Ranting About Handicapped Parking Violators

Was I being rude to point out to a driver that they were parking in a space that was clearly marked as being for handicapped individuals? It happened the other day and is one of my pet peeves; people parking in spaces that are reserved for those who can't or shouldn't walk too far. This woman mumbled something about not seeing the sign and actually went back to the driver's door of her car, stuck the key in and stood there like a statue until I drove away. I watched in my rearview mirror and, sure enough, as soon as I was far enough away she pulled the key out of the lock and went into the store. She knew what she was doing and didn't care.

Anyone who has a disability or has assisted someone who does knows how frustrating it can be to not be able to find a handicapped space because some well-bodied but thoughtless person has taken a space. I wish that there was something that citizens could do. The police will rarely respond to this sort of thing and, by the time they would get there, the violators are gone. The added problem is that police don't normally patrol parking lots because they are privately owned. Maybe the security patrols at these lots should be given the authority to write tickets for those taking handicapped spaces without permits. I can't imagine that every one of the people who callously park in these spaces would do so if they actually had to confront the person with the walker or in the wheelchair but that's the way they need to be thinking. Too many of them know that the cops aren't going to get there to write them a $500 ticket before they get out of the store with their carton of cigarettes.

By the way, I feel just as strongly about the able-bodied persons who use the spaces. Just because they have the tags or placards doesn't mean they should use the spaces if they don't have the handicapped person with them.  They should be even more conscious of this than the rest of us.

++++++++++

While Washington Redskins fans are walking a mile or more or simply driving to the team's home games, fans of the Baltimore Ravens will be able to take chartered buses to their stadium. Yes, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) fell under the same ridiculous federal ruling as Metro did that prohibited it from continuing its gameday service, but in Charm City the team was able to negotiate a deal with a local bus company. Remember that the management of the Redskins, being the altruistic, well-intentioned and sincere people that they are, with no interest greater than the comfort and happiness of those who patronize their team, felt that the fans of Washington, one of the wealthiest regions in the nation, wouldn't be willing to pay the $25 per rider, per game that some charter bus company said it would cost. Don't forget that the Redskins charge that much for a space on some of their very own massive parking lots and think nothing of the impact on the fans. Don't get me started on eight dollar beers or what they charge for cold, starchy soft pretzels. They were not even willing to give it a try to see how many fans actually took advantage of the admittedly overpriced charter bus fares.

So what kind of deal did the Ravens strike with a service in Baltimore where the fan base is less affluent and perhaps not as rabid as those 40 miles to the south? How about $20-$25 per rider, per game, depending on location? While there is a discount available for those who purchase a season pass up front this is still about double what the MTA had been charging. The Baltimore bus service, as it did when the MTA was doing it, will actually pick up passengers at Park and Ride lots around the area and not just from one subway station a few miles from the stadium. The Redskins' negotiators apparently weren't working too hard to make a deal. Heck, it was probably the same person who negotiated Jason Campbell's contract.

---

Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.

Comments

[Delicious Monster]

Let them know the spaces are not reserved for the mentally handicapped.

[Amy]

I actually have a story about parking violators. My mom and I went to Target a couple months ago. We had parked in the second marked space. Next to us there was a man in his mid 30s in a small convertible sitting as if he was waiting for someone. His vehicle did not have the proper plates to park in that spot, nor did he have a placard. Believe me, it took all I had to keep from going up to his car and knocking the crap out of him.

[Titania]

I know, I know!!! They are intelligence impaired!

[Gilahi]

I've learned to be very careful when I see someone who appears to be able-bodied and parks (legally) in a handicapped spot with a permit haning from their mirror. My father had lung problems and could not walk very far at all without becoming completely exhausted. By all outward appearances, he was fine. No wheelchair, no cane, not morbidly obese, not even a limp, but he NEEDED to park close to wherever he was going or he simply wouldn't make it inside.

[Allen Muchnick]

Perhaps the owners of private parking lots can have unauthorized vehicles parked in handicapped spaces towed.

[Pete]

I just don't understand how people think that this is ok. Some of it is certainly learned from the parents as I so recently observed. Well to-do woman in a Range Rover certainly had no qualms about parking in not one, but two, handicapped spots in matter or 15 minutes while taking her young teenage son to the local bagel shop and then down the block the drug store. Someone well-dressed, in heels, and walking briskly doesn't strike me as someone needing assistance. Sure looks like a case of "my money means I don't have to follow the rules".

Promptly reported her to http://www.handicappedfraud.org/

[Daniel]

"Maybe the security patrols at these lots should be given the authority to write tickets for those taking handicapped spaces without permits."

While some things you say make sense (and I don't like rule-breakers anymore than you do), the mere idea of putting anything resembling authority to rent-a-cops causes me to shudder... a lot..