Disabled Parking

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slopokahontas

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Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
116
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
08/2014
Country
US
State
Az
City
Tucson
Although I'm not in a chair yet, I was thinking how nice it would be to have the disabled parking available so I wouldn't have to walk so far. Then I looked at the designated spots and they weren't closer at all, just next to a wheel chair accessible area to the sidewalk. I also noticed, they weren't any wider than the rest! How in the world does one manage to get in and out of a van with a lift or ramp?
 
Where I live and where my sister is there are designated van parking spaces that are wider to allow for the ramp. And the spaces are closest to the entrance to the store or whatever in parking lots of any size. I have seen the accessible sidewalk issue only in places like apartment complexes where everyone can park close to the buildings? I am getting close to needing a handicapped tag too. Sigh...
 
I guess it depends on the parking area. I've seen some spots that are designed for vans and some (most) that are just closer to the entrance than normal parking.

Im also not in a wheelchair yet, but walking is tiring so I asked Dr scherer for the adkt form last week at clinic. Easy stuff and its already paying off.
 
Don't seem to be able to edit my post (at least not on my tablet).
That should have said ADOT form.
 
I'll have to ask Dr. Sherer at my next clinic then. I had noticed the parking issue at my kids school first. Then at an apartment complex.
 
I have to say that when we go down to Tucson we always think that ALL parking spots are small and a little whacky, not just the handicapped ones. Not that we don't find them up here in the Phoenix area, just not nearly as many. Trying to squeeze more cars in for the almighty dollar - and bacuase of those parking spots I choose to spend my money elsewhere.

Doug
 
I purchased an orange cone and if a van accessible spot is not available then I park next to an empty spot and put my cone in that spot so no one parks in it creating my own handicap van assessable spot. With a PWC it does not have to be close to the building.
 
The cone sounds like a great idea. When I'm driving and there is no van accessible space, I just stop and let him out, then retract the ramp and park--then do the same thing on the way out. So far nobody has gotten rude about it. I hadn't thought about what he'd do if he's alone. Thanks DJ.
 
you know what really pisses me off? how easy it is for people who don't need Handicap c\parking to get a pass from their doc! or they use grandma's pass so they don't have to walk as far. GRRRRR! I can't even begin to count how many times I can not find a spot for us to park. maybe living in FL we just have a lot more folks who need handicapped parking than other areas...IDK but I really get fired up about it.
 
dj I'm certain that if someone did that here in Australia someone else would either steal or just move the cone!

We found the same here - often disabled parking spots were simply a couple of designated spots - they were not wide enough to wrangle with a wheelchair beside the car, did not have any access to get over a curb, and were often on slopes or angles making it even more difficult.

What I found was often as useful is that in Australia if you have these permits you can also - park in any metred parking spot for free, park all day in any 2 hour parking spot. So you had benefits in regular parking spots as well as the disabled spots so I sometimes simply too the best park I could find and had the benefit of ignoring restrictions on it.
 
Not long ago a mud covered pick up truck pulled into a Handicapped Parking place (the first one), the guy hangs the placard on the mirror, jumps out and walks normally into the store. As I walked past his truck behind the cab was a stand up rack that had shovels, a rake, some kind of pry bar and in the bed was a portable cement mixer.

If I only had a piece of paper and a pen there would have been a note under his wiper.
 
We went out for breakfast recently to a place that we know has lots of space for hubby's PWC and there are good van accessible spots. The parking lot was empty except for two trucks--one pulling a huge trailer. Guess where they were parked. Yep, the truck with the trailer was pulled up just to the end of the handicapped slot (blocking it from the back) and the other truck was beside the trailer, blocking the spot next to it. They had managed to not interfere with any parking in the lot except the handicapped spots, and guess who came to dinner...err..breakfast.

Now since the entire lot was empty, we didn't fuss. I know there's no way the guys who belonged to those trucks missed us when we came in and parked that PWC right in the middle of the room. They said nothing when they left, but I'm hoping they think twice before doing that again.

The one that did tick me off was the big RV parked lengthwise through EVERY handicapped spot at Cracker Barrel one day. I was so ticked I left the table and went back out to walk around that rig. Nope, no handicapped stickers or tag. I mentioned it to the staff, but there was no accouncement, so I guess they shrugged it off. There was also no fine mentioned on the signs--perhaps because it's private property?

I have certainly become much more aware and considerate since starting this journey. I will NOT use the handicapped stall if there is another empty, even if I'm the only one in the restroom. You just never know when someone will come in who needs it. The things we didn't think of BALS (Before ALS).
 
Having a placard at hand can make a tough day easier now and then. There is a lot of variety in size and local.
I wouldn't mind having preprinted cards with a humorous phrase or two to put on a windshield now and then... but it's hard to "see" disabilities sometimes and I'd hate to find out my assumptions were wrong. This said, while unloading my chair in the pouring down rain for a movie outing last weekend an SUV zipped into the next space (there were four empty disabled spots but they chose to park tight into us) and in a flash two middle-aged and two twenty-somethings darted out and ran to the ticket window. No placard. RAN. RAN! And they were still parked there when we left. It is harder and harder to bite my tongue. Were my speech less affected I might have gotten myself into trouble.
Sigh. NOT my issue and all that but it does sadden me that some just don't realise the butterfly effect of small things. Good and bad.
With the amount of time it can take me to get in and out of a vehicle a placard has helped cut down on the slog on friends who help.
 
a good preprinted sign to put on windshields might be:

sorry I scratched the side of your car with my wheelchair whilst placing this sign on your car

Tillie ;)
 
I used to take my 2 Jack Russell pooches to a dog park. We were there not too long after my diagnosis, one of the few times my wife accompanied us. At that point I only needed a bit of help and used walking sticks.
We'd had to wait for one of the handicapped spots; all parking was tight as a nearby park had a free concert starting in an hour.
When done, we were leaving and happened to be walking past one of the other HC spots as a 20-something and his wife/girlfriend pull their non-HC truck into the spot.
They get out and prepare to head over to the concert.
I call out to the man that he'd parked in a HC spot and that I'd report him if he left his truck there.
He tells me to go ahead, so I pull out my cellphone and dialed the police non-emergency number (guaranteed a few minute hold time).
This apparently was unexpected, and also pissed him off. He puffed up, started getting loud and came after me.

He stopped when I pulled my pistol out and let him see it. Stopped but didn't retreat until his wife convinced him.
They drove off with him cursing me.
 
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