What's the deal with abuse of handicap stickers?

[amnesiac]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: skateallday
others will need that space

Bullsh!t. 90% of handicapped spots are always empty. There shouldn't even be handicapped parking spots, they're a waste of good parking space.

Uhhh...right.

So my dad who can barely walk 10-20 feet without needing to lean on a handrail for fear of falling down should park at the bottom of the hill next to his office and walk all the way up because the handicap spot isn't available?

Or he should park on the bottom level of the parking structure and climb four flights of stairs when he goes to see a movie on a friday night?

Ass.

 

[Flatline]

Speaking of wasting space...how many cubic meters do you take up notfred?

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: skateallday
others will need that space

Bullsh!t. 90% of handicapped spots are always empty. There shouldn't even be handicapped parking spots, they're a waste of good parking space.

You're kidding, right? You think they shouldn't have handicapped parking spaces just because they aren't used enough? It seems to me that it's a good thing to have the spaces available when someone needs one.

 

[beer]

Wow. notfred can really dish out the asshole comments. Shouldn't you be studying so you can pull that C average?

 

[Flatline]

Or continuing your avid study of intrarectal phrenology?

 

He's always willing to dish out the fvcktard comments, but when he's proven wrong he apparently isn't noble enough to admit it.

 

[Muzzan]

Just because an illness isn't visible doesn't mean it doesn't exist (I'm really impressed how good doctors most of you must be *cough*, I mean, being able to tell an ill person from a healthy one just by watching them step out of their car is pretty impressive). My mother has one of those handicap stickers (for reumatism), but you can't really tell just by looking at her...

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Muzzan
Just because an illness isn't visible doesn't mean it doesn't exist (I'm really impressed how good doctors most of you must be *cough*, I mean, being able to tell an ill person from a healthy one just by watching them step out of their car is pretty impressive). My mother has one of those handicap stickers (for reumatism), but you can't really tell just by looking at her...

I think it's essentially understood that we're talking about the people who abuse the stickers, not those who are actually handicapped but may not appear to be so.

See my "Hugely Fat Family Goes For Ice Cream" post above.

 

[LeeTJ]

Originally posted by: Fausto1
There's a local ice cream place near me that has fairly limited parking and a handicapped spot right in front. I'm sitting there indugling in some double dutch chocolate the other day when a full-sized van pulls into the parking spot (with handicap tag hanging from mirror). Family of four gets out. As near as I can tell, no one has any kind of actual handicap aside from all being morbidly obese. The wife in particular was so large she could barely walk.......and they're stopping for a nice big scoop of full-fat handmade ice cream......and parked in the handicap spot.

Nice. :frown:

ironically, the handicap space is becoming her handicap.

if she were forced to park a little further back, mb the walk in would help her get a bit more excercise.

 

[Muzzan]

I think it's essentially understood that we're talking about the people who abuse the stickers, not those who are actually handicapped but may not appear to be so.

Aha. Yet many of the examples given in this thread are about people who park in the handicap spot, but don't look disabled, and "therefore" abuse the system. Such as:

The kid's about 20 years old and looks like he's done a bit of body building. He hops out of his car and walks into the store. No sign of a handicap.

I saw one guy in a Porsche 911 (manual shift) that didn't look handicapped to me.

I just wanted to point out to the authors of those posts that not all ailments show on the exterior of a human

 

[DrPizza]

I just wonder why there are handicap parking spots at a lot of particular places. Example. The mall. Someone needs to park closer to the door because they can't walk as far.... THEN, they walk 5 miles in the mall from store to store. 8 years ago, I worked with developmentally disabled adults (wheelchair bound)... I often took them out shopping. I was forbidden by the agency from parking in the handicap spots if I had someone perfectly able to wheel himself in a wheelchair. Likewise, if I was going to be pushing someone. I wasn't handicapped, and I was doing all the pushing. I had to park toward the BACK of the lot to make sure I'd have room later for the wheelchair lift to open.

Personally, to improve the handicap tags, I think in the future they should include the name of the person they're for (to more easily spot abuse), and rules should be tightened on their use. If my mom is handicapped, and waits in the car while I run into the store.... park in a regular spot.

One more thing... out on the street, why do I have to pay a quarter to park for 30 minutes, but there is no charge in the handicap spots (in many cities)? Yet, they can afford a nicer car than mine.....

 

[ThaPerculator]

All I know is that if there was such a problem with our current handicapped parking situation, then laws would be passed to change it... I'm assuming it's been the same way for years, and honestly, the places that are high-traffic (supermarkets, movie theaters, etc.) generally have like 4 or 5 different handicapped parking zones, each with 3 spots, including one with a van-access spot. If somebody who is handicapped can't find a handicapped spot at the supermarket, they must be blind.

I totally agree with the legal use of handicapped parking tags... as long as somebody has a legal reason for using it, more power to them. Somebody using someone else's tag or a expired tag deserves to get a ticket.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

Originally posted by: amnesiac

Originally posted by: vi_edit
He probably just borrowed one from his parents. I know a few people that have parents that actually DO have medical problems that require the use of handicap parking, and they will often times let a family member borrow the tag for a day if the person borrowing it knows that they will have trouble finding a parking spot.

I must say that it does work well in crowed parking lots like movie theaters.

Abuse of a handicap placard is punishable by a ticket, fine, and revocation of said placard.

People who abuse it should have their kneecaps shattered.

So then they actually need the handicapped tag?

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: TheBoyBlunder

Originally posted by: amnesiac

Originally posted by: vi_edit
He probably just borrowed one from his parents. I know a few people that have parents that actually DO have medical problems that require the use of handicap parking, and they will often times let a family member borrow the tag for a day if the person borrowing it knows that they will have trouble finding a parking spot.

I must say that it does work well in crowed parking lots like movie theaters.

Abuse of a handicap placard is punishable by a ticket, fine, and revocation of said placard.

People who abuse it should have their kneecaps shattered.

So then they actually need the handicapped tag?

I guess so....at least until they finalize the design for the "DUMBASS" tag.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

One more thing... out on the street, why do I have to pay a quarter to park for 30 minutes, but there is no charge in the handicap spots (in many cities)? Yet, they can afford a nicer car than mine.....

[thick Italian accent]You want that I should bring Vinnie over and breaka ya legs?

 

[ThaPerculator]

One more thing... out on the street, why do I have to pay a quarter to park for 30 minutes, but there is no charge in the handicap spots (in many cities)? Yet, they can afford a nicer car than mine.....

A lot of times, they have a nice car based on the settlement which handicapped them... for instance, I have a friend who's dad got crippled from a work-related accident, and is basically rich now. He drives a phat a$$ yukon denali, but has to use a wheelchair. Honestly, I doubt that anybody would trade their own personal mobility for a nice car... Handicapped parking should be free, anyone who argues can go injure themselves to save 50 cents...

 

[Jzero]

I get more annoyed by how many people park completely crooked in the handicap spots. If you can't park straight, you shouldn't have a license.

The former mayor of my hometown was caught using a bogus crip placard and a horde of people in wheelchairs sat in front of the town hall until he resigned hahaha.
Although, I always argued that his horrendous toupee should have counted as a handicap....

 

[AstIsis]

It is called lazy and inconsiderate! Personally, I think they should have their car towed not just ticketed.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: jumpr
He's always willing to dish out the fvcktard comments, but when he's proven wrong he apparently isn't noble enough to admit it.

The reason I hadn't responded up until now wasn't because I didn't want to admit I was proven wrong, but because there was no point.
Apparently, some of you think I'm a jackass. Fine. So far, since I've posted my opinion (which, by the way did not insult anyone) I've been called an asshole, a fvcktard, a waste of space, and it's been said that I have my head stuck up my ass.

Ok. Now, I stated my opinion. You guys thought that makes me a jackass. Then you guys all decided that psoting personal insults was the best way to convince me that I'm wrong. Ok, tell me, how many jackasses do we have now, just one still, or are there 5 now?

It seems that you think my opinion has been "proven wrong" somehow (maybe it was the "fvcktard comment?). I don't know if you realize this, but I was not stating something as a fact. I was telling you what I think, it is not right or wrong, it is an opinion, and there is no way for you to prove wrong that I think handicapped parking spaces are a waste of asphalt.

And back to the subject at hand:
There are a lot of cars that people drive here every day. Right in front of the student union there are about 20 parking spaces. Normally 18 or so of them are empty. Meanwhile, there will be 10 cars constantly driving around the entire parking lot waiting for someone to leave. It's pretty normal to spend 15 minutes looking for a parking space.

Now, if you assume the average length that someone stays on campus is 2 hours, and parking spaces are in demand between 8:00AM and 4:00PM, that means 4 extra people could park in each of those spaces. That saves one hour of people's time for every spot that's not wasted. That means that those 18 extra spots would save people 18 hours of time per day. Meanwhile, we have 8 handicapped people who used the spots and saved themselves from walking an extra 50 or 75 yards across the parking lot.

Now, is it worth 18 hours of people's time to save 8 people from walking a few extra yards, even if they have to do so slowly, or in a wheelchair? I don't think so. Apparently, you do. So, we disagree.

I'm sure you'd like it if I changed my mind and agreed with you. Please keep calling me a fvcktard, I'm sure that will eventually convince me to change my mind.

 

[Chaotic42]

My mom was severely handicapped. She was hit in the drivers side by a log truck going 85 mph.

It used to piss me off when I saw people park in handicapped spaces. It was a lot of work for my 65 year old dad to get her in and out of the car and wheelchair. Makes me mad to see people abuse the thing.

 

[cyclistca]

Heck notfred why stop there? Why don't we let people park were ever they want? Heck think of the time you could save by driving you car into the school and parking in your class.

 

[kranky]

Ha! I didn't insult you in my response above, so will that get you to change your mind? Wouldn't you rather be right?

Anyway, when you talk about the 20 spaces in front of the union, do you mean 20 handicapped spaces? Then couldn't you lobby to have the number of handicapped spaces reduced by half or something, if there are only two in use at the most at any time?

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: jumpr
He's always willing to dish out the fvcktard comments, but when he's proven wrong he apparently isn't noble enough to admit it.

The reason I hadn't responded up until now wasn't because I didn't want to admit I was proven wrong, but because there was no point.
Apparently, some of you think I'm a jackass. Fine. So far, since I've posted my opinion (which, by the way did not insult anyone) I've been called an asshole, a fvcktard, a waste of space, and it's been said that I have my head stuck up my ass.

Ok. Now, I stated my opinion. You guys thought that makes me a jackass. Then you guys all decided that psoting personal insults was the best way to convince me that I'm wrong. Ok, tell me, how many jackasses do we have now, just one still, or are there 5 now?

It seems that you think my opinion has been "proven wrong" somehow (maybe it was the "fvcktard comment?). I don't know if you realize this, but I was not stating something as a fact. I was telling you what I think, it is not right or wrong, it is an opinion, and there is no way for you to prove wrong that I think handicapped parking spaces are a waste of asphalt.

And back to the subject at hand:
There are a lot of cars that people drive here every day. Right in front of the student union there are about 20 parking spaces. Normally 18 or so of them are empty. Meanwhile, there will be 10 cars constantly driving around the entire parking lot waiting for someone to leave. It's pretty normal to spend 15 minutes looking for a parking space.

Now, if you assume the average length that someone stays on campus is 2 hours, and parking spaces are in demand between 8:00AM and 4:00PM, that means 4 extra people could park in each of those spaces. That saves one hour of people's time for every spot that's not wasted. That means that those 18 extra spots would save people 18 hours of time per day. Meanwhile, we have 8 handicapped people who used the spots and saved themselves from walking an extra 50 or 75 yards across the parking lot.

Now, is it worth 18 hours of people's time to save 8 people from walking a few extra yards, even if they have to do so slowly, or in a wheelchair? I don't think so. Apparently, you do. So, we disagree.

I'm sure you'd like it if I changed my mind and agreed with you. Please keep calling me a fvcktard, I'm sure that will eventually convince me to change my mind.

The thing is, it's MUCH more inconvenient for a handicapped person to have to park out in the sticks than it is for someone with normal mobility. The spots may not get used that often, but they're very important to those who use them. Not only are they closer, but they're extra-wide so someone with a wheelchair van can get out the thing. Four extra parking spots for "everyone else" at the expense of any/all handicapped people is just wrong. 75 extra yards for someone with something like Multiple Schlerosis is a very big deal IMO.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: ThaPerculator

One more thing... out on the street, why do I have to pay a quarter to park for 30 minutes, but there is no charge in the handicap spots (in many cities)? Yet, they can afford a nicer car than mine.....

A lot of times, they have a nice car based on the settlement which handicapped them... for instance, I have a friend who's dad got crippled from a work-related accident, and is basically rich now. He drives a phat a$$ yukon denali, but has to use a wheelchair. Honestly, I doubt that anybody would trade their own personal mobility for a nice car... Handicapped parking should be free, anyone who argues can go injure themselves to save 50 cents...

Sorry, I never got completely to the point. What I had meant to say was that if anything, the free parking encourages people to cheat with the tags. If you're so bored as to spend a day watching a few spots, watch what happens... Meters in many areas have a maximum amount of time on them, and are generally meant for people shopping to get to use, not for employees to use them for all day parking. So, employees have to remember to go out and put a couple quarters in every few hours. No big deal, finding a parking area is often a pain in the neck, even for employees. But, if you observe, there are a lot of people who will park in the handicap spot, leaving it occupied for an entire day. While I'm sure some of these *may* be employees, many of the spots being used this day are done so illegitimately, to avoid the quarter hassle.

 

[waggy]

well you cant always tell if a person i s disabled.

My step-father is disabled. but in the summer he looks fine (long as he dont walk long distance). He has a handicap sticker (more of a card). he only uses it when he is not felling well. But just by looking at him you wouldnt know anything is wrong with him.

but i do agree. i have seen people i know who are fine use them (a local hot shot on the high school football team uses one). i personally think anyone that parks in a handicap parking spot and does not need it should be hurt and there car destroyed!