Someone Has Started Using Dibs Markers At A Divvy Station In Ravenswood

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 29, 2017 4:15PM

Photo: Joey Manso

We've witnessed the odd summertime dibs in our day—a random bucket plopped in the street despite any chance of snow being a meteorological impossibility. But this is a first. Someone on the North Side has apparently taken to using dibs markers at a Divvy station.

The photo above was snapped last Wednesday at around 10:45 p.m. by Ravenswood resident Joey Manso, who said it documents the recent scene at the Divvy docking station located at Ravenswood and Montrose Avenues, in West Ravenswood. "It was there for at least a couple of days, I think (might still be there)," Manso told Chicagoist by email.

"It seems a bit ridiculous that someone would try to claim 'dibs' on dock," Manso added. "I have a Divvy subscription and I've never had a problem finding a slot somewhere near my intended destination. It might be a joke, but I'm hoping there's a silent feud between Divvy users for a coveted location shielded by Metra tracks."

While we admit there's also something a bit charming about watching a longstanding tradition like dibs graduate into the modern day—like seeing a kid playing old-school Atari games on his iPhone—and, as one Redditor noted, the color coordination on the lawn chair is an inspired touch, we gotta say no. The word "share" is right there in the concept "bike share," and even if one subscribes to the (foolhardy, we'd say) notion of dibs in wintertime for cars, it simply doesn't apply in an instance like this.

When reached for comment, Divvy highlighted the fact that the service offers a number of steps by which riders can find a station. You can find available docks via the Divvy app; the company continues to work on station expansion; and the service also offers sure-bet docks at select hotspots through its valet service, Divvy noted.

This post has been updated.