Rant Of The Day: People Parked in Handicapped Spots

[CO Liberal]

As a result of two rear-end collisions, I qualified for a handicapped parking placard last year. And ever since I got it, I've noticed a lot of able-bodied people parked in the handicapped spaces. I've taken it on as my personal mission to alert them to the error of their ways.

Many times when people realize they've made a mistake, they move their cars. Other times, the offender gets verbally abusive. And there are sometimes that I choose to do a "drive-by" confrontation.

Like this morning. There is one handicapped space in front of the Loaf & Jug near my home. As I was pulling in, I saw a crew cab pickup filled with construction workers pull in to the handicapped spot. Since it was three of them and one of me, I decided not to stop - instead, I pulled up, rolled down my window, yelled "THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE HANDICAPPED SPACE!!" and drove off. I figured I leave it to them to face the other people in the parking lot who now were alerted to how inconsiderate they were.

Anyone else do stuff like this?

[TheMightyFavog]

1. Next time, call the cops on 'em.

Have them come and slap em with a nice little parking ticket. Hit 'em wher it hurts the most.

[CO Liberal]

2. I Do That At Regular Stores and the Mall

But since this was a convenience store, I figured they would be long gone before the sheriff's department could get there.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. Just get their plate down.

I know in my neck of the woods, they'll just get the license number down from the security cameras, look 'em up and mail them the citation.

[PaveThePlanet]

77. Can't do it that way....

officer has to see the violation in person. That would be a dismissable fine in court.

[CO Liberal]

84. Would Taking a Picture Work?

Some digital cameras imprint the date and time on the image. Would that stand up as evidence?

Just curious.....

[Robb]

4. Usually I'm in a hurry

...So I won't take the space for long. Or sometimes I figure hey, what're the odds of a handicapped person coming along? I mean that space is SO close, I can't help myself. Some days I don't think handicapped people deserve their own space, I mean they're probably just lazy.

Sadly, I feel compelled to add /sarcasm. ;)

[Kamika]

5. heh

what're the odds of a handicapped person coming along?


Sadly I think like that sometimes :p

[hlthe2b]

6. The scam that gets me is the fact that able-bodied family members

will drive a car with a valid handicapped sticker and not hesitate to park in one of the few handicapped spots available-- especially at upscale malls and small neighborhood shops. I guess this is not technically illegal, but it sure is immoral IMO.

[lazarus]

7. Actually

It is technically illegal. The handicapped placard/plate/sticker applies to the driver, not the vehicle.

[CO Liberal]

15. That's Correct

I have placards for both my truck and my wife's car. But my wife cannot use the placard unless I'm in the vehicle with her - the placards are registered in my name.

[woofless]

36. Same here

and in WA one is required to carry and produce an I.D. card stating that the placard is yours.

[eyesroll]

16. Unfortunately, it's often impossible to tell whether the person

in the car is truly able-bodied or not. My friend's mom had a handicap placard because of a bunch of health problems that made it difficult for her to walk more than a short distance. (She would usually have to rent a wheelchair in malls and amusement parks.) But you couldn't tell from looking at her. She got yelled at once by someone trying to accuse her of gaming the system.

Still, she said she'd take the occasional indignant person if it meant that fewer people would take the spots unnecessarily.

[hlthe2b]

28. Sometimes yes, but when you see a 20 something bouncy female

hop out of her monster SUV in her work out clothes, somehow I think it is a fair bet that she is not handicapped (except morally, perhaps). I see this alot-- again most often at very upscale malls and just about anywhere at Christmas time.

[PaveThePlanet]

When I see a 20 something bouncy female

that last thing on my mind is where she parks.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

30. My mom's the same way

She's 69 and has arthritis in both knees making it difficult for her to walk long distances. On the outside, she appears okay. Yes, she has a handi. tag and uses it.

[thom1102]

8. I have always respected the sanctity of the handicap spots...

recently, my mother after her latest (and most debilitating) bout with cancer finally broke down and applied for the plackard. She hides it like it is something to be ashamed of and it was only after serious prodding by family members that she finally got it. I pity the poor person who gives my mother a hard time about parking in a handicap spot (she has no outward disability but her condition has left her weak and in constant pain), because two of my brothers and her sister are NYPD and could easily make their existence miserable for them.

[Blue-Jay]

9. Some people think that "old" equals "handicapped".

Burns my ass. If you're walking unassisted, park in a regular spot.

[CO Liberal]

12. I Walk Unassisted...

...but anything more than short distances results in severe back spasms. If I know I have to go to the back of the Wal-Mart Super Center (the largest store in town), I use one of the electric carts.

Other than the fanny pack I wear to hold the TENS unit I use for pain relief, I have no outward signs of handicap. And people with weak hearts have no outward signs, either.

Able-bodies people parking in handicapped spots iw what burns MY ass. If you don't qualify for a handicapped placard, YOU park in the regular sopt.

[Liberal Christian]

21. I know wht you mean

I, too, have a handicapped placard for my vehicle. I have no outward sign of disability, but I can't walk or stand for more than 20-30 minutes without pain. This means I can be fine going into a mall, but often need to be close to the entrance coming out.

I think people probably look at me and think I'm faking it, but they aren't inside this body and don't know the level of pain I experience. Oh well.

And I do try to save the handicapped spots if there's a regular spot just a little farther up the row.

[supernova]

26. Weak hearts: not just for the elderly anymore!

Eh. And it's not just the elderly. Try being born with a dicky ticker. :crazy:

I used to belong to a listserv for folks with congenital heart defects (CHD). There was a young woman on the listserv who was about 30. Like a lot of people on that list, she'd already had repeated cardiac surgeries, about 4 or 5 IIRC.

Anyway she was doing pretty well in most aspects but could only walk for short distances and used the handicapped placard.

I remember her writing that at least once a week some idiot would give her a dirty look for used the handicapped parking space, despite having the placard clearly displayed. People did think she was lying.

She got so fed up one day that the guy who gave her the dirty look got flashed. She lifted up her shirt and showed him all of her scars. LOL! I would have paid good money to see that. B-)

[Bertha Venation]

48. Good for her!!

off topic: sometimes I want to do that to people who have conversations with my scar instead of my eyes. I want to open my shirt and say, "Here, get a good look, then we can continue our discussion." :eyes:

[supernova]

56. I've done that

shown people my "T". I happen to have the kind of neckline that looks good in v-necks and the like so you almost always see it. Ditto my back scar when I wear a bathing suit. I take it as an opportunity to educate them.

I just say "well, if it weren't here, I wouldn't be talking to you." Amazing how fast they chose to go on to other subjects.

Try it, it's quite liberating! :thumbsup:

[nini]

23. it's not that cut and dry..

I walk unassisted. But I also walk with terrible pain in both ankles. Sometimes it is more obvious than others, but every step I have taken since February 3, 1985 has been painful.

The more I stand/walk the more swollen my ankles get. By the end of the day every bit of caution on my part helps keep the pain to a minimum.

Never assume someone shouldn't have the right to park there if they have a placard. Unfortunately many people abuse the system but many also have disabilities that aren't quite as obvious as others and we get a bit tired of the dirty looks and condescending attitudes. I'd much rather not have to worry about how much my ankles are going to kill me by the end of the day than get that parking spot.

[ScreamingMeemie]

54. Please rethink this Blue-Jay. My dearest cousin suffers from Crohn's

disease. There are times when her intestines "let loose", for lack of a better word. Many times I have helped her wrap herself up in a coat and escorted her to the car. She is shaky and ill and a walk across the parking lot in that condition would be a lot. Please don't assume that because someone "seems" to be able bodied, that they are.

Thanks and Hugs,
Laura

[Beaker]

58. some people think than "unassisted" means "non-handicapped"...

I walk unassisted(although I generally grab the first shopping cart i come across- even in the parking lot, to lean on as i walk)- but every step is a painful one, due to a spinal condition whose severity might not be readily apparent by just looking at me.
My wife and my doctor are the ones who advised me to get the placard, and it has been a life-saver.

[TheMightyFavog]

10. The worst scum....

I seem to recall that a few people in Wisconsin got busted for manufacturing counterfiet placards a long time ago.

[RebelOne]

11. Here's a funny story.

One day as I was entering the grocery store, I saw someone who was obviously not handicapped park in the handicap spot. As I was coming out of the store that person was leaving behind me. Suddenly, a police car pulled up and blocked the car. The man who had parked there started running and dropped all his groceries. And then the policeman said, "Well, that parking spot just cost you $500."

Oh, revenge is sweet.

[CO Liberal]

13. Here's Another Funny Story

My kid sister told me about something she saw in NJ several years ago.

She was going in to a Bradlee's (since closed), and noticed several card without handicapped plates or placards parked in the handicapped spots. Suddenly, a car WITH handicapped plates pulled in behind them, boxing in two card. The driver got out, dusted his hands off, grabbed his crutches, and head in to the store.....

:-)

[RebelOne]

14. Oh, that's a good one.

I would have loved to have seen the other drivers when they returned to their cars.

[DinahMoeHum]

17. Bumpersticker idea: Morally Handicapped. . .

do-it-yourself justice.

:evilgrin:

[Rainbowreflect]

18. I often tell the that mental handicaps do not count.

[Beaker]

45. That's what I do too.

fuckin' morons.

[oneighty]

19. Yes!

Police Chief in our small village will not have non-handicap vehicles ticketed because "The handicap spots" are not marked exactly to state codes!

One could call that a "Cop-out."

We have quite a number of handicap drivers in the village that deliver their healthy passenger (s) to the store entrance, then sit in their vehicle in the handicap spot-eating drinking smoking reading-waiting for their healthy passenger to return.

One day down at the drug store I watched the driver of a handicaped marked car take one of the drug store handicap spots, then the driver walks a block down the street to another store.

I do not say a word to these people. I am handicapped. I cannot run, I cannot fight, I cannot hide. I am afraid of the violent reactions I have generated in times past when addressing these thoughtless cheaters.

180

[twistedliberal]

20. "Loaf & Jug."

Heh, heh.

That's a funny name.

Sorry.

:evilgrin:

[CO Liberal]

40. They're a Big Chain Here in Colorado

And then there's the Milk Barn chain, with the slogan "From Moo to You".

[elvisbear]

65. Around here we have the "Kum & Go".

I just refer to it as a Quik shop. Who thinks up these store names?

[ProfessorGAC]

22. MAJOR Pet Peeve

I have MS and qualify for handicap plates or the sticker. And, i won't take it!

I don't have problems with walking in that way. Sure, my legs are always causing me pain. Sure, they get fatigued was easier than a thin guy my age would normally experience.

But, i always picture me ambling out of the store and someone with a wheelchair looking for a parking place.

People who don't respect that advantage for the handicapped should be beaten with wet newspapers until they cry. If i can respect the need of others to have that spot, there is NO excuse for others not to.
The Professor

[lpbk2713]

24. Just for info..........

Folks who are hearing impaired qualify for a handicapped designation. Crossing through a busy parking lot as a hearing impaired pedestrian can be very frightening. So when you see someone get out of a vehicle in a marked parking space and walk or even run normally don't be too quick to jump to conclusions.

[DS1]

25. I park in the "Cars with small children" spots out of spite

Go ahead, flame away, having kids should come with bonus prizes.

Same goes for pre-boarding, especially on Southwest Airlines :grr:

[ProfessorGAC]

32. I Think I Might Agree On This

It does irritate me on airlines. If they want to give special boarding, why not add one more bulkhead and seat them all in that section. Then they get special boarding, and i get a seat where nobody is kicking me in the back.

But, for shopping areas???? Just walk the extra couple of hundred feet. Sheesh! If people think kids are so much trouble that it's too big a hassle to walk through a parking lot with them, they shouldn't have had those kids in the first place.

If, as one who qualifies for handicapped plates, i can walk the extra distance, so can the people with strollers.
The Professor

[MaryBear]

37. Sometimes the extra distance is the problem.

I have a placard, even though I am able to walk just fine. But I only have so much energy, and that extra distance can put me over the edge. The problem is once I'm there at the edge it is too late. So I park nearby.

[ProfessorGAC]

39. I Understand

There are days when my legs aren't working well (I have MS).

But, the small children parking is silly. If a person with small children also has a disability, they don't need the small children parking spot. If they don't have a disability, then they should walk the extra distance like i do.

Understand Grandma, that i'm not that old, but MS makes every step seem like 20. But, i'll put up with it, in case someone with an even worse problem needs that spot. But, having small children is NOT a problem that justifies it.
The Professor

[MaryBear]

74. I don't think I'm that old either,

but I have Parkinson's and appreciate having a placard. I take your point about mothers, although, having been one . . .

[Name removed]

75. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[skippysmom]

34. I hate those spots

Me, I have been known to park in the spots reserved for pregnant women if I can't find another spot.

Edited to add that there should be a special place in hell for people who park in handicapped spots who don't belong there.

[mantis49]

66. I will too

Pregnant women are advised to walk for exercise. If they have a condition that prohibits that, then they can get a handicapped placard.

[Pithlet]

41. Where do they have those?

Cars with small children spots. I've never seen that. That is silly.

Pre-boarding is a different issue, though. It takes a lot longer to get on the plane when you have small children, and if you try to do it while everyone else is getting on the plane, you get in people's way. It is much easier for everyone if those who take longer to get situated are allowed on first. Otherwise, I'd end up bopping someone who's already seated while I'm trying to carry my infant, carry on, and his car seat while struggling down the narrow isle. It is much easier to do so on a nearly empty plane.

[skippysmom]

42. I;ve seen them in a few places

Mostly at grocery stores and drugstores in the Northeast.

I can certainly see your point about the pre-boarding -- they say it's for people who need "extra time" -- which could be a family with small kids and strollers and such, or older people, or just someone who wants to get settled.

Personally, I try to board as late as possible so I can reduce the time I have to squeeze myself into that tiny space.

[MrsMatt]

47. The pre-boarding actually serves a useful function

I speak from experience. Try to install a car seat, keep track of an active four year old, stow your baggage, and get settled in all the while intercepting other passengers give you dirty looks because you are clogging the aisle. It's stressful enough to travel with children.

[Pithlet]

52. Yes,

but it's a bonus prize, along with all of the other goodies we get for being parents. It's fun to flaunt all of our perks among the childless, with smug, satisfied looks on our faces. </sarcasm>

[Cuban_Liberal]

27. I smile as I write those $100 citations...

I will ticket any car, any time I see one illegally parked in a fire lane or a handicapped spot, and smile (maybe even whistle cheerily) as I do so. If it's still there when I check again (10-20 minutes), I call a tow truck.

I'm a 'zero-tolerance' kind of officer, when it comes to those two things.

[ProfessorGAC]

31. Thank You, For That

As i said in my post, i actually qualify for handicapped parking privileges, and i won't take them, because i always figure someone worse off than me needs it more.

When people park in those spots without cause, they deserve whatever they get.
The Professor

[Cuban_Liberal]

33. Absolutely, they do!

Those fire lanes are there for a reason, too, and why people don't 'get it' I completely fail to understand. You should hear some of the 'reasons' I've heard over the years for why people park in both places... :shrug:

[Interrobang]

76. Oh, please post a thread about that!

I'd *love* to hear some of the "reasons" people come up with for parking in dumbshit places where they ought to know better. "Free-range rude" (to quote the eminent Dr. Hannibal Lecter) almost always amuses me...at a remove or two.

I too am handicapped (cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia, injury arthritis in knees) and so is my fiance (chronic pain/impairment from having a tv camera dropped on his head, right now a burst fracture of T-6 and a broken rib). While I don't drive, he has a "cap tag" (as we call them), and sometimes we *both* need them. I usually get around on the bus, and while I'm generally pretty able-bodied (if you watch closely, I limp, especially when I'm tired), in a car-friendly environment, taking the bus usually means a *lot* of extra walking, which can be tough if I'm hauling groceries or something. Sometimes (not always) I just really appreciate having the tag.

On the other hand, if we're both having a pretty good day, or we just need to run in somewhere, we'll usually leave the cap space for someone who *really* needs it. That's most of the time, say 9 times out of 10. For that tenth time, though, it's nice (and necessary) to have...

[Rabrrrrrr]

55. Mwuhahahahahahahahahaha!!

I love it!

Thank you for taking care of the problem when YOU see it! I wish we could all write tickets.

[VOX]

60. CL -- For all of us who've said, "Where are they when we need 'em?"...

Allow me to apologize. You're the officer who *is* around!

Many thanks, and best to you.

[mopaul]

61. I have a question officer....

as you are one who might have an opinion on this.
what about the idea i mentioned in another post here about issuing a small booklet of either warning notices, or outright citations to anyone with a legal handicapped parking status? in other words, if i found someone illegally parked, i could place it on their windshield, just like parking officers do, with the date, time, location, and license number, with a carbon copy to keep and one to send in to the authorities. i think it would be very effective against violaters, and give police officers perhaps a little more time.

many times there is no officer around, and in some areas, it's not as effectively enforced. so this would be a way to take the citation, directly to the offender, right there as the offense is happening.

just interested in what you think of that.

mo

[RebelOne]

62. Good for you.

See my thread #11. I wanted to give that officer a round of applause.

[greatauntoftriplets]

69. I want to thank you also.

A friend occasionally drivers her mother whose mobility is very limited to the doctor's office. Otherwise, the mother is pretty much home-bound. I have no problem with using the card when the mother is in the car. However, the friend also uses it for herself if she can't get a parking space that is close enough to wherever she is going. That frosts me no end.

On the other hand, another friend has muscular dystrophy and wears leg braces. She refuses to get a handicap card because she doesn't believe that she is handicapped. Her I give credit.

[supernova]

29. Find it offensive

when perfectly healthy people use the handicapped spaces. Though, as stated above, lots of times you can't know if the person is truly healthy or not.

I don't use the handicapped spaces, though I do look for first tier parking spaces. I usually find them because I do my business in off hours.

I can walk most places, and I do. I do have CHD and for stamina I'm in a use it or lose it situation. The more I do the better I feel and can do, to a degree. If I don't keep active, I can get profoundly fatigued with a twinge of depression thrown in. So to the extent I can, I do.

[mopaul]

35. another roller here....

gotta have a wheelchair spot, and in missouri, they come in two types:
handicapped, and wheelchair spots, which are wider, to allow specially equipped vans more room. it's better than the old days, when there was absolutely no handicapped spots.

some of the restrooms i've tried to roll into are very frustrating.
99% are just fine, but i went to one gas station where the door was so thin, i couldn't roll in. so.....i pissed on the floor. couldn't help it. what can i say?

i get mad when the handicapped spot has broken glass all over...i mean, wheelchairs get flats too. or mud puddles, right where you have to get out and set up the chair.

i think that people who have placards or plates legally issued to them, should also be given citations, with two copies, to be place on violaters cars, and sent to the local cops. that would crack down on a lot of it.

but people still do park in them illegally a lot, i've noticed.
they get away with it till it's too late of course, and they get ticketed. there are so many different levels of disability. if i saw someone more ambulatory than me trying to park, i'd let them in first. someone with no upperbody abilities for instance. i can still use my arms and whip it around pretty good, but others are more dibilitaed.

around here, they even have parking spots for expectant mothers, with a stork cartoon on them. some people are against it.

but for folks who violate these parking spots, i can only hope they break a leg and have to live through it a few times, then they'd understand completely.

[denverbill]

38. OK, but I want to vent about handicapped spots anyway.

I used to take light rail in Denver when I worked downtown. Every day, every single space in every available light rail parking lot was full, but the 5-10 handicapped spots invariably had 80% open spaces. I would never used the handicapped spots. Instead, I had to park illegally in store lots, or drive downtown if I couldn't find a non-handicapped spot. But why the hell do we need 5 times more handicapped spots than we have handicapped parkers?

In the case of Loaf & Jug or 7-Eleven, I used to go to a 7-Eleven that had 5 parking spots in front. They then changed it to 4 spots, including one handicapped spot. Once again, that parking spot remained empty 95% of the time, inconveniencing 20 drivers for every 1 handicapped person who needed the spot. Now, when someone goes to 7-11, they don't generally spend an hour there. They are in and out in 1-2 minutes most of the time. I don't think it's that horrible that if all the other spots at 7-11 are taken, that someone uses the handicapped spot. If a handicapped person arrives while he's in the store, I don't think it's that much of a hardship for the handicapped driver to occasionally have to wait a few minutes for the handicapped spot to open up.

I just think the laws need to be a bit flexible. Very few parking lots need more than a handful of handicapped spots and that need should be accurately investigated. If my Safeway, for example, determines that over the course of a month, there were never more than 2 cars in their 8 handicapped spaces, they should be able to remove at least 4 handicapped spaces. And in the case of Loaf-n-Jug, just change the law to make it illegal to park in a handicapped spot if other spots are available.

</rant>

[Beaker]

49. nice attitude.

when I pull into a lot, and there are non-placarded cars in the handicapped spot because the lazy-ass moron is just running in the store for "just 1 or 2 minutes", I either park my car directly behind theirs to block them in the space(I DO have a placard), or I'll take the valve stem out of one of their tires(I have a stem remover on my keychain).

fuck those inconsiderate pricks.

just because there isn't a car in the handicapped spot at the moment you want to park, it doesn't mean that one might not pull up at any time, and need to utilize the space.

[denverbill]

68. So what's the problem?

Jesus, can handicapped people not actually wait 2 minutes ever? What if there is another handicapped person in the spot already?

Like I said, I don't park in handicapped spots, but I think the law should be changed. I'm fine with having handicapped spots, but there's a difference between trying to make life easier for the handicapped and being goofy about it. If you are waiting in line at the DMV and a handicapped person in a wheelchair comes in, do you give him your number and wait an extra hour? No. Handicapped people have to wait like the rest of us sometimes. It's no more of a burden for a handicapped person to occasionally wait 2 minutes for a parking spot at the 7-11 than it is for me to park a block away because the only open spot is reserved for the 2 handicapped people per day that sometimes use it.

[Cuban_Liberal]

64. The number and placement of spots is mandated by law.

It's not up to handicapped folks to decide how many there are, or where they're placed--- state law dictates that. If you're unhappy with that, then I would suggest writing your legislator to get it changed, because you will continue to be ticketed and/or towed until such time as the law is changed.

You really need to stop the whiny 'pity party' and THINK FOR ONE MINUTE about what life would be like if YOU were in need of a handicapped spot; i'm sure any handicapped person would GLADLY trade with you.

[denverbill]

71. Oh, pu-leeze.

#1, I've never been ticketed or towed for parking in a handicapped spot because I've never parked in a handicapped spot.

#2, I said that I favored a law change so that merchants could change the available handicapped parking.

#3, if I were handicapped and couldn't find a handicapped spot, I'd probably feel about the same as I used to when I tried to park at the light rail lots and the lot was totally full, except for the handicapped spots.

#4, if you are so concerned about handicapped people getting a spot every time they go anywhere, then every parking lot should reserve enough spots for every handicapped person in a 10 mile radius to park there at once. So if there are 100 handicapped people in a ten mile radius, every 7-11 out to have 100 handicapped spots. Otherwise, under the current system with 1 spot, eventually, two handicapped people might show up and once and one would have to wait.

I'm not saying that handicapped drivers shouldn't have priority or that they should get handicapped spots. I'm only saying that they are currently way overbuilt and underused and that in many cases, the inconvenience to non-handicapped people vastly outweighs the convenience to handicapped people.

[CO Liberal]

72. It Depends On The Location

I can ususally get a handicapped spot right away at the Safeway in Pueblo West. But I usually have to wait for one at the King Soopers or the Wal-Mart Super Center in Pueblo.

[denverbill]

73. Well, I obviously can't speak for all locations.

There are probably lots of places where the handicapped spots are used MUCH more frequently than others. In my town, the Safeway also has plenty, but King Soopers does too. Walmart is probably tougher, but then again, they have enormous handicapped spots, and seeing as how at our Supercenter I'm lucky to park within 2 blocks of the store, they are pretty handy.

I must say that some places bother me more than others. The light rail was really annoying, because you had no other options except to not park there or park elsewhere illegally. King Soopers has plenty of spots, but they don't really bother me because they are off to the side so I guess they tend to be less noticable than spots that are placed in the middle of a parking area since I'm not always driving past empty spots. The Safeway ones are smack in the middle of the lot so after first driving past empty spot after empty spot, you then get to walk by them on the way in and out too.

Sorry, it's just a pet peeve of mine. I definitely approve of having the spots, it's just that in some circumstances, they don't work very well in practice sometimes.

I'll stop ranting now:)

[Vernunft II]

82. With the same logic you could wait

for one of the non handicapped spots to open up, couldn´t you ? :-)

[HEyHEY]

43. I look at it as "handicapped people parked in people spots."

;-)

[catmandu57]

50. I can take three unassisted steps before I fall on my face

last year it was four, I'm getting closer to that chair every year. I can gimp along okay with a stick, it's better when I have someone to hold onto. My main bitch with placards is if you're that goddamned crippled like myself go get the damn plate, on the other hand though I do keep a stubbed my toe placard in my wifes car.

[Beaker]

53. Why I prefer the placard to plates-

we have two cars, and I drive both of them about an equal amount, and sometimes we ride with other people- for me, the placard is much better than the plates.

[CO Liberal]

67. I Prefer The Placards, Too

Because they can be removed when the handicapped person is not in the vehicle. It really burns my tailfeathers when I see a couple of 16-year-olds driving Grandma's Cavalier because I know they're gonna use Granny's handicapped plates to get a good spot at the mall.

[noonwitch]

44. It is my pet-peeve, and I'm not handicapped.

I tell able-bodied people not to park if I see them doing it, and if they still do, I write down their plate number and give it to security guards (I usually see this at the store-Target will get the police to ticket them).

My 90 year old grandfather has a tag for when he drives grandma around. He doesn't use it if she's not with him. I have friends in their 30s who get a temporary permit for an injury, and milk it as long as they can.

[JM]

46. My 8 cents

1) Handicapped Parking: People who are healthy and park in handicapped spaces are assholes. Plain and simple. They deserve what they get.

2) Handicapped Laws: I was incredibly ambivalent about the handicapped until I moved into my present house. One of our next door neighbors has only one leg and can't get a sign or a marked space in front of their house because she has a placard, not a plate. According to her, people steal the plates. The city will not give her the sign and space despite her having shown up in person explaining she cannot grow a new leg.

3) Preboarding and child sections: Preboarding is most helpful, especially since they usually place the kids nearest the engines so their screaming is drowned out.

4) For those of you who don't have kids and can't understand the need for Kids Parking in certain cases, take this as food for thought. I have small kids, and the area in which we live is rife with stupid drivers in large vehicles. Imagine parents who need to get to the store and need to take their kids running through the lot with the smaller kids' foreheads at bumper level. They may be an inconveniece for the rest of us, but I am sure they are there for a reason, likely because some small kids was hit before.

5) We used to use the Handicap signs to torture asshole customers at the grocery store where I worked. We knew all the regulars, so when they would pull into a space opposite a handicap space, we would flip the sign around and call the cops. This was all before everyone had digital cameras...

Later,
JM

[Beaker]

51. One Handicapped policy I don't agree with-

Let me start by saying that I'm a disabled person who has a legitimate need for handicapped parking-
and while I definitely take advantage of the policy, I don't think that cars with placards or H-plates should be allowed to skip feeding the meters- In Evanston, the city north of chicago where we used to live, they made a certain percentage of the metered on-street parking spots into designated "Handicapped" spots, and removed the parking meters from those spots- and in Illinois, people with placards don't have to feed the meter, even if there is one.
I disagree with this policy- If a handicapped person can afford to have/operate a car, they should be able to feed the parking meter like everyone else.

[Piltdown13]

57. I agree with you there

There was quite a bit of outrage a couple years ago when my university moved to a similar policy for handicapped parking permits. Originally, disabled drivers had only to fill out the needed paperwork and they could get a parking pass, free of charge. Then, a few years ago, the university started charging for these parking passes, at the rates charged to other drivers for their passes. They were NOT charging an extra fee for the handicapped permit, just charging what everyone else paid. This caused quite an outcry from activists whose position was that they should be able to park for free. I can understand this to a certain extent, given the well-documented difficulties that the disabled have in securing well-paying employment...yet it still seemed only fair that all should pay to park, especially on a campus where parking is extremely scarce. (I should add that the handicapped spaces on our campus are extremely vigilantly policed, so you almost never see anyone without the proper permit parked in one.)

[mopaul]

59. true, but.....

if in a wheelchair, there may be a curb with no ramp access to the meter. motorized wheelchair users are sometimes so disabled, they cant use their hands for anything but moving the levers and steering and braking. i know such people. they'd have a real hard time, or find it downright impossible to put coins in a meter every hour.

if alone, you have to get out on the left of course, into heavy downtown traffic usually, set up the chair, and get up on the sidewalk to get to the meter, on the right side of the car. not that easy. sometimes, the only ramps are located on the corners, not where you parked, and you have to roll down the street, in traffic, to the corner, to the ramp, to the meter. if there's no ramp where you parked, there's no way a wheelchair can get up on the sidewalk, without assistance. of course if you have an assistant, he puts the coins in. it's complicated

in missouri, i can park right by a meter, for free, all for about 4 hours i think. some spaces let you park there free all the time.
unless theres a ramp to the meter, i myself couldn't put coins in one without great difficulty. so......

i once went to get an s.s. physical, and the doc's office was 16 steps up. i couldn't go in. had to scream at the doctor to let him know i at least showed up. crazy.

i don't begrudge folks in wheelchairs free meter parking, it's just a few lousy coins, but i see your point.

[Beaker]

63. the times that it bugs me most-

is when i see big brand new yellow(they always seem to be yellow, anyway) Cadillacs parked in a spot for free, when the old beat up bug next to it has to pay the quarter.
and I see your point about the meters- but the VAST majority of people who use those spots have the ability to reach the meter, and most(although i admit, not ALL) people who are that disabled generally don't drive around everywhere on their own...and perhaps there could be another type of placard- one for people who are so impaired as to not being able to reach the meter.

[aldian159]

70. Unless its raning/snowing

I always park as far as possible. Your gonna walk around for a half four inside, what's another 50 yards or so walking outside?

[Gore1FL]

78. I saw this handicapped guy park in one of OUR spots

and I kicked his ass.

[UnAmericanJoe]

79. This seemed like a good thread to throw down

some classic Seinfeld. ;)


GEORGE: Look at this. There's no spaces here. (to another car) Excuse me, are you gettin' out?

MAN IN CAR: No!

KRAMER: Why don't you take a handicap spot...

GEORGE: You think?

ELAINE: No, no! We'll find a space. There's spaces in the other lot.

GEORGE: I don't want to walk that far.

ELAINE: What if a handicapped person needs it?

KRAMER: Oh, come on, they don't drive!

JERRY: Yes, they do!

KRAMER: Have you ever seen a handicapped person pull into a space and park?

JERRY: Well there's spaces there, they must drive!

KRAMER: Well they don't. If they could drive, they wouldn't be handicapped.

ELAINE: So if you can drive, you're not handicapped?

GEORGE: Look, we're not gonna be that long anyway... we have to get to the "party"!

KRAMER: I got news for you: handicapped people, they don't even want to park there! They wanna be treated just like anybody else! That's why, those spaces are always empty.

GEORGE: He's right! It's the same thing with the feminists. You know, they want everything to be equal, everything! But when the check comes, where are they?

[Name removed]

80. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[burrowowl]

81. I had a handicap sticker for my parents

wheelchair and walker bound. After unloading my parents at the doc's, I went to the car and to get my book for the long wait. Some bitch chewed me out and said I didn't need a handicap sticker. Did she help, even open the fucking unautomatic door ... Am I supposed to park in the fire lane to get them out, dump them in the middle of the street. The walker bound had a hard time going to far ... I hate people who make snap judgements. However, I don't like people who park there without cause. I hate worse the handicap with their oxygen tank who side-swipe with their SUV and some handicap who shouldn't be driving. Someone else should be driving, able to park in the handicap to unload them and take them where they have to go. I only use the palcard when hauling them.
By the way some people who don't look handicapped are.
Another pet peeve is people in compact cars who park crooked so you have to enter your car from the passenger seat, that is unless another A-hole has done the same thing on the passenger side. Makes one feel like scratching their cars, haven't done, but felt like it.

[REP]

83. I Just Call The Cops

And when anyone tries to question me about my placard, I just ask where they went to medical school. Doesn't happen often - I can walk unassisted, but sometimes I limp pretty bad!