Posted on 06/14/2010 5:59:58 AM PDT by Dayman
DANVERS — A Lynnfield woman who was slapped with a $300 ticket for parking her Mercedes in a handicapped space outside BJ's Wholesale Club last March is taking the town of Danvers to court.
In her complaint, Eberle called her use of a handicapped spot "unavoidable," then cited "physical disability and weather conditions."
It was raining that day.
(Excerpt) Read more at salemnews.com ...
You laugh, but I’ve seen that. They miraculously get better once they’re inside the store.
Especially bad, since my mother, who has severe debilitating arthritis and who uses a motorised wheelchair when they go out, actually needs these parking spaces.
Because there's no law against that.
Dollars to doughnuts there is an Obama sticker on that car.
“Mercedes in a handicapped space outside BJ’s Wholesale Club”?
What, her Rolls was in the shop and the Salvation Army Store was closed?
I beat a Handicapped parking ticket years ago. The spot wasn’t signed properly, located properly, lined properly and lacked permits. I even got help from the state DOT. It can be a matter of simple dogged research and a calm and assertive stance backed with the facts before a district judge.
Handicapped people have just as much right to park in spaces for “normals” as the rest of us do.
Understand that some handicapped people have good and bad days. On a good day they may wish to leave the handicapped space open for someone who is less mobile. Some of them are courteous that way.
I have a handicap sticker. And I call the police whenever I see a non-handicap marked vehicle in a handicap space. Why? Because the number of handicap spaces doesn't always allow for legally parking in one. And that's why you see handicap marked vehicles parking normally. Too much for you to figure out?
Jackasses like this infuriate me, only slightly more than the idiots who park in the fire lane (blocking the fire lane, as well as traffic) in front of stores while they "run in to get a few things".
Lazy. Just plain lazy. But taking up a handicapped spot is worse, IMHO.
The handicapped marked vehicle may only use the handicapped marked space when the handicapped person is present.
I occasionally drive my MIL's van ... complete with (deserved) handicapped plates. If she's present, I park it in the handicap spot. No fuss, no foul.
If she's not, I have two choices.
1) Park in a handicap spot, and VIOLATE THE LAW (as well as be a jerk). Not gonna happen, bro'.
2) Park in a 'regular' space, and generate stupid comments from ignorant morons who like to vent their spleens on pseudonymous internet forums.
Meh.
My wife has a genetic dissorder. She is able to work but she has already had both hips replaced and will need her knees and elbows done eventually. We don’t bother with a handicapped permit -too much hassle to get one. We just walk farther. Our choice.
Now, where you live may be different, but here in north texas the innane city and state regulations have created a situation where in some strip malls literally 1/5 of the parking is handicapped parking. Sometimes those are the only spots left.
I will have to see the parking lot in question before I will be willing to consider taking the municipality’s side on this one. I have seen too much local government stupidity and corruption. Point is I dont see that the woman is neccesarily as wrong as the city government is often wrong.
Maybe she had a handicap Hair-do.../s
It never occurred to me it would upset someone that I parked in a regular parking space when the handicapped person isn't with me. I sort of assumed it would be illegal to not do so.
Don't ask, it is a pain to get on and off and it breaks if you do it all the time.
I hope they throw the book at this woman. What a jerk. This woman should be made to perform some community service just because her attitude reeks so bad.
As someone whose WWII veteran father has a tag for and needs handicapped parking, I hope this dirtbag woman is cited for contempt as well as her fine.
Having a handicapped plate or hang-tag has become a status symbol. “Look at me I’m important.”
Most don’t need them and many are just fat and lazy.
The symbol is of someone in a wheelchair, if you don’t need one you shouldn’t be parking there.
I don't agree with the “expectant mother” and other non-legally enforceable parking set asides, but if someone is going to park illegally then I would hope that they would at least have the decency to park somewhere where it's not likely to inconvenience someone else who is less fortunate.
20 years ago, we didn’t have “handicapped” parking spots. Now, government uses them to make money. There are proportionately way more handicapped spots than there are handicapped drivers. If there is one handicapped driver per 1,000, then there should be 1 handicapped spot per 1,000 parking spots.
The article needs a subtitle: A Tale of An Obama Voter.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.