I just got news yesterday that my mom will be coming home from the rehab/care center on Thursday, still recuperating from her fall at the end of December. I was glad to hear this news, because she's eager to come home. I was also glad to hear it since going to visit her has been difficult.
Last time I went over to visit her, all of the handicap spots were taken - again - so I went inside and told staff that one of the cars did not have a placard or license plate, that I'd taken a picture and called police. At least this time the parking lot was empty enough that I could park the van in two connecting spots and get out to see why those spots are always full.
Apparently a staff member was parked in the spot. Some of the aides knew immediately whose car it was, without me even describing it, just by mentioning it was in the handicap spot without a placard, which leads me to think that she parks there regularly.
Of course it is a longer walk if you park in "regular" spots, so what's the big deal about taking up a handicap spot for eight hours at a time in front of a care center where families are picking up and dropping off patients with mobility issues all day long?
This kind of disconnect goes on all the time, where some folks mix up what may appear to be a "privilege" (parking closer, using a larger bathroom stall, etc.) with the fact that the accommodation is necessary.
It's been very disappointing to me to miss seeing my mother when I can't find a parking spot over at the care center.
Since this situation doesn't just affect me, but all visitors, I'm hoping that reporting the problem helps.
5 comments:
I'm glad you did this--thank you. It benefits all of us. When the word gets out that we won't stand it anymore and people are going to pay expensive fines, they'll stop. Parking abuse has become far worse in our area over the past 2 1/2 years since I've received my tag--I'm not sure why this change has occurred. We've had a lot of new growth, but I'm not sure how that fits in.
I was just over there, sitting outside with my mother, who is feeling much better - and another employee parked in the handicap spot, no placard. (They wear uniforms, so this it's easy to tell.) Yet again I went through with reporting it because I really believe, after fifteen years of dealing with this, that the best deterrent is to impose a fine, especially when employees at a nursing home are parking there for eight hour shifts.
Yes, that's ridiculous and blatant for them to do.
*sorry to be posting on this so late, but I've been very busy lately and haven't been keeping up with my usual round of blogs*
A few years ago when my husband and I were looking for our first apartment, we visited one complex and noticed a fancy sports car parked in the handicap spot outside of the apartment office, no placard. When we met the manager who was at the front desk, both Sean and I mentioned the "idiot" parked in a handicap spot without a tag. The manager turned an interesting shade of red and said "That's MY car."
We turned around and walked out. I don't think we even looked at the apartment.
CG- And sometimes people don't realize that doing things like that affects the way they're seen by others - with unintended consequences. Thanks for posting that.
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