Crackdown On Disabled Parking Scofflaws Nets 10
Are people stupid?
Yes, this is a painfully obvious rhetorical question.
But after all sorts of TV, radio and newspaper news stories about the City of Chicago and the Secretary of State cracking down on drivers abusing handicapped parking privileges and parking for free at metered parking spots, some drivers still haven’t gotten the message.
Law enforcement was out in full force last Wednesday when 21 officers inspected 54 cars using disabled placards or handicapped plates and ticketed 10 with potential fines of $500 or $1000, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the Sun-Times story is the reporter poses the question about the viability of allowing handicapped drivers to continue to park for free at parking meters. How expensive will it become to enforce these laws if you need an army of cops enforcing the law? Perhaps it is smarter to just get rid of free metered parking for the disabled altogether.
Illinois State Representative Karen May (D-Highland Park) is proposing that this freebie for the handicapped goes away for all but the most truly disabled.
But Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Secretary of State Jesse White believe free parking for disabled drivers should remain intact.
Read the Sun-Times full story, “Disability-parking abuse crackdown targets meter cheaters in Loop.”
The major benefit of disabled parking is not parking for free at parking meters – it’s parking for as long as you’d like. With disabled parking, you can park for 8 hours at a location that has a 2 hour time limit. That’s why people many people abuse them.
I knew a bunch of guys, years ago, that worked at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. They all had disabled parking placards and would park in the south loop for their whole shift at meters that would only allow 2 hour parking.
[...] downtown metered street parking rates of $5.75 an hour, this is some serious money. Recently, 10 people were “nabbed” using fake, stolen, or “borrowed” handicap placards in order to get free parking. [...]
Walking in the loop to the Sears Tower this, I saw 3 cars in a row on Wells, under the El tracks with disabled placards. It made me think that they’re probably just abusing the system. I say, allow them to park longer, but make them pay for each hour. All the meter-cheats will drop the placards in a second and find a different way to park for free!
Enforcement is a Time Sink.
It can take at least an hour if not more just to catch 1 abuser…
We’d need to take every Cop off of patrol and have them Sit on Every HCP plate/placard displaying vehicle in the Loop just to nail every abuser in 1 day……and we would still miss abusers else where in the city.
Remove Free Meter’d Parking for HCP Placards and Plates for 2 years.
In that 2 year time, Suspend ALL HCP placards in current Issue (exp dates of 2012 & 2014); and Issue New ones that Expire 1/31/2016.
All HCP plates should be restricted to people that have a physical disability since they are perm mounted to Vehicles. Short a Leg, Wheel Chair, etc unfort physical disability.
Since Pay Boxes are easily accessible by all persons…people with physical disabilities should have a Pay By Phone ability for Meters in the City of Chicago…as well as be Issued Park Magic Type Dashboard devices.
It’s 2012…no one deserves Free Parking on Meter’d Streets Just because they have a physical or mental handicap.
Equal Opportunity under the Law goes both ways.
Jefferson between Lake & Fulton – 1 maroon van with overweight woman parking with handicapped placard, walks into CTA building today at 7:30 AM. No visible disability; 1 gold 4-door mercedes parked in front of 180 S. Jefferson, and went into building at 7:30 pm, no visible signs of disability. ARE WE STUPID????? It isn’t that difficult to catch them. Just hang out between 7:30-9AM and you will probably catch a lot of them. Come on, we are paying for it anyway, aren’t we getting a bill monthly???
to rmb:
My dad, who had severe angina, needed to park near stores during the winter, and had a handicapped card. But he looked really healthy, and would get nasty comments from people so he would park further away, and try not to suffer.
So, as I have mentioned in earlier posts, don’t let appearances fool you. The person could quite properly have a handicapped placard.
That said, the totally free parking needs to be reconsidered. But not totally banned.
Sorry John…but I’m curious…
Was it Stable, Unstable or Micro-vascular Angina?
Because while all three are valid physical conditions…only 2 of them should qualify for a HCP card…and you should probably be using crutches or a cane.
my wife has ms. she has good and bad days. even on the good days she can only walk so far. on the bad days she wobbles with each step. she has parked in the handicapped section of the jewel parking lot. even with the placard displayed on two occasions she has ended up spread eagle on a police cruisers hood trying to prove she is not drunk. by the way my wife might have a glass of wine every two years. the state law prohibits officers from questioning the disability they can only make sure the person to whom the placard was issued is using it. buse goes both ways
Mike…sounds to me like a complaint to that Agencies Internal Affairs Division is needed.
The majority of handicap parking abusers are entitled government employees, primarily city workers and postal workers. Just target the enforcement efforts at the start time of their shifts, and lots of abusers will be caught.
Pete, There is a current problem with the State HCP program..
Not every Handicap that qualifies for the plate or placard is of a visual nature. And due to the specific wording of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is Illegal to inquire as to the nature of the Handicap (regardless of the type of handicap.) Like for example Severe Angina or MS or Mental Health disabilities. The most enforcement officers can do is Run the Plate/Placard # to check : 1) Valid/Forged. 2) Owner Dead or Alive. 3) Sex/Age of Owner. 4) HCP rights suspended by state or not.
The Secretary of State (Illinois) does not state what disabilities do or do not qualify, so the State (by Federal Law) must extend to ALL, regardless of physical or non-physical.
But here is my problem with the Program…and this is just my opinion.
Non-Physical Disabilities like those of the Neurological or Mental or a Child with a Physical Disability variety should only be issued Placards.
Those of the Mobility issue variety (missing leg, arm, wheelchair) should only ever be issued a Vehicle Plate. And those of the Temporary Nature should be issued a special Colored Temporary Placard.
Since most individuals with neurological disabilities (say like MS or palsy or epilepsy for example) will usually prevent the poor soul from obtaining a Drivers License, permanent vehicle plates are not required. As such, the Mobile Placard would and should suffice since the owner takes it with them after being driven where-ever they are going for that day.
For ADA Mental Handicaps, Depression and Anxiety and Stress Disorders for example; speaking as the Child of a Handicapped Parent, I don’t think they should be allowed to drive anyways. And I say that because the ADA defines a Mental Handicap as: a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
And again, the Mobile placard would suffice.
The New Law makes this simpler though..
Can you operate a Debit Card or Credit Card in an ATM machine? If So you are healthy enough to Operate and Pay the Meter.
You can still park for free in HCP designated spaces on the street…like on Plymouth Court @ Van Buren or on Wabash or Wells in the Loop.
I catch flack for my views on this topic…but I’m used to it.