Handicapped parking for well people?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by SurfDoctor, Oct 2, 2013.

Loading...
  1. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    I'll say it again; you weren't there, I was. Plus, mine was not a conclusive judgement on any particular individual, it was a observation which is accurate about many people, even if not accurate about this particular person. Even if I am wrong about that person, it does not change the fact that people are abusing the system. That's all I am saying. If it was not this person, it was one of the many others I have seen who were perfectly capable of parking in regular spots.

    I do not enjoy these kind of debates; I have better things to do with my time. I will not reply to you further, you can have the last word.
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I'd like it if the shopping cart people at the grocery store would call the Police when someone parks in a handicap slot. Like a lot of other laws, they get broken because they're not enforced. Drop a dime on these people!
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I don't know if the police will respond to write what amounts to a parking ticket, especially since it might take some time to respond and, thus, lose out on the opportunity because the violator has left. Perhaps they would.

    Another tactic would be to invite a towing company to cruise the lot. They could two away vehicles parked without the proper placard--but this wouldn't deal with the ones who misuse legitimate placards.

    An even more effective tactic: forget about it. It's a parking violation, not a danger to safety. Besides, look at supply and demand. How many times do you see it where every handicap space is filled? In other words, these violators seldom put out their supposed victims. We're mad because they're taking advantage of a situation and because it's wrong. Okay, but big deal. I'm much more concerned with drivers who don't yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and who turn right on a red light without stopping first. Tailgaters, people who speed through residential areas, and people who are in the wrong lane but insist upon making their dangerous turn anyway all concern me way more than people who park illegally.
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Well said, I couldn't agree more.
     
  5. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    My concerns are with people who text and drive and the ridiculously high % of drunk drivers on the road at any given time in the city I currently live in.

    It would also be nice if drivers remembered that cyclists require three feet of clearance out here.
     
  6. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    It is your father's right to not get a disabled parking placard if he so chooses just as it is my mother's right to get a disabled parking placard if she so chooses. The point is that another person's disability is not always obvious to the casual observer.
     
  7. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Agreed. I would add that there are many people who rely on that fact to abuse the system. Obviously, you mother deserves to have that space.
     
  8. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    You are absolutely right, Rich. Thanks for your astute observations.
     
  9. rmm0484

    rmm0484 Member

    This is the honest truth, I saw it myself firsthand. A few years ago in downtown DC, two late model black Porsches drive up to a curb and park adjacent to each other. The drivers (a man and a woman, both middle aged) got out of their respective cars and walked away together, both seemingly very healthy. They each had a handicapped sign dangling from their rear view mirror.
     
  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Considering that sociopathy isn't a handicap in Washington, D.C., I'd say they should have had to park in normal spaces.
     
  11. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Thank you.
     
  12. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

  13. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Evidence supporting my case: Parking Officer Abuses Handicapped Parking

    "He was supposed to dole out tickets and make sure drivers were sticking to parking rules. But instead, one Houston parking enforcement agent broke the rules he was meant to enforce, getting fired this week after parking illegally in a handicapped spot and cursing at the fed-up civilian who filmed him in action."
     
  14. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    Certainly, supporting the case that well people parking in handicapped parking spaces is a problem. I think we all agree with this. It is worth talking about – and thank you for bringing it up and pursuing the conversation, SD.

    I think this example in the same article –

    supports my big case here. It's unlikely that just by watching Moya's father walk out of his car briefly on a good day, an observer could tell that he had COPD or any pulmonary condition.

    Adapting to a Change in Body Image (from the COPD Big Fat Reference Guide, from the COPD Foundation)
     
  15. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Oh no, here we go again! :smile:
     
  16. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

  17. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Oh that is so funny! I'll bet those hardened criminals illegally use handicapped parking too! LOL. :smile:
     
  18. suelaine

    suelaine Member

    This might be drifting a bit off the topic too. I don't want to be the judge in most cases whether the person who appears to be just fine, is actually legitimately handicapped. However, I do think that most people who can walk 20 feet, can also manage to walk 300 or more feet, even if it is not comfortable and may even be painful. People with disabilities need exercise too, and it is my guess that more often than not, walking the extra distance would actually benefit them and they are doing themselves no real favor by taking advantage of the handicapped spot (I am talking about people who can walk and might appear to others as not handicapped; not talking about someone in a wheelchair or using a walker, for example).
     
  19. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    My mom regularly drove my grandmother's car, handy sticker and all. Shameful.
     
  20. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Yes, this is what I am talking about. I'm sure there are many with disabilities that are not apparent, but there are also many that abuse the system.
     

Share This Page