to the practice, but in the days following Tuesday's blizzard, they're looking the other way.

No one is sure when dibs parking began, but it's not believed to have become widespread until after the legendary 1979 snowstorm. Mayor Michael Bilandic's mismanagement of snow removal led to his defeat at the ballot box that year. Dibs parking used to be concentrated on the Southwest and Northwest Sides, but you can find it throughout the city and even some suburbs.

Related posts:

Blizzard 2011 photos, Morton Grove, Illinois