Ok people. Let’s talk about handicapped parking. If you do
not have a placard that allows you to park in a handicapped spot, DON’T PARK THERE.
If you see diagonal stripes on the ground in between or beside a
handicapped spot, DON’T PARK THERE.
This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Listen, if your lazy ass
doesn’t feel like walking the 2 extra spots it would take to get from your car
to the 7-11 door, then stay home. If you’re at Wal-Mart or the mall or at the
Piggly Wiggly and the parking lot is packed and you don’t feel like walking
that far, then stay home.
“I’m really late”
How is your being late my problem? Perhaps if you didn’t
snooze the alarm sixteen times/spent less time applying the caked on make-up/hadn’t
stayed out too late last night and woken up with a hangover the size of
Cleveland, you might be running on time. But again I ask: how is your being
late my problem? Now, because Your Royal Highness has decided it so, the spots
designated for people who cannot walk as far, as fast or at all due to their
disability are a free-for-all and I have to drive around the lot trying to find
a spot that will allow me to get my daughter out safely.
“This will only take
a minute”
It never takes
just a minute…and even if it really did take only a minute, why should I have
to wait on you? Ah yes, Your Royal Highness feels we should wait until Your
Majesty has procured a mocha-capa-frappa-latte with just the right amount of
sweetener and a carton of Pall-Malls before we, the commoner, the lowly simple
folk can have the same opportunity. Wait; allow me to roll out the red carpet
upon your exit, Your Majesty, lest your Louis Vuitton’s be soiled!
All joking aside, it is so infuriating when I see people
park in the reserved areas and don’t even think twice about it. I know there are folks
with invisible disabilities that use handicapped parking and they get the evil
eye because they don’t look disabled. But then you have those who use their
granny’s or aunt’s or brother’s placard. If you are somebody who uses a placard
when you know you’re really not supposed to, I hope you get fined. And I hope I’m
the reason you got fined. Because I looove calling people out on their
douchery. That word is so gross and anybody who knows me knows I hate that
nasty word but that’s how I feel about people who refuse to walk the extra 10
feet.
Stop being a jerk!
My son has autism and bipolar. We have a placard, but have not used it yet because he has been doing well. I dread when we do use it, because it will be hard to tell he needs it. But I will use it anyway because he is unsafe when things are bad :(
ReplyDeleteI know people definitely question someone when they look "fine". I used to be one of those. I always thought of disability as obvious so it never occurred to me that someone's disability could be invisible, as they say, or sporadic (such as severe muscle weakness or shortness of breath from MS or cancer).
ReplyDeleteBut like I always say, education is the key. We just gotta keep telling people about this community and soon it won't need to be said.
Thanks for your comment!
People who legitimately have HP plates can also be quite inconsiderate. We live on the ocean and have a wheelchair van with placard for my son. We need extra space to let the lift down and roll out the chair.
ReplyDeleteMy peeve is is when old people park in the HP places eat their McDonald's meal, read a book and look at the boats and never get out of their cars while there are plenty of non-HP places available for single cars. You don't use a HP place and never leave your car...it's not an entitled special place.
ARRgggg!!! I hope you say something to these people! That is so annoying. Another thing I hate: when someone pulls into their spot AND into the van-accessible area next to it, too! So because they are special, they get to have extra space for their car and I can't get my daughter in and out of our van because it has side access!
ReplyDeleteOnce I was yelled at by a woman because I took the last handicapped spot (my son has CP) when I explained my son had CP she screamed at me to "Just carrying him then!!!" she was horrid, this was at a hospital parking lot, she screamed that she was running late for her appointment and needed it more than we did! Seriously. Not that she knew it but not only did I have to get my son into the hospital I had a baby in a carrier to lug in!!
ReplyDeleteThat is terrible!
ReplyDeleteAgain I say, how is the fact that she's running late to her appointment YOUR problem?? I swear, some people!!
I got grumpy at a guy yesterday. He parked in "the space" had a placard and even had a disabled passenger...who stayed in the van while he ran in for subs. The best part is that the parking lot was otherwise empty and it wasn't even the space closest to the door. Very odd.
DeleteWell, I'm gonna try to explain this one. I'm not the guy, obviously, but here's what I think happened based on my own experience.
ReplyDeleteHe wanted to go in to get the subs but the passenger was going to wait in the car because it takes longer to get that person out of the van & in to the store then back into the van than if the driver just runs in to get them. Or maybe the passenger just wasn't feeling well enough to go in & needed to get home ASAP. So he decided to park close to the establishment so that he can still keep an eye on the passenger but he felt bad taking the closest spot since he, himself, can walk just fine. By using a "space" that was not the closest one, he got to get his subs, make sure the passenger wasn't rolling away and left the closest spots free in case someone else came along and needed it.
Sometimes I do this with my daughter. She is 14 so I don't like to leave her in the vehicle where I can't see it. The doors stay locked (she can't unlock them herself) but I want to make sure it's still where I left it. Sometimes it is just faster to run in and get what we need then to go through the whole process. So I am still using it for a disabled person's needs.
I share your anger over HP spaces and parent&child spaces.
ReplyDeleteHP space : my mum in law RIP regularly got angry at drivers who park in and over into the hatchet box.i could tell you all what happened but i'll prob have to post 2x'!! Anyway,for ones who parked in the space,she (muminlaw) had stickers and glue(this stuff you couldve made a car out of it was that good!) and got the driver(of car she was in) to stick these on side window and front screen in drivers view.good idea but she got her ass kicked when she did one car and it was one of her carers... :-)
Someone had parked on the hatchet box rendering 2spaces usless.i got m.i.l. out of car, then i parked close to the cars driver side,another HP driver also turned up looked. at what i had done and parked their car close to passenger side. we went shopping,went back to car to find a rather angry young lady demanding why we had done that. after partly explaining,she walked away and came back with a carpark man.she ranted,he looked,he looked at us,smiled and walked away.stumped she was.mean while i had loaded car n was ready to move...
child space : a HP driver had parked in parent&child space,i asked him politely to park in the epmty HP space opposite.i got told to ***** **** ** *** * ***** *? *** * !!! So i parked in the HP space.started to unload kids,he walks(ok waddles) over n tells me i shouldnt park.there but in parent&child space.i told him politely i couldnt as he was parked in it..lost for words he waddled back to his car.he was still there when i had finished shopping.he got a sarcastic wave n smile as i left....
yes drivers like that are blind and stupid,i reckon let down tyres n walk away.... tehee :-)
HAHAHAHA
ReplyDeleteI just got a mental image of someone gluing paper over the driver side window & the shock of the person when they got out to their car. I would NEVER recommend doing that since it's destruction of property but a HUGE high-five to anyone who has the guts to do that!! I would love to see a picture of that!
And hopefully that "young lady" has learned her lesson. It drives me batty to see kids who are obviously using their parent's or grandparent's HP pass so they can park closer! I have embarrassed several I have encountered but I think I would've gotten much more satisfaction out of blocking them out of their illegally parked vehicle!
Thanks for sharing!!
BTW - check out The Wheels of Shame on Facebook or at http://www.thewheelsofshame.com/ for pictures & stories on other violators!
I've heard so many similar excuses and none of them are okay. People need to realize what a simple way not using handicap parking spaces illegally is to show respect.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, it was interesting to read!
ReplyDelete