Drivers Unaware As City Moves Legally Parked Cars To Haul Snow
BOSTON (CBS) – Finding parking in the Boston area is a difficult task. But for one Dorchester resident, finding his car after a recent storm was a challenge as well.
Matt Chianesi cleared out a space and parked his car in front of his home following a storm last week.
When Chianesi returned to look for his car the next day, it was gone, though it hadn't been moved too far.
As Chianesi soon learned, in some cases the City of Boston needs to tow cars to allow for snow removal efforts – even if the cars are parked legally.
The Dorchester resident's car had been hooked by a tow truck and moved a short distance down Pleasant Street to allow workers to move piles of snow.
A spokesman for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones that when cars are moved in similar situations, they are either put back in the same space or placed within eye shot of their original location.
Since the first major snowstorm of 2015, Boston crews have hauled away over 30,000 truckloads of snow, the mayor's office said.
Chianesi told Jones that he was relieved his car hadn't been towed, but wished the city had given him a heads up that it had been relocated.
"I mean it definitely helped that they moved the snow so now there's definitely ample parking on my street," said Chianesi. "But if they could notify people that they might move their car or relocate it so that they don't go outside and there's no car there."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports