Handicapped parking

Last night, we stopped at subway to get dinner. On our way in, we saw a teenager in the handicapped parking spot, just sitting in his car. On our way in, my hubby pointed at the sign, and said 'LOOK THIS ONE IS HANDICAPPED' very loudly. I giggled, cuz I wanted to do the same thing, but he beat me to it. We watched a very NONhandicapped girl walk out of there with no problem, get in the car with the guy, and leave...

That just burns me up. I have an addopted dad who needs those spots, and when someone takes one, HE has to walk further, and he's got a horrible back. I hate when people do that. Why can't people leave those spaces for those who DO need it?

Sorry, just a little rant

I hate that!
Here we have little signs under the handi-capped signs with a phone # to call and report the licsence plate #.
The way it works is if your car has been reported the police (by-law) will come by and take a picture of the license plate and that person has 5 days to prove they had a right to be there, if they can't its a $500 fine!

Originally Posted by ash_bct

I hate that!
Here we have little signs under the handi-capped signs with a phone # to call and report the licsence plate #.
The way it works is if your car has been reported the police (by-law) will come by and take a picture of the license plate and that person has 5 days to prove they had a right to be there, if they can't its a $500 fine!

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Oh how I wish they had those here! I would probably actually get a cell phone for that!

That just burns me up when I see some lazy idiot parking in a handicapped space. Especially when it's stupid LAZY kids! I would love to call the cops on them, and honestly, I would block their car in until the cops arrived to issue the ticket.

Yes, a lot of handicapped spots are hijacked by well people, but keep in mind not all handicaps are visable. In many states, not sure if it's nation-wide, you need a handicapped decal on your car to park there.

I hate that as well!

In Puerto Rico, what we have is a little sign from the DOT stating that you can use the handicapped parking that you hang from your rear view mirror so it can be seen from outside. It has your picture, some details of bith date and such, and thats it. The sign is obtained with a doctors certification stating the reasons for it which is brought to the DOT and you get it from them.

If you park in there without that sign hanging from the mirror the state police will be more than happy to recruit you into helping fix PR's deficit by giving you a $1,000 fine.

Now... the thing I would love to see is the phone number...

Originally Posted by Mom of Franz

Yes, a lot of handicapped spots are hijacked by well people, but keep in mind not all handicaps are visable. In many states, not sure if it's nation-wide, you need a handicapped decal on your car to park there.

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Agreed, it's not always visible when you see the person, but the handicapped designation (on the license plate, hanger, decal) is the only legal way I know of to be allowed to park there. I'm pretty sure that's nationwide. I only look at the actual cars, not the person getting in and out of the car.

When Mom was going through chemo, she got the handicapped designation. On her good days, she didn't look like she needed it, but just going shopping would wear her out something terrible. Being able to park up front made it more bearable for her to do what she needed to do.

It is true that all handicaps are not visible. Heart and respiratory conditions qualify one for disabled plates/sticker. My late husband Russ had both heart and respiratory conditions, that necessitated him using a wheelchair, for trips that entailed any large amount of walking. If Russ was not with me, I parked in a regular space.

My mother qualifies and my dad won't get a handicapped tag, because HE is able to walk and push Mom's wheelchair.

That would burn me up, too. I always park in a spot farther off, for I figure I have good arms and legs and someone else might need to get close, even though they aren't handicapped. We should be glad we do not NEED those spaces!

When I was in a wheelchair and then on crutches I only used the handicapped spots when there wasn't a regular one next to them available (yes, I had a placard). One day when I was still on crutches and had a huge cast on my leg I pulled into a handicapped spot at a mall and an old lady pulled up behind me. My Mom got out first and the old lady started haranguing her (you young folks always use the handicapped spots when you don't need them.....) and then I got out and came around the back of the van on my crutches the lady stopped (I was the driver), her mouth worked up and down a couple of times, and then she got back into her car and drove off practically foaming at the mouth.

I could still have a placard now because on my bad days I can't walk, but I don't get one because I figure they're for people like my Grandma (just before she died she could barely walk and it took her a long time to get anywhere) and not me because I can just stay at home when I can't walk.

What my family does when we see someone able-bodied (and acting it) is we comment outloud, "Well we know where their handicap is!" And let it be. Too many people use Grandma and Grandpa's placards because they don't want to walk to the store. Those people piss me off and there's LOTS of them down here in southern California.

Oh, the other people who tick me off are the ones who will wait for 30 minutes just to get a close parking spot instead of just keeping going and taking the first one they find. They do this in the parking garage where my son's pediatrician is and you can't turn around or anything, you have to sit there and wait behind the lousy person when they could easily go up to the fifth floor, park across from the elevator and take it down and technically be even closer to the door considering walking distance. It's also irritating on holidays. Most of them don't realize that they'd get in and out of the store faster just by taking the soonest available spot and walking farther instead of waiting for 30 minutes for the closer one. Lazy buns!

Originally Posted by TTMom

Oh, the other people who tick me off are the ones who will wait for 30 minutes just to get a close parking spot instead of just keeping going and taking the first one they find. They do this in the parking garage where my son's pediatrician is and you can't turn around or anything, you have to sit there and wait behind the lousy person when they could easily go up to the fifth floor, park across from the elevator and take it down and technically be even closer to the door considering walking distance. It's also irritating on holidays. Most of them don't realize that they'd get in and out of the store faster just by taking the soonest available spot and walking farther instead of waiting for 30 minutes for the closer one. Lazy buns!

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You should move to my city!
I know you'd like this..
All the major shopping centers, and downtown, ect, have "Mommy Spots", they are for Expecting Mom's and Mom's whose kids are under 1 year old. You get the permits from our city hall, you need a doctors note saying that you are pregnant or a birth certificate, and the ctiy gives you a sticker and placard for your window

Parking in these spots illegally is the same fine.. $500

My Nana has a handicapped sticker, and you wouldn't believe the amount of idiots that park in there because it's closer. My Nana has alot of trouble walking and when the ONE handicapped space is taken up by a young hoon or such then we get very angry.

Originally Posted by MyRage

Why can't people leave those spaces for those who DO need it?

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Because they don't care and they are fools.

Come on there are always like 10 of them open anyways.

They're "always" available, except when you need one. When I was in a wheelchair I was never able to find an open one.

Originally Posted by Cougar

Come on there are always like 10 of them open anyways.

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BRANDON!

Originally Posted by Cougar

Come on there are always like 10 of them open anyways.

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I beg your pardon... but I am yet to see a single parking lot, in my life that has got more than four of those spaces in a single spot. Unless of course we are talking that Utah is very mindful of its handicapped drivers by putting such a high limit for handicap spaces.

TTMom, could it be because that was precisely when you where actually looking for them so you would notice it when it was gone, while when you are not using them you simply don't take notice of whats happening to the handicapped space?

Sort of like how a motorcycle rider would see more motorcycles than another person. The biker will notice it, will perhaps look at it and think of the type of bike it is. The other person will just not notice it.

I actually stopped an officer from giving a ticket to a car in the handicapped sopt. They had no mirror hanger, but I saw a woman of at least ninty being helped to the store from that car.

Victor, you would think that's so, but because I didn't use them when I was on crutches unless nothing else was available they seemed to always be open then. I can't tell you what it's like now because I just don't even consider them as parking spaces. They're not available to me so I don't even see them, they might as well be a lawn for all the parking they represent to me right now.