Arkhangelsk Residents Argue Over Claiming Cleared Parking Spots
Parking spots in the courtyards of Arkhangelsk have been buried in snow. It has become difficult to park cars, and some car owners have taken up shovels. They cleared areas for themselves and blocked them with makeshift means. Photos of «occupied» parking spots have appeared online and sparked a heated discussion. Residents of Arkhangelsk are divided into two camps: some argue that others« labor should be respected and blocking parking is acceptable, while others are sure it is illegal. Auto lawyer Lev Voropaev explained who is right.
Who Cleans, Parks Their Car: What«s Written Online
Residents of Arkhangelsk are posting photos online of occupied parking spots near their homes. Car owners block them with stools, tires, and other junk with attached notes saying «I cleaned – I park». Some leave long messages, like: «Sorry, but another car is parked in this spot. First clean the spot, then park your car».
Some northerners consider this approach illegal.
«Parking spots should be common, of course. If you want a personal one – buy a garage,» reasons Maya.
«There are no personal spots, and there can»t be, if you didn«t buy or rent it. With such logic, you could wash the floor in the entrance and demand that residents not walk there or take off their shoes,» writes Sergey.
Some car owners disagreed with this opinion.
«Well, go take a shovel, dig out a spot for your car, spend a whole day on it. And then, when you return, find some cunning ass parked on the clean spot. Then we»ll talk about mine/ours. In most courtyards, the driveways are cleaned at most twice a winter, and no one cares about parking spots,« fumes Maxim.
«Each property owner owns a part of the adjacent territory. The task of residents is to agree where everyone parks their car, and that will be your spot. If you don»t believe those who say that residents of the house don«t have their own spots, google it,» asserts Sergey.
«It»s impudence to park on a cleaned spot. It«s called a »freeloader«,» writes Vladimir.
«Who cleans, parks their car! And the impudent freeloaders can go take a hike, they think they»re smarter than everyone. Put a shovel in your teeth – and go ahead!« thinks Valentina.
Occupying Parking Spots Is Illegal: What the Lawyer Says
Auto lawyer Lev Voropaev explained that clearing snow does not give the right to occupy a parking spot.
«There are no legal grounds for putting up barriers with the wording »I cleaned – I park«. If the spot is not purchased, it is considered common property of the building and restricting it is unacceptable. Usually, this is qualified as a violation of traffic rules, namely as »intentional creation of obstacles to traffic, including contamination of the road surface«. For this, a fine from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles (approximately $50 to $100 at current rates) is imposed. It can also be qualified as »unauthorized seizure of land property«, with a fine of no less than 5,000 rubles (about $50). Punishment can be applied simultaneously under both these provisions.»
The lawyer noted that there is a legal possibility to block parking from outsiders, but it needs to be done officially.
«In some new buildings, parking spots are sold. But if there are no such spots, residents of the building can conduct land surveying of the territory, hold a general meeting and vote in a certain procedure to completely restrict parking for entry by third parties who are not owners of premises in the building.»
At the same time, a specific spot is not assigned to a specific person.
«It»s hardly possible to talk about allocating a specific parking spot to a specific person, because parking is common shared property, and allocating a specific share from it for a specific owner will be difficult.«
