We had a good one last Christmas. We came out of an outlet mall south of Columbus and saw a late model Caddy in the first HC spot. Just as we approached the car a young energetic couple sprinted past us and got into the Caddy. Right as the car doors closed we got to the back of their car. My wife has MS and when she get s tired she gets slow... You could just about see the steam coming out of the guys ears as it took 3 - 4 minutes to get out from behind them on the way to the next HC space.
ProDarwin wrote: +1 And the people who like to park their car in the "loading zone" while they run inside and get something they need.
i fully loathe people who abuse handicapped parking privileges, but isn't the above the point of a loading zone? extremely short-term temporary parking? or are you only supposed to use it if you have someone bringing stuff to you? what's the difference if i'm parked there for 90 seconds b/c i'm waiting for someone to come out, or while i run in to get something? it's not like i'm there all day, as described above.
Nashco wrote: I confronted a cop last year because he was parked in a handicap spot while having lunch. I assumed he didn't notice, since there were tons of spots, but when I approached the two cops and asked them which one had the cop car in the handicap spot (the other was parked legally) one guy got all smug and gave me the "what's it to ya" routine. The nerve of some people...I bet he's written many tickets for people that have done the same thing (either purposefully or unintentionally) and here he thought he was above it. I didn't make a huge yelling scene out of it, but I made it clear to him and the few people sitting around that he was an embarrassment to law enforcement and decent people in general. Bryce
Next time that happens, pull out your cell phone, call the police station and ask to speak with the shift supervisor. Tell them that officer XXXXX in car number XXXX is parked in a handicap spot while eating lunch. At a minimum, he'll get a reprimand and a public humiliation in front of the department.
dmitrik4 wrote:ProDarwin wrote: +1 And the people who like to park their car in the "loading zone" while they run inside and get something they need.i fully loathe people who abuse handicapped parking privileges, but isn't the above the point of a loading zone? extremely short-term temporary parking? or are you only supposed to use it if you have someone bringing stuff to you? what's the difference if i'm parked there for 90 seconds b/c i'm waiting for someone to come out, or while i run in to get something? it's not like i'm there all day, as described above.
The loading zone is not for cars, its for trucks makiong deliveies. When you park there the truck either has to double park and risk a ticket, or circle the block wasting time.
One of the funiest handicap stories I have was from a shopping center at Great Neck. The guy that owned the property was obsesive about having cars removed from his lot that didn't belong. I was ther and had just loaded a car on the flat bed when someone parked a Ferrari 355 in a handicaped space. He told the guy to move and the guy kept going. He called me over and I backed in and put it on the wheellift to take it away. The Asshat caught me at the light at the exit and sat on the running board until the cops came. The police had a good laugh at the ferrari hanging off the back while some abandoned pos was up on the bed and told him to be gald he was only paying us and not the county too.
The typical loading zone I was referring to was in front of a grocery store. You go in, buy your stuff and when you walk out, leave your cart next to the curb (usually if someone is with you, they watch it), then you can pull your car up to it and load up all your groceries.
ill admit that we have 2-3 mirror hangers for my mom. (she is recovering from her 3rd knee replacement right now) and we have had them for about 5-6 years.
do i use them without my mom in the car?
NO
we just have several cars she drives sometimes.
I even yell at her if she parks in one when theres a open space within 25ft of them.
ill admit that i joke about using one with my friends... ill admit that the temptation to use one has crossed my mind a few times. i still wont use one
I’ve never parked in a HC space but I do have compassion for those who wrongfully do. Here in California, the ordnance for HC space allocation is insanely too generous. Based on observation (couldn’t find the ordnance quickly) it appears that if you have four spaces, one must be allocated to HC and for strip mall settings, it looks like about one in six spaces must be allocated to HC. Bottom line, the allocation level was chosen so that it would be extremely rare for a HC space to not be available. The result being that hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of patrons are inconvenienced in an effort to make it nearly unheard of for a HC person to not have a space.
Again, I’ve never parked in a HC space but the over the top HC space allocation situation I see serves as a reminder to me to not support stuff that’s intended to help select individuals…I know it’ll just get abused.
I used to work as a radio DJ, doing the afternoon show from 2-6. While I was on my lunch break at the local mall, I saw five cars, none with handicapped stickers, taking up all the handicapped spots next to the mall entrance. I instantly had a Dennis Miller-esque rant pop into my mind that I would do on my show.
On the air that afternoon, I vented profusely about said offenders, and suggested that if I saw someone parking in a handicapped zone like that again, I would wait for them to return to their vehicle, and ensure that the next time they were parking, they would NEED a handicapped spot.
The overly politically correct station manager was not impressed and let me know in no uncertain terms that another outburst like that would cost me my job. However, that night, he attended the monthly general meeting of the local Handicapped Association (as he was a city alderman and represented the council to various organizations). Apparently, someone at the meeting related the tale of my "threat" to the crowd, where I received a standing ovation (by those who could stand, I assume).
He changed his tune and told me so the next day at work.
ProDarwin wrote: The typical loading zone I was referring to was in front of a grocery store. You go in, buy your stuff and when you walk out, leave your cart next to the curb (usually if someone is with you, they watch it), then you can pull your car up to it and load up all your groceries.
i was thinking of the "loading zone" in front of my office building, which is quite different from the loading dock around the side where trucks make deliveries. i'm not paying $10 to park for 3 minutes on sunday afternoon b/c i left my blackberry on my desk.
if you're referring to the people who park in front of a store when they "just run in" b/c they can't be bothered to park in the lot like the rest of us, then yes, those people suck.
RX Reven' wrote: I’ve never parked in a HC space but I do have compassion for those who wrongfully do. Here in California, the ordnance for HC space allocation is insanely too generous. Based on observation (couldn’t find the ordnance quickly) it appears that if you have four spaces, one must be allocated to HC and for strip mall settings, it looks like about one in six spaces must be allocated to HC. Bottom line, the allocation level was chosen so that it would be extremely rare for a HC space to not be available. The result being that hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of patrons are inconvenienced in an effort to make it nearly unheard of for a HC person to not have a space. Again, I’ve never parked in a HC space but the over the top HC space allocation situation I see serves as a reminder to me to not support stuff that’s intended to help select individuals…I know it’ll just get abused.
I feel retarded.
This just occurred to me... my car is currently parked outside in a HC spot. We have an office building (our company has the whole front suite, except for a small company of 3 people next door), with extremely limited parking. There are like 4 HC spots out front and about 12 normal ones. None of them are correctly marked with a sign, and there are no handicapped people in the company. Our company demo van is parked in another, and another employee (former Captain the fire department) is parked in another. When I ride my bike to work, I park in the hatched van-loading area between whoever is parked in the HC spot and the normal spot next to it.
Also, at my last townhouse there were 5 visitor parking spaces (8 homes), 1 was handicapped. I parked there all the time. Nobody ever parked there, and there was no sign making it official. We had 2 spaces in our driveway, so one of us always had to park along the curb or in a visitor spot. Visitor spots were always taken, and when I parked along the curb, I got notes from other residents complaining that I was making it difficult for them to get in and out of their driveway.
in my experience, if it's not official, it's not an (enforceable) HC spot. the last spot in the lot behind my old place was a "handicapped spot"; there was a makeshift sign with the handicapped symbol on it, but no lines or markings. someone called the cops about a car parked there, and the officer explained that he couldn't do anything b/c the spot wasn't properly marked.
RX Reven' wrote: I’ve never parked in a HC space but I do have compassion for those who wrongfully do. Here in California, the ordnance for HC space allocation is insanely too generous. Based on observation (couldn’t find the ordnance quickly) it appears that if you have four spaces, one must be allocated to HC and for strip mall settings, it looks like about one in six spaces must be allocated to HC. Bottom line, the allocation level was chosen so that it would be extremely rare for a HC space to not be available. The result being that hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of patrons are inconvenienced in an effort to make it nearly unheard of for a HC person to not have a space. Again, I’ve never parked in a HC space but the over the top HC space allocation situation I see serves as a reminder to me to not support stuff that’s intended to help select individuals…I know it’ll just get abused.
My work is like that. In our old building, we had 5 doors along the front stretch. They are spaced 80ft or less apart and each one had like 3 HC spaces next to each entrance. On top of that, the main row of parking has two additonal HC spaces near each door. No one even remotely handicapped comes to our work and we are our own industrial complex. Some guys like to park in the main row HC spaces coz parking was tight. None of these guys would do it anywhere else. Of course lunch walkers who walk through our site sqauwk about it and threaten to call the cops despite this. I can't see the common sense in people making a stink in this situation. I think many people have nothing better to do.
I'll let those who care -that- much take on the burden of confronting the ne'er do parkers. It does me no good to point out the obvious to a plainly upright jerk who knowingly parked in the handicapped space. Am I looking for an argument? Am I trying to get into a fight? Their poor behavior will catch up with them someday and, like Jeremiah, it's not really my pleasure to be there to see it just because I saw one offense. They get theirs, you get yours, and I walk in with no more and no less stress than I've already got.
Months ago people were encouraging me to get a handicapped hanger or apply for tags. I was facing abdominal surgery and some lengthy recovery periods (colon cancer). I'd already been parking nice and far away for the health and fitness benefits I thought I was enjoying before the weight loss credit went to the tumor. :doh!: No need to speed through rush hour to get to that elusive spot so mcuh closer to the building. Like my desk, "my spot" wasn't going anywhere... and likely to be empty when I arrived... like every other morning.
My compadres were now cooing that I could park oh so close with the little blue beni hanging off the mirror. For what? So I could walk less when I was consciously trying to walk more? And to slack off when my recovery was going to mean making sure I got good exercise to get those abdominals back in the game?
No thanks, I said. While I can and need to walk, I'll let the close spot go to someone who really needs it... or to some jerk gambling with his own karma. I need neither in my life. :)
shuttlepilot wrote:NYG95GA wrote: I hold these twits in contempt, but forgive them, based on the logic that going through life without a heart is a terrible handicap.Yeah, you guys are pretty brutal. Feelings of corner carvers board here. I myself park far far away from the door dinging public.
What? That doesn't make any sense at all.
shuttlepilot wrote:NYG95GA wrote: I hold these twits in contempt, but forgive them, based on the logic that going through life without a heart is a terrible handicap.Yeah, you guys are pretty brutal. Feelings of corner carvers board here. I myself park far far away from the door dinging public.
and I'm the guy that parks next to you. 
Jensenman wrote: I have more than once had to resist the urge to do the whole Jerry Lee Lewis in Smokey and the Bandit bit.
Or you could do it Jerry Reed style...eastbound and down...
I did that also, back in the day when I could walk that far.
After two knee replacments, I still use the HPs and the Blue Tag. I get some strange looks if I'm parking a vintage sports car in one..
one tree huggin Beech tried to approach and question me on my HP use . My reply : " Why Doctor, I didn't recognise you in DRAG " That made her spin on her heels and left onlookers giggling!
My big BEEF. Folks driving with the HUGE Blue tag locking half the windsheild.
It even says " Must remove while driving " on it.
But many, must be too handcapped to even do that!
kpm wrote:Jensenman wrote: I have more than once had to resist the urge to do the whole Jerry Lee Lewis in Smokey and the Bandit bit.Or you could do it Jerry Reed style...eastbound and down...
[redfaced] Oops....[/redfaced]
We had a close friend could cycle (bike) but not walk far. (Don’t ask me how, I still don’t understand, but we spend enough time together that I believe it was true) She caught unending grief when she (legally) used the HC parking spots with her bike on the rack on the back of her car.
While I have called the cops on folks without a proper tag or plate, sometimes it’s not as obvious as it looks
Jack
Biking is much lower skeletal impact. Easier on the knees.
Salanis wrote: Biking is much lower skeletal impact. Easier on the knees.
That's what my ACL recovery consisted of. Cycling. It's good physical therapy for knee injuries evidently.
16vCorey wrote: It also bothers me when obese people get handicap tags. I understand if there is a serious medical condition causing their obesity, but if they're just fat they should have special tags that make them park in the back of the lot.
Two years ago, my mom had double knee replacement. She got a temp HC mirror tag. I met Mom & Dad at the mall one night, and he parked in an HC spot. As Mom was getting out - slowly - a car pulled into the next spot and a slim woman in her 50s and a healthy looking guy in his 20s got out. They walked, briskly, past M&D as Mom was still extracting herself. Dad blurted outloud, as is his practice, "I wonder what her handicap is?" Young man spun on his heels a snorted, "My mom is anorexic! She has low stamina!" If she has low stamina, WTF is she doing going to a mall, where lots of walking is involved?
So, not only do people who are fat get tags, people that THINK they're fat can get them.
RealMiniDriver wrote:16vCorey wrote: It also bothers me when obese people get handicap tags. I understand if there is a serious medical condition causing their obesity, but if they're just fat they should have special tags that make them park in the back of the lot.Two years ago, my mom had double knee replacement. She got a temp HC mirror tag. I met Mom & Dad at the mall one night, and he parked in an HC spot. As Mom was getting out - slowly - a car pulled into the next spot and a slim woman in her 50s and a healthy looking guy in his 20s got out. They walked, briskly, past M&D as Mom was still extracting herself. Dad blurted outloud, as is his practice, "I wonder what her handicap is?" Young man spun on his heels a snorted, "My mom is anorexic! She has low stamina!" If she has low stamina, WTF is she doing going to a mall, where lots of walking is involved? So, not only do people who are fat get tags, people that THINK they're fat can get them.
Anorexia is something she is doing to herself, and she shouldnt have a tag for it.
Joey
honestly, I have been told I can get one. I have chrones disease and sometimes, when I gotta go, I gotta go. The walk from even the front of the parking lot to the bathrooms can seem like a marathon with clenched cheeks.
But honestly, I could never do it, even if I only ever needed it for the occasional dash to the restroom of the nearest store
My mom has had double knee replacement and had a placard during recovery. When she wanted more therapy and had cabin fever I would drive her to the mall so she could walk. I would pull up in front and drop her off at the entrance then go find a spot as far out in the lot as nessasary. My wife would also do this when she took her to her doctors apointments. If I'm the one driving, I'm the one parking and can walk to catch up to her. I think that may be the spirit of the law in GA.
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