Am I being overlysensitive or just anal about handicapped parking.

[Grumpy]

I really hate seeing a perfectly healthy young person parking in handicapped just because the sign is on the car when you know good and well its for someone else

That's amazing!  You can tell if someone is perfectly healthy just by looking at them?  I'm in awe!

I think you can pretty much tell if a person is handicapped when they get out of their car, for the most part.  I know they don't give handicap parking permits for mental disabilities (it must be a physical one).   And that is what Chrisj was implying I believe....  cause obviously you don't get a handicap parking permit for an ingrown toe nail or a sinus infection.    (at least I hope not).

Point in case, last Sat saw a SUV park in a handicap spot with out a sticker or plate, and 3 obvious weight lifters exited the vehicle, my wife walking past said loud enough for them to hear, must be mentally handicapped. God I love her, but one of these days she is gonna get me killed.

[RoadKill]

 So what do ya all "believe" the percentage of  justified handicap parking (with or with out permit) actually is ? Purely your opinion is what I ask to hear.
I was offered a permit for the brain damage but I refused. Other than a little limp I dont think I'm handicapped in any way and those spots are for people who need them..NOT ME !

I think around these parts ( rural Kansas ) I think 50% or greater are abusers of the HC parking. I would say 75% in the Kansas City area because every one knows that the cops are to under man powered to mess with it so you have a 90% or better chance of getting away with it. Just another reason for population control in my opinion ! 

[Moonshot_1]

Don't think there is any way to determine what the percentage of HC parking is.

What we do know is that it is abused by non HC folks.
That there are Handicapped folks who could easily get by with out it
It is difficult to enforce in most cases.

I think that a store/mall and such places could eliminate HC parking altogether if they offer free valet service for the Handicapped. Show them your HC tag and you get let off right at the door. It might get them more shoppers.
I would think this would be better than grandma getting clocked by a car going through the lot.
handicapped Parking for Government buildings would be valet style as well when possible.

Places like parking garages usually have some kind of security and they could help to enforce the parking regulations and be required to call police to report violations.


I'm sure there are other scenarios, but I think with some creative perspectives one can reduce the abuse along with raising the requirements at least a little bit, for qualifing for an HC permit.


Anyway, just some random thoughts

[Dag]

I think this is a worldwide problem.
Wife of a friend of mine suffered a stroke a few months ago, and now she sits in a wheelchair.
When I drive her to a mall and try to find a parking space I see the problem...

There is a similarity between the pretty ladies and parking.
If you are lucky enough to find one that is free, it is HC.

[X Ring]

I think that a store/mall and such places could eliminate HC parking altogether if they offer free valet service for the Handicapped. 

Only one thing wrong with your idea.  The Americans With Disablilities Act requires businesses to have handicapped parking.

[RedValk]

yea.......i have a co-worker....whose wife had foot surgery.......so he got one of the temporary tags to hang on the mirror.......FOR HER. But.....he started using it in HIS vehicle....without her there. She couldn't come to work for about a month, her foot got so bad. SOOOO....he just kept using the mirror tag ....for HIM.

he got busted.........when she started coming to work again.....and got moved to the SAME BUILDING on the base. She had went in and got a SECOND tag to hang on the mirror. Someone who knew them both......turned him in(they were both coming in...in SEPERATE vehicles....both of them with a handicap tag hanging on the mirror). Here on the base, they don't take that stuff lightly. i was happy when he got busted....

meanwhile, BEFORE THAT HAPPENED.........a couple of times i went to lunch with the guy.......and he would actually BRAG .......about using his BOGUS handicap tag.........pulling up front at the restaurant we were going to lunch........and gleefully getting out of the vehicle with his "prime" parking spot. While all along, he had ZERO handicap....and of course, none of us with him for lunch had any physical ailment either. It was SOOOO embarrassing to get out of that vehicle....3 or 4 'strapping' big guys ....with NOTHING wrong with us........folks looking at us....with THAT look.......   I was so embarrassed. i asked him not to do it, but he insisted it was "his privilege, since his wife had the handicap"........even though she wasn't even with us. I quit going to lunch with him........

Meanwhile, myself...........i'm like someone else here........i park as far out as i can........away from all the "morons" who MIGHT ding my door. EVEN ON THE BIKE.......i don't park anywhere close. i want to be far, far away from the masses....and.............i like walking..............and most of us could use the exercise no doubt........so i park far away. And yes, like someone else mentioned.....i park out in the 'boonies'....and as i walk into the store, here is someone i saw when i first pulled up........STILL looking for that CLOSE parking spot.......still circling the parking lot (like a vulture), wasting time, burning up gas........going round and round....and gettin more out of shape no doubt..............

[¿spoom]

yeah, like most problems it is more than just one thing gone wrong but wouldn't be hard to correct. Especially if the cops gave a damn about a quick check every now and then on a slow day. A person very dear to me lost her leg just below the knee in the 70's she gets along pretty well on her prosthetic leg but folks don't realize that in winter you don't have any feel for ice and any fall risks thousands of dollars for a replacement leg or even surgery if her stump is damaged.
As a society we seem to have no conscience and hand out those stickers too easily on top of it. An entire industry has made millions selling overpriced "scooter chairs" on the tax dollar. Some are legit, other recipient's only handicap is the inability to drop a fork and push away from the darn table. When did "lazy fatass" become a diagnosis instead of a description? If I was in a wheelchair van with a side ramp/lift and there was a bike parked in the diagonals between two handicapped spaces I swear I'd drop the ramp right onto it and pretend I didn't see it 

[valkmc]

Entitlements.  It seems a lot of us are really bugged when someone else claims them, but overly sensitive when we feel someone has encroached upon ours.

I'm hypocritical in a lot of areas, but I won't be about handicapped parking spaces.

My perspectives are:



2.  Handicapped access permits are allowed to a lot of people that truly don't need them.  Experience has borne out that the proper fee and the clever turn of a phrase can purchase the permit in many localities.



      

My ex worked-managed a Dr's office. We live in a high retirement area and she had weekly arguements with people trying to score a Handicap permit when they did not require one per the doc she worked for. She said if the person complained loud enough the Doc would give them one to quiet them down.

 

[John Schmidt]

She has a permanent handicapped son, also has the lift equipped van, and lives in a small town in Illinois where everyone knows you.....including the Chief of the local PD. In this case he lives across the street. One day at Walmart, she pulled in to the HC spot and before she could drop the lift some dufuss parks his bike in the striped area. She got out and spoke to him about it and asked him to move it, he answered with some choice words and walked away. She called her neighbor, who in turn called the wrecker service under contract and also sent a cop over. First, the cop ticketed the bike, then the guy on the wrecker asked where he should take the bike. My daughter suggested a state park about 20 miles away, to which the cop agreed. He had already found out the kid lived about a half mile from it. The guy on the wrecker got a good laugh out of it, said it was a good idea and away he went. My grandson has a motorized chair and rolled up the kid in the store after spotting him checking out, suggested he call the local PD re. his bike, then rolled away. It cost the kid a couple hundred bucks plus towing fees, plus he had to wait until the park opened the next day. Don't figure he'll pull that trick again.

[Tx Bohemian]

...some dufuss parks his bike in the striped area...

Maybe I missed it but this is the only reference on this post to bikers parking in the striped areas, one big pet peeve of mine!!  I have, and will continue to, turn them in!!  Sometimes the cops get there soon enough to ticket them, sometimes not.  So if ya'll do this be aware in my town!! 

We, unfortunatly, have a handicap sticker due to an accident my wife had a few years back (severly injured leg), she can walk on it now but too much and it will swell and hurt.  And as mentioned here by others, we also will not use it if she is feeling good, we will leave the spots for others who really need it.  Nor will i use it if she's not with me.  I have seen many abusers and confronted some.

[¿spoom]

She has a permanent handicapped son, also has the lift equipped van, and lives in a small town in Illinois where everyone knows you.....including the Chief of the local PD. In this case he lives across the street. One day at Walmart, she pulled in to the HC spot and before she could drop the lift some dufuss parks his bike in the striped area. She got out and spoke to him about it and asked him to move it, he answered with some choice words and walked away. She called her neighbor, who in turn called the wrecker service under contract and also sent a cop over. First, the cop ticketed the bike, then the guy on the wrecker asked where he should take the bike. My daughter suggested a state park about 20 miles away, to which the cop agreed. He had already found out the kid lived about a half mile from it. The guy on the wrecker got a good laugh out of it, said it was a good idea and away he went. My grandson has a motorized chair and rolled up the kid in the store after spotting him checking out, suggested he call the local PD re. his bike, then rolled away. It cost the kid a couple hundred bucks plus towing fees, plus he had to wait until the park opened the next day. Don't figure he'll pull that trick again.

Nicer than I would've been, but well done. Not all expensive educations come from ivy league schools.