Now That's a Disability

By Timmy Watson in News on Jan 6, 2007 7:45PM

Your eyes widen, a smirk comprised of pride and glee shows on your face. You think you've done it, found a parking spot on one of the many crowded streets. But, alas, the spot is sectioned off by the dreaded handicap signs. These blue and white signs mark off 16 foot parking spots for the disabled, which we feel is completely necessary. In order to obtain the specially numbered permit to park in the spot the driver must apply and keep the placard in their car when parked.

The city has 11,423 of these spots. The Sun-Times has completed an exhaustive investigation of the spots and found that at least 260 of the permits belong to persons that are deceased. The Sun-Times also found that nearly 10% of the permits are in areas where no resident holds a disabled license plate.

A spokesman for the Department of Revenue, who runs the program, told the paper they attempt to monitor the spots without being "heavy handed". Since there is an annual $25 maintenance fee for the spots, we don't assume monitoring could be all too difficult.

Handicap Hummer via Torontoist