Building Doormen Call "Dibs" On Parking Spaces

Photograph by dfdhez on Flickr

Last week, a Queens restaurant's workers were spotted illegally using public parking spaces on the street for the restaurant's valet parking. Now the NY Times sent a reporter to try to park her car in front of fancy apartment buildings, where doormen try to leave spots open so residents can get out of cabs or their own cars easily. Outside of a Fifth Avenue building, she was told by one doorman, "We have about 160 apartments, and you are inconveniencing them, and we have a lot of elderly people... [You] must not be from here."

One Park Avenue building has an orange parking cone protecting its turf, but the Department of Transportation tells the Times that it is illegal for "any person to reserve or attempt to reserve a parking space, or prevent any vehicle from parking on a public street." The law also prevents drivers from "[standing in the street, using] hand signals [or putting' any box, can, crate, handcart, dolly or any other device, including unauthorized pavement, curb or street markings or signs" to keep drivers away.

But for the creme de la creme of parking spot possessiveness run amok....have you heard about the Chicago custom of "dibs"?

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By Jen Chung in News on October 26, 2010 2:48 PM

Comments [rss]

McGG

I love it when doormen come running and try and stop me from parking in front of their Park Avenue buildings. I always get the same bull about all the handicapped residents that live there. Pffft

JenChungsBaby

I've had doormen on the east side try to tell me I couldn't park in front of their building. I thanked them for saving me a spot and then parked anyway. They don't do anything to your car because they might still be there when you get back. Once a guy came running out yelling "we have a permit from DOT" for the spot, which was of course bullshit.