Is there more handicap parking lots in Singapore than there are handicapped drivers?

Question

We see them in every building in Singapore... they're always in the best locations next to the lift lobby... and they're always ... empty.

Shouldn't we try to be more productive with the space?

Answer 1

seems the same in toronto, but i guess if we were disabled we'd feel differently

Answer 2

According to the United Nations, 4% of Singapore's population are people with disabilities. I doubt that even .1% of all parking spots are designated for people with disabilities. The disabled population is increasing because of improvements in medical technology. People are living longer and then naturally become more disabled as we age. Also, many more people survive after serious accidents, but now have disabling conditions.

In most industrialized nations the government makes an effort to assist vulnerable populations. Sometimes this comes in the form of charity or welfare. Other types of assistance involve removing barriers that would otherwise prevent someone from participating in society.

Parking always seems to be a hot issue in almost every country. Non-disabled people are annoyed when they see an empty parking spot that they are not allowed to use. Disabled people are annoyed when a disabled spot is taken by someone who doesn't need it. In this second example the ramifications may go deeper than just annoyance and could disallow someone who's trying to get to work, by groceries or go to a medical appointment.

In an effort to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and reduce their dependence on the government for support , the Singapore government is making a concerted effort to get people with disabilities into the work force. But even if a person with a disability has the right training and equipment to be able to work, it doesn't do any good if the place of employment to not accessible. As Singapore becomes more successful with getting disabled people into the work force, more of those parking spaces will be utilized.

I am a quadruplegic using a motorized wheelchair. I rarely use the disabled parking spots because I am able to drive my wheelchair great distances without getting fatigued. I leave them available for others who need them more. When I used to use a manual wheelchair it was very important that I had access to the disabled parking spots because I was too weak to push my wheelchair very far. Fatigue due to age, heart conditions, back injuries, etc. are other reasons people need these spots.

Hopefully, you and the people you care about will never have physical health problems that make it difficult to get around, but if such a thing happens, I suspect you'll find the space being taken up for disabled to be very productive.

Answer 3

It the same here (Montreal, Canada). There is space for physically handicap driver. There is also intelluctualy handicap architects and lawmakers that design parkingsm for them.

Answer 4

Wow, its nice to see the handiwork of liberal lawmakers isn't just ruining the US.

Answer 5

just be gracious about it...