Spokesman-Review Letters to the Editor
Respect reserved parking
I am a freshman at Mead High School, and my dad was recently injured. He is now restricted to a wheelchair. In a parking lot, handicap parking spots are intended for disabled people only. Unfortunately, there are many people who look for a quick way to the front door and abuse the handicap spots. With slick ice on the streets, it takes someone in a wheelchair even longer to wheel up to a door.
People often forget handicap-accessible cars often have ramps. Handicap spots with ramp space are crucial. I get extremely frustrated when I see a perfectly normal and healthy individual jump right out of their car to walk to the door from a handicap parking space, while my dad drives around searching for somewhere to deploy his ramp. He usually finds this spot in the very back of the parking lot, where no cars park.
My dad would give anything to be able to walk even 10 steps to the door. Please, do a favor for disabled people around town; only park in a handicap spot if you are in need of one. You will be appreciated.
Ciara McManus
Spokane
Has anyone else noticed a lot of this abuse going on recently? I hear about it occasionally but it seems it's gotten worse lately.
2 comments:
The abuse has been going on for years, my dad got his handicapped sign about 6 years ago, and at first he really did not look like he needed it, but he was 96 and his heart was slowing down a lot and he could not walk far without resting. I asked his neighbors repeatedly to leave him one parking place in front of his house so he could get out, but they insisted they had the right to block all the parking places in front of his house. He had 130 feet in front of his house and they could not spare 25 feet in ftont of his wheel chair ramp for him. When they left and a new owner was putting in a new furnace next door the furnace people parked right in front of his wheel chair ramp, so I asked if they could leave it open for him. They moved closer to the house they were working on till after lunch when they came back and parked right in front of his wheel chair ramp. There was not another vehicle parked within 50 feet of this van in either direction, and they got to carry all their tools and equipment they were installing an extra 25 feet. My dad died a couple of days later and then the furnace company people parked ALL their vehicles in front of the house they were working on till they finished. Real Courteous people.
Wow Charles, that's really disturbing to me. I'm still shocked at the lack of courtesy I experience, and hear about, every day. I know they patrol the handicap spots at some of the malls and big box stores, but it's hard to enforce in a neighborhood.
And I think that once you hit 90, they should just issue you a handicap parking permit whether you are or not. You're 90 years old, you've earned a closer parking spot if you've lived that long!
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