an article written by Dave Breezy (A.K.A. Chairdozer)
It allows you to park anywhere! It apparently excuses bad manners too! For example. My wife and I went grocery shopping the other day. I drive a ramp van, with a ramp that comes out the right side. Therefore when I park I need not only a handicapped space but a “van accessible” space, so no one can park right next to me, and block me out of my van. The store was busy that day. I circled the lot but there were no “van accessible” spaces available. So I pulled up in front and let my wife out at the door so she could start the shopping while I parked the van. I circled the lot a few more times, nothing. I had resigned myself to having to park waaay out at the end when I noticed somebody getting into a car that was parked in a “van accessible” space. I waited for them to back out. I noticed a car come flying across the parking lot, but I got there first and pulled into the space. The car parked 6-8 spaces on down the row. A man got out of the drivers side, obviously rather mad, and a woman (I’d say both in their 40’s) got out the other and helped an elderly lady out of the back. As I’m putting my window up, I see this guy heading my way and hear him carrying on. He comes to my window as I’m getting turned around to get out and lowering my ramp. I holler and motion for him to come around to the other side. He does, all the while carrying on about how “I should have been a gentleman and let him have that space. He needed it for his mother because she couldn’t walk very far” and how “I was just f***ing lazy” and “he was going to give me a piece of his f***ing mind”. As he came around the corner and saw me in my wheelchair on my ramp getting out he stopped, his mouth literally hanging open. I said “I wish I could walk at all. If you were truly such a gentleman you would have dropped your mother off at the door as I did my wife. Which tells me that you didn’t want this space for your mommy, you just wanted it so you didn’t have to walk so far. Who’s the lazy one now? And lastly, I don’t want a piece of your mind! Trust me, you can‘t spare it!” By this time I’d gotten out & closed up the van. I hit the remote to lock it, and rolled away. He was still standing there with his mouth hanging open.
Or the time at the university. My wife and I both had dental appointments. I drove us up there, and parked in the handicapped section of one of the ramps, in a handicapped stall. Should be good, right? Not so much! We came out a couple hours later, to find a pickup parked in the “no parking” lines (hash marks) right between us and the van parked in the next space, blocking both vans ramps. And to make matters worse, the pickup had a staff parking tag in the window! We called the ramp attendant over, he took down the plate, and had them paged. After about 10 minutes he came back and issued a ticket. After another 30 min. he issued another. As he finished it the owner came out. She was an R.N.! You would think a registered nurse would know better! Apparently not. She saw what was going on and got MAD! Started arguing with the ramp attendants, (more than one was there by then) and carrying on. Picture the scene, I’m setting there in my wheelchair, my wife is there leaning on her white cane, (once again, you would think a nurse would know) three ramp attendants are there as well. This nurse turns to me and demands angrily “Why didn’t you just have her (pointing at my wife) move your d*** van?! I said “See the white cane? She’s blind! You throw her YOUR keys!”
I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen or been blocked by people parking in the no parking lines, or “hash marks“. Since when did not knowing how to park become a handicap? Better question, If they can’t see all those “no parking” lines or hash marks, how is it that they can (or can they?) see that one line in the center of the road? Also why don’t they park in the fire lane? Those lines would be just as easy to miss by someone that can’t see all those others, right? And it would be so much closer to the door than a mere “handicapped” spot right? Could it be that it also carries some ugly penalties as well? Since when is the inability to park properly a handicap? And beyond that, as I said before, what ever happened to manners or common courtesy??? I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen someone pull into a handicapped spot, the passenger get out, and the driver sit there, in the handicapped spot, with the motor running, waiting on them. If the driver’s going to stay in the car and wait on them, why not let them out at the door??? If all you’re going to do is sit and wait, you can park in any space to do that! That’s what I do!
