I'm annoyed by people who park in disabled bays

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I once saw a sign someone had written in front of a store when I was in a smaller town. I presume that the storeworkers had problems with completely healthy people parking in disabled space (there were around three spots) and disabled people not getting a spot. The sign said: "If you're perfectly healthy and park on this bay, please tell us which knee you would like shattered so you can learn why the handicapped need these bays."
It wasn't serious, of course, but I think they were getting pretty fed up with that sort of things.

But anyways, I'm annoyed by healthy people parking in disabled bays. Some do it even when there's space elsewhere. And nobody cares.

 

My boyfriend and I get a lot of dirty looks when we park up in a disabled space, even when I walk off on crutches people still give us looks and say things.

I've been shouted at in public before in a crowded car park as disabled badge holders did not have to pay for a ticket, I got lectured on abusing the system, which is ridiculous.

The badge only gets used if I'm present, I pay at most places for parking if it's required, if a company decides not to charge disabled users I don't see why I should be held responsible. Same as if I go on an outing with my family and a carer gets in free (usually meaning my mother gets in free, or boyfriend.)

People often seem to miss the point that I NEED help to get around. I didn't chose to be a crip and I don't enjoy it. Wheelchairs are not a tool for laziness, they're expensive, heavy and hard to push around yourself. I was meant to go to a careers fair last week but I couldn't go because I had nobody who could help me get around, public transport can be painful and quite frankly inadequate (I couldn't get to uni last year if I was in a wheelchair by bus which was half of the year!)

I have had to fight hard to get what I am entitled to by government legislation. Currently, I still don't have access to everying I should do. I'm not doing it to be selfish or inconvenience other people - I'm doing it to get by like everyone else.

If people are too ignorant, lazy or bitter about that then they're welcome to trade places. I'm certainly sick of things from my point of view.

 

Well said sweetie

 

Hehe.

 

I must join you in voicing my contempt for such jackasses.

The worst I've ever seen was a guy parking his van diagonally across the Handicap space and the nearest normal space. I saw the jerk walk out of the bank, and he was in better shape than I was!

That said, we have a permit for such spaces because my octogenarian Grandmother lives with us. We only use such spaces when she is with us--even the days when my mother and/or myself need our canes!

 

I say with some pride that such things don't seem to happen in New Zealand. Yesterday I biked down to the community centre to vote, and even though there were numerous cars there, the three disabled parking slots were unoccupied. Even though nobody would probably fault them because you would be in and out in less than five minutes.

 

This is something that is really close to my heart (as you can probably tell by my posts!). It upsets me that people can be so ignorant. It's not a case of what's PC and what's not, more that there are people in genuine need who shouldn't have a tough time made worse.

I've even started an FB group with the hope that, eventually, I'll have enough support to show how much of an issue this is and make people realise that they are being selfish, stupid and ignorant. It doesn't matter that people park in disabled bays because they'll 'only be a minute' or they're worried that their car might get pranged. It's no excuse for make peoples lives harder than they already are

 

Gotta weigh in here and say that if someone is just a lazy <insert vicious swear word here> and parks in a handicapped stall, that person should lose their gonads. However, . . .

My father is 84 now. About 6 years ago I took him to the pharmacy. He is still in pretty good shape but he was quite sick that day. However, he is a stubborn fellow and wouldn't let me go in and get his prescription. To make things easier for him I parked in the disabled stall and waited for him so that as soon as he was back we could vacate the stall ASAP for those who need it. Some jerk tapped my car and shook his sanctimonious finger at me. I nearly got out and clocked the little bugger. He know NOTHING of the situation and yet made a judgement.

I parked in that stall so that a sick 78 year old veteran wouldn't have to walk as far. I parked in that stall because I love my father. Anyone who has a problem with that can . . . . you can guess what I'd like to say.

My point is, not everyone without a sticker is a 100% healthy person who doesn't care about other people.

 

LKD -- around where I live they give $200 tickets for exactly what you described... and the police troll for those tickets.

 

I think you were perfectly right to do what you did LKD as you went about it in the right way. What I have a problem with is people parking in these spots just because it's closer to the shop or whatever. In your case, it was perfectly acceptable, especially as you waited in the car!

 

The problem is that, as Tal said, there is no way to know whether the person’s reason for parking there is legitimate. You’re basically asking people to police themselves, and we all know the potential for abuse there.

I can just see the conversation now:

Driver: “It’s OK, officer, I’m just waiting for my sick, 80 year old father to get his prescription filled.”
Officer: “But you’re parked in front of the ice cream store. The pharmacy is way over there.”
Driver: “No, no. You misunderstand. My dad just had his, um, tonsils removed. Yeah, that's it -tonsils. And the prescription is for ice cream.”
Officer: “He’s 80 and just getting his tonsils out now? Plus you don’t need a prescription for ice cream.”
Driver: “You do if you want Rocky Road after surgery like that.”
Officer: “With extra nuts?”
Driver: “Um, yeah, sure. If that helps…”
Officer: “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place? Have a nice day.”

 

LKD: In that situation, I would introduce the person to your father and seek an apology. What you did was why those spots are there. I'll admit I'd feel embarrassed had I spouted off only to find out the truth...

 

It is easy to come up with a lame excuse Splunge when you don't have a person in need with you. However, LKD did and could prove that he wasn't abusing the fact that there were priority spaces there

I have no idea if that made sense, not had a coffee yet!

 

Currently I have a case of pneumonia coupled with a pleurasy (sp? -- it's an inflamation of the lining in the chest). I run out of breath easily and every breath is painful. Walking any distance is an effort -- and I still would not park in a disabled spot.

That I'm somewhat incapacitated for a few days (or possibly a couple weeks) is not a reason to use the handicapped parking. I'll get over this. The handicapped parking is to help people who have difficulties for long periods of time (months, years, or their entire life). Fine, it's a bit uncomfortable to walk the extra fifty feet or so, but it's only for a few days -- compound that discomfort over a lifetime.

I'll grant there are times a temporary issue will allow for parking in handicapped spots, but you can be issued a temporary tag for just that reason. If you have a valid need, you can get a tag. If you choose not to get the tag you can, and should, be fined.

I have told people "you forgot to put your tag up" -- which usually gets a more positive response than "you gravy sucking pig, how dare you park in a handicapped spot."

 

LKD, if I were in your situation, I would have dropped your dad off at the entrance, and drove around the parking lot to find a spot where I could see the entrance clearly...that way I could just pull up to him once he comes out of the store. You don't have to pull in to a stall either...

But I agree that staying put in the car is much better than leaving it there. At least that way, you can move if all other spots fill up.

 

Judging by a few comments that have been made, I still feel there's another side to this issue that needs to be addressed. You can't always tell someone is disabled just from looking at them. Disorders like Parkinson's disease or certain types of lung ailments can't usually be recognized just from looking at someone, but they most certainly do necessitate the use of handicapped spaces. All too often, people with such "invisible" disabilities are put on the receiving end of a great deal of verbal abuse from people who should probably know better.

I make this point not to attack anyone in particular, but to ask folks to keep in mind that the people you see stealing handicapped spaces from others who actually need them are often doing nothing of the sort. In some cases, they may even need the spot more than those who are suffering from more obvious disabilities.

 

This isn't about problems that you can't see...we all know that there are a lot of people in this world with such difficulties. It's about people who don't have a permit to park in disabled bays yet still do. Everyone I know who has a genuine disability has a permit.

It's the people who think that they can park in these bays without need that's the problem

 

Perhaps in the UK. Here in the states, the fines are so high that this rarely happens. When you see a car parked in a handicapped spot that has regular plates and no other indicator of disability, it's usually just because the person forgot to hang up his placard. Here in the states, we do have a problem with friends and relatives of disabled people utilizing handicapped spaces when their disabled friend or relative isn't with them. As tempting as it may be to give such people a piece of your mind, however, it is important to recognize that you may be wrong in your assessment and are actually dressing down someone suffering from Parkinson's Disease or MS. Aside from being upsetting for the person suffering from a disability, such a gaffe would also be more than a little embarrassing.