For some drivers, it can be a challenge to find a parking spot. This is especially the case if you don’t have a garage or a driveway where you can park your car — and live in a congested city. However, there is a way to overcome this challenge. It’s a little dubious, though. On the Reddit social media site, a man recently shared a sneaky parking trick in which his neighbor saves a spot when he’s not home.

Neighbor uses a broken moped to reserve a parking spot

The post for the sneaky parking trick went viral on Reddit, with it eliciting many responses from users. In the post, a man with the username “MihaiPirogov123” shared the sneaky trick on the “Casual UK” forum. Along with sharing a photo of the parking tactic, he wrote, “My neighbour bought a broken moped to hold his parking spot when he’s not home.”

In the photo, the broken moped is sandwiched between two cars, with a large gap between them. When the neighbor arrives back home, he removes the moped — and then parks his car in the open parking space.

Reactions from Reddit users to the unusual parking tactic

As of this writing, the Reddit post has over 3,900 upvotes, with hundreds of comments from other users, as detailed by Mirror. Many users think that it’s a strange parking tactic, especially considering the fees required to operate the broken moped. Also, some users joked that the moped would get stolen.

Please note: These Reddit comments don’t necessarily mean that the neighbor was right or wrong for the broken moped parking tactic.

• “Needs tax, mot, AND insurance to be on a public highway I think, if it’s declared SORN [Statutory Off-Road Notification], it shouldn’t be on the road at all.”
• “If where you live is anything like mine, that’ll be in the back of a van in very short order.”
• “In the beforetimes, when a MINI was smaller than a Land Rover, there was a lass who parked hers blocking the drive round the back of the shop each morning. It became routine for four of us to pick it up and carry it out onto the street so she could get her ticket for abandoning the bloody thing.”
• “You have to go out there and face it in the opposite direction just to mess with his mind.”
• “I’d find something to put next to it, so when he moves his bike, there isn’t room for their car. Yes, I am that petty.”

Some people physically stand in a parking spot to reserve it

This is the first time that we’ve heard of someone using a broken moped to reserve a parking space for a car. However, a tactic that some people use to save a spot is to physically stand in it. As detailed by Elite Readers, this tactic is increasingly becoming more common.

Unless there’s a paid parking spot, a handicap parking space, or a formal reservation process, parking generally comes on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, is it illegal to reserve a parking spot by standing it? The legality of doing this varies by location. Most states and municipalities don’t have any laws regarding saving a parking spot by standing in it. However, some do. Examples include Honolulu and New York City. 

Beyond the legality, it’s dangerous to stand in a parking spot, for you could get hit by a car. Also, it might lead to confrontations with other drivers. In 2006, a San Francisco man died after a conflict erupted over this parking tactic.