Parking wars in Silver Spring spur police action and future permit rules

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Parking has become a big enough problem in one Montgomery County neighborhood that police are getting involved. 

They aren’t making arrests or issuing citations or anything along those lines – but they aren’t going home empty-handed either.

Along with help from the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, police filled up three whole dump trucks Wednesday with cones, buckets, baskets, and other items that people had left in parking spots near Quebec Terrace in Silver Spring in an attempt to "reserve" or "save" the spots. 

It’s a practice that has happened so much that many residents have complained, which is why officials are getting involved. 

"Parking is a huge, huge issue, and essentially what’s escalated is kind of like parking wars going on over there," Montgomery County Police Captain Jason Cokinos explained. "You can’t reserve yourself a spot with cones on a public street."

As far as why the problem is happening, Cokinos said there are a variety of factors, including multiple families living inside some homes as well as people who don’t live in the neighborhood opting to park there.

One resident agreed. 

He said he personally leaves a cone behind when he drives away from home, telling FOX 5 he feels as though he doesn’t have a choice.

"It’s a lot of people coming from somewhere else that’s parking right here," said the man, who asked not to be identified out of fear of reprisal.

Cokinos said the county is taking other steps to solve the problem, as well. He noted that officials plan to make the area permit parking in the coming months, which they hope will help. 

Also, they’re "aggressively" tracking down abandoned vehicles, which are also taking up spots.