How can the community stop people without disabilities parking in disabled parking spaces?

Question

Obviously the inspectors can keep issuing them with parking tickets but is there something more that can be done?

Answer 1

This really gets my goat. My husband is a wheelchair user and we often see people using these spaces out of sheer laziness. Despite having a badge in the car, if he isn't with me I never use the spaces. It's not just about convenience for the disabled. The spaces are wider which allows you to bring the chair up to the car door, and they are near kerb ramps. Normal spaces are too narrow. The French have a really good sign next to designated parking spaces which says "if you take my space, please also take my handicap".

Perhaps a punishment should be to spend a week in a wheelchair, or with a user to understand the difficulties.

Answer 2

Unfortunately you cannot control if they do not want to be controlled. As a user of those spaces it is great that others are concerned. The $100 ticket is a way to stop some but not a deterrent to others. Like anything it is hard to enforce and the ticket do the best they can. On the other hand some disabled people need tolearn to park. yesterday twice they took up 2 spots each and did not correct their parking so that is annoying to non permit holders who need a good space too.!!! Some people use the placards because they are in the car and they are not the disabled one.
Good question but it will be an ongoing debate...

Answer 3

I like the idea of auxiliary police actually what about the stores having their security turn in plates to police and they get tickets mailed to them with the picture of their car parked there that the security could take with a camera phone or digital camera?

I am disabled and park there only when I need to, like ice in winter or pouring slippery rain, my foot is swollen and doesn't bend so I have the chance of falling on wet or icy surfaces.

I think what ticks me more is the ones who park in the fire lane, what lazy people! At our local walmart you can't drive through the road near the store cause it's always full of people sitting engines running waiting for others or cars empty sitting there, how rude. They should be turned in.

Answer 4

I have proposed a volunteer group of auxiliary police, patrol areas with disabilities parking, and then place a parking boot on the offender until an officer can issue a ticket. It could be an auxiliary officer, reserve officer, or regular officer. The Auxiliary could be a group of retirees or a social service group. I suggested this before but a group of disabled citizens said it would only make miscreants mad and they were worried about a public backlash.

Answer 5

In Nashville one of our local television stations did a story and filmed them walking to their cars. The public humiliation worked on several. In Tennessee, the handicapped parking decals have numbers which can be tracked. The registered user of the placard is required to carry the documentation of the disability. Law enforcement officers can take the placard when they issue a ticket and file to have the permit revoked. Fines for illegal parking in a handicapped space is hefty.

Answer 6

I see few that are parked in those spots in my state. The police enforce the rule and $100.00 a ticket will stop most from wanting to park there after they get one!

People aren't suppose to park a lot of places, but they do. In Boston, they triple park on some streets!

Answer 7

Not really. Parking tickets can be hefty, but police can't catch them all the time.

You could try shaming them. Connect your local news, have them do a story about. Put some of these people's cars on the news. Wait for them, ask them why they parked there.

Answer 8

You could always wait by their car until they return, and then MAKE them disabled. (Just kidding.)

Seriously, though... the only thing that I can think of to do is to make the fines so utterly ridiculous that they would stop parking there all on their own. Let's face it, most people will agree that it's worth it to walk the extra 50 meters if the alternative is to cough up $3,000. Make that the new fine, and I guarantee that Mr. Hotshot will think twice about stealing granny's spot. :-)

Answer 9

Call your local news and have them do a story on this, I bet this will make the cops go out there and issue tickets

Answer 10

Start making up a list of license plates, and post them, the way they do for arrests.