Area Soldier Killed In Fort Hood Rampage
Stroger Makes Hollywood Play
Put Down Your Nanowrimo And Leave The House
Sox Shuffle Continues
A new ordinance kicking around City Council says disabled people with city-designated parking spots in front of their homes would no longer have to display a permit sign on their windshield. Apparently people often forget put the sign on their dashboard when they park, and they get tickets--and then they complain to their aldermen.
31st Ward Alderman Ray Suarez is pushing for the ordinance, saying it's unfair how often legit parkers get ticketed, joking "You have to get a letter from the pope to get [a ticket] non-suited." Hay-oh! But the senior policy analyst for the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities disagrees, saying without the permit signs, the city will devolve into a parking free-for all--who would know whom the space really belongs to? Especially because there are so many designated spots.
For $70 and proof of disability, the city will mark off a parking space just steps outside a motorist's front door. In 2006, 11,423 people took advantage of the perk.
Ah yes, the perks of being old and disabled. But seriously folks, why can't the City issue permit stickers? Or those cards that hang from the rearview mirror? Can this problem not be solved by using less or non-forgettable permits? [S-T]
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
But seriously folks, why can't the City issue permit stickers?
For real, problem solved. I had one of these spaces right by my house and it was often unused and I *never* saw somebody that appeared to be disabled in any way get out or into a car parked there.
p.s.,
There was a great 'gotcha' thing on one of the local news stations where they caught a (perfectly able) city worker using one of the disabled signs to park all over downtown.
Why is the sign not just always on their dashboard? That is it's purpose, correct? Forgetting, my ass, someone just wants to be able to abuse the system.
Tower18 - technically speaking, you shouldn't have loose hang tags and signs displayed in the front window while the vehicle is being operated. I think there is a law about this but I'm too lazy to check. It used to be the case that there was a warning printed on the backsides of each of these tags/signs advising you to remove it from the window/dashboard when driving.
I agree, a sticker would be the right approach.
The issue, as I understand it, is that individuals requiring a parking permit tag need a removable tag for multiple car use. Sometimes they are driven by others that are able bodied and don't have a tag. Something that is transferable between cars is a must. I personally think that it is the responsibility of those with the tags to not forget to hang them in their cars. That is the easiest and most reasonable method for resolving the issue. If you forget the tag, you get a ticket. Problem solved.
The Sun-Times did a story on abuse of handicapped parking spots last January. Family members use spots long after the people who had the space die, etc. The city does a crappy job of removing the signs, and there is very little verification of who needs the spot or if they still live there. The current system sucks, but this suggestion is one of the stupidest I ever heard.
What happened to the law here?
If you forget to put up your pass, you deserve a ticket, its the law to have one up.
These people deserve tickets, they already have the benefit of the spot and they should be very grateful for it, and the least they could do it put up their passes, not complain to the city for getting tickets.
Whats next? Oh hey I forgot to stop at the red light, but I don't deserve a ticket BECAUSE I FORGOT!
NO EXCUSE
Again, they have a major perk here, and they don't have to suffer by walking far to their cars, they should have to follow every law and not complain about their own mistakes.
I work in the health field on the South Side. It is quite a hoot to see people with mild arthritis, no limp whatsoever, demanding to have handicap parking forms completed. You would think it's the crippled crawling towards Lourdes.
When these people don't get their forms filled out, the wailing starts. Sorry, people, being overweight and over fifty does not mean you get your own parking space.
I always think of my grandma (who was riding her bike and rollerskating well into her late 70's) when I see the abuse of handicapped parking spaces.
There are many old people out there who think that just because they're old they deserve to park in the handicapped spot. It annoys me to no end when I see some white haired oldie get out of their car and they saunter jauntily to their destination.
Do they have no pride?
I will strive to be like my grandmother when I'm a senior and I will NEVER park in a handicapped spot just because I'm old. My grandma would have NEVER done this...she would have been ashamed to do so without being actually handicapped and incapable of walking without severe pain