Respect or ignore Boston's space savers? Here's what readers say.

"A cone, a chair, a random household item - in Boston, any one of these can turn into a "dibs" sign after a snowstorm. Space savers are one of the city's most stubborn winter traditions, and one of the quickest ways to start an argument on a narrow street. After the weekend's storm, we asked Boston.com readers whether they feel space savers should be respected or ignored. Many said they'll honor the effort after a major storm - especially when digging out can take hours."

"Others drew a harder line, arguing that it's public parking, and no amount of shoveling gives anyone ownership of the street. "You shoveled it out to get out, you do not own the street," one reader wrote, adding that he's had "plenty of fist fights" over the practice. "It's all PUBLIC parking," another reader wrote, "Ask the City." A third group landed somewhere in the middle: respect them briefly, then it's fair game."

Space savers are a Boston winter tradition where cones, chairs, or household items mark parking spots cleared after snowstorms. Opinions about honoring space savers vary: some respect the effort of digging out long snowdrifts, while others insist shoveled spots remain public and not privately owned. A middle position accepts temporary respect with time limits or conditional deference based on presentation. City rules allow space savers only during declared snow emergencies and permit them for 48 hours after the emergency ends. Space savers are banned in the South End and Bay Village. Responses were lightly edited for grammar and clarity. In a recent poll of nearly 200 respondents, 66% supported respecting the tradition.

Read at Boston.com