The serious side to parking

Nothing annoys me more than seeing people abuse this.

The serious side to parking
The Journal Pioneer
The use – and abuse – of accessible or disabled parking spot privileges is a matter that most right-thinking people take very seriously.The concept should be simple enough. These designated zones are provided for people who need them most. For some, it is a question of restricted mobility. For others, their disability might not be so apparent, but that doesn’t mean because someone appears to have full mobility, they shouldn’t be allowed to use the designated disabled parking spots.The abusers seem oblivious to the whole concept. They have no sense of the hardship they might be causing others who should rightfully be permitted to use these spaces. They use the space, jump back in their car and don’t look in the rear-view mirror.Excuses are many: “Well, it was raining, what was I supped to do?” But let’s remember, it rains on everyone. “I was only going to be a minute...” Then take two and park a few rows over.There is another side to the abuse of accessible/disabled parking. It is by the privileged themselves.These are people with the proper vehicle certification to use accessible parking but the problem is with the occasions. A card might be issued to a family for a member’s benefit, but the rest of the family takes advantage, even when they are on their own. Sure, you’ll get away with it but it’s simply being selfish and potentially creating hardship for others.In other cases, a partner might stay in the vehicle while the person for whom the certification was issued goes shopping. An accessible parking spot is taken up when the person in the vehicle could just as easily park back farther, and pull up when their partner emerges from the store.We’re not calling for all-out vigilantiism. An icy stare could do wonders. Perhaps the store operators themselves could keep an eye on things and have staff politely ask perpetrators to move along when they are abusing the service. A handbill under the windshield wiper might be enough to shame people into complying. If police could step up surveillance, even for an abbreviated period, word would quickly get around.Accessible/disabled parking spots are an important factor in working toward a barrier-free community. Abuse of the process simply sets us back.