If you live in a borough, you know the nightmare of parking on the street after a winter storm.

Parking in a dense residential area is enough of a struggle throughout the year.If you live in a 100-year-old house, chances are the architects weren't thinking much about one car, let alone four for every household on the block. Apartments are even worse.But when a winter storm hits and snow emergency parking ordinances go into effect, it maddeningly cuts down the amount of available parking by about half.A lot of times storms will pit neighbor against neighbor as they fight to secure the parking in front of their house.And when road crews try to remove that snow, it often requires parking tickets and even towing cars, which in turn makes the residents mad at their elected officials.It all seems inevitable, but it shouldn't be. But in reality, we're all facing a common enemy in the winter - and unfortunately the only peaceful solution is to wait it out.I'll admit, there have been times when I'm driving around five blocks from my house that even I forget that sometimes.But this year, I am pledging to not get into petty battles over a spot I perceive to be mine.Having someone steal "your spot" is frustrating. There is no doubt about that. Everyone who has to park on the street knows how difficult it is to dig out a vehicle, especially after the snowplow has piled chunks of hard snow 4 feet high all around it.Having someone steal that spot while you run out for milk is enough to send any sane person through the roof.Like it or not, there's no law that entitles you to a parking space. Unless you have a driveway, you can't reasonably expect to be able to park in front of your house after a snowstorm, even if you shoveled out that spot.Some people go to great lengths to protect a spot they've dug out. When I was in college in Philly, we called it "savesies." People will put chairs, traffic cones, caution tape, even grandma out in their spot to make sure no one takes it.I'll admit, some of them are impressive.But in reality, only local governments can regulate a spot. I'm sure longtime residents will disagree, but trying to impose your will on a public right of way is just ridiculous. Over the past two snow-filled winters, it got to the point that police were spending all of their time fielding calls related to disputes over parking spots.A police sergeant was quoted as saying, "If it wasn't about the actual cone or chair or boat or whatever, it was the fight that happened afterward over the space, or it was a call from a visiting nurse trying to render services to someone on the block and they literally have nowhere to park," he said. "Everybody's at work but the entire block is just a sea of cones and chairs."It's unfortunate to see the snow divide people. Especially when they are all essentially dealing with the same problem, but they have no one to take it out on but their neighbor.We live alongside our neighbors 365 days out of the year. It would be unfortunate to let one snowfall ruin that relationship for the rest of the year.