Name and Shame

[jazbug5]

Fair point, Jim- but don't you get a pass to display in the car to show your entitlement..?

[James Deuce]

I mentioned the pass in my post. That was the mobility pass I was talking about.

[onearmedbandit]

Remember those stickers with Mickey Mouse pulling the finger with the text that read something like 'Nice parking arsehole, next time leave a fucking can opener so I can get my car out!' Fucking brilliant idea, had bundles of them years ago, used quite a few as well! May have had no effect but made me feel good.

[WRT]

Just a little clarification on your scenario, Jim. If your wife has a disabled passenger with her, then in my opinion she absolutely has every entitlement to use the carparks, and people will hopefully recognise that - this is afterall what the parks are there for.

However, if it is just her traveling in the car, then I see no reason why she should be allowed to park in the disabled spot? The pass is for disabled people, not able bodied people. Only cars that are currently carrying disabled passengers (or drivers) should park in those spots.

The only exception I can think of for this is if your wife was going in to pick up something bulky or awkward for one of the disabled people in her care. For example, if she needed to pick up a new wheelchair for someone and the store had a disabled park directly in front of it. Even then, if it was me, if at all practical, then I would park elsewhere, knowing that there would be a lot of disabled people visiting that particular store who would need the park more than I would. Afterall, there are loading zones in a most areas for this sort of activity.

[James Deuce]

I'm not following you at all WRT.

[WRT]

Think for a second.

My family qualifies for a disabled park. There are two members of my family, myself included who are disabled. The other one is one of my children.

My wife is able bodied.

She is now too scared to use the disabled parks that the mobility pass entitles her to use because of the attitude displayed in this thread. She has been threatened with being towed, blocked from getting out of the car, and had abuse hurled at her because she is able bodied, and obviously abusing a "privilege" that should go to someone else.

Judge a book by its cover and you may just find yourself with karmic egg on your face.

Referring to the sections in bold - do you mean that:

1. She is too scared to use the disabled parks when she is in the car by herself?
2. She is too scared to use the disabled parks when she is in the car with either yourself or your child with the disability?

If you mean 1., then I dont actually see why she should be using the park - after all, you mentioned she is able bodied and just because she is related to someone who is disabled but not with her at that time in my opinion does not entitle her to use that park.

If instead you mean 2., then thats a bloody shame, and I find it disgraceful that people would persercute her for using something she is has every right to. I would hope that whoever saw her there in the company of a disabled person would recognise that she is entitled to use that park, but maybe thats not always the way.

I do realise that some disabilities are not as easy to spot as others and maybe your point is that unless people see someone getting out of the car and into a wheel chair that they dont make the association.

Dont get me wrong, I'm not having a dig, I'm just curious as to your meaning and was hoping you could clarify it for me.

[James Deuce]

You either qualify for a mobility pass or you don't. It's not conditional. Who's to say that you're not parking in the disabled spot to pick up a disabled person? Those are the kinds of assumptions that result in karmic egg on face. People who don't display a mobility permit and park in disabled carparks deserve all they get. People who display the pass and then garner abuse because they don't meet the expectations of people who have no idea what the word disability actually means deserve support, not the formation of a torch bearing lynch mob which is what tends to happen.

I am talking about situation 2 because neither Heather nor myself will be in the car without the qualifying party until the day we die.

Plus also bear in mind that I qualify for a mobility pass, but I've never bothered feeling that sorry for myself, mainly because I fully expect to have to put up with shit from ignoramuses, the same shit Heather has to put up with right now.

[WRT]

In that case I think you would come under situation 3. - while I didnt add a bullet point, it's what I was talking about in the second to last paragraph of my last post. It is a shame that people jump to conclusions (not that it ever happens on here, no-siree) but that unfortunately is human nature.

A couple of other things - one is that I still believe that a disabled park should only be used while the car is travelling with a disabled person in it (including pickups and drop offs of said person). If the only person in the car is able bodied, then I think that driver has a moral obligation to leave the disabled parks free for others with less mobility to use, even if they aren't legally obliged to.

Also, we have drifted somewhat from the original point, which was people who arent entitled to use those parks. Those who are, have a pass on display and even if someone doesnt recognise the disablity then at least they should (should . . .) recognise the pass and hopefully they will realise that the person is parking there for a reason. Those who park in a disabled park without a care in the world despite the fact they dont have the pass and are not entitled to one, those the ones who deserve the name and shame sticker.

[Skyryder]

Think for a second.

My family qualifies for a disabled park. There are two members of my family, myself included who are disabled. The other one is one of my children.

My wife is able bodied.

She is now too scared to use the disabled parks that the mobility pass entitles her to use because of the attitude displayed in this thread. She has been threatened with being towed, blocked from getting out of the car, and had abuse hurled at her because she is able bodied, and obviously abusing a "privilege" that should go to someone else.

Judge a book by its cover and you may just find yourself with karmic egg on your face.

I was always under the empression that the disable sticker only applied to the person or persons and that was displayed on the car. Your post suggests the opposite that an 'able bodied person' can use the disable car park with a car that carries the authority to do so.

Which is correct, the person or the car?

Skyryder

[James Deuce]

It's neither the person nor the car, it's the mobility pass. It's not a sticker anymore either, it is a piece of plastic, because of the fact that most households have more than one car.

It isn't free either. There is a nominal fee of $45/5 years, and if you can't find a disabled park you have to pay the meter like everyone else, but you get twice as long in the park. Or pay half price depending on your viewpoint.

All sorts of people qualify including MS sufferers, people with temporary disabilities like broken legs, chronic depression sufferers, Alzheimer's victims;. The list is quite long, and I think the general implication of this thread typifies the willingness of a lot people to judge people in general by a very shallow set of criteria.

Prior to my Annus Horribilis I would have been prone to curl my lip at someone parking in a disability park and then getting out and walking away from their car.

[onearmedbandit]

Sorry to join in on this but Jim2 maybe you can clarify.

If your car is driven by an able-bodied (non-disability) person to a car park say to pick up some drycleaning for themselves and the 'mobility-pass' is in the car are they entitled to use the pass and park in the restricted aresa?

[James Deuce]

If you were ethically challenged I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue. Neither my wife nor I would do that. But do you know for sure that the person is able bodied?

[Patrick]

I'm not sure you picked up the right end of the stick Jim2... I thought every one was having a go at those who do not have any disability or any disabled parking card, swiping the parks reserved for those with the passes and disabilities.

Those are theones who deserve tickets and condemnation.

Your Mrs, with a pass displayed, need not fear.

I see your "point' though... who really knows if an able "looking" person is actually disabled... but... they have the passes...

[El Dopa]

If you were ethically challenged I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue. Neither my wife nor I would do that. But do you know for sure that the person is able bodied?

There was something in the paper not too long ago about a woman that had some nasty joint disease that made walking over anything more than short distances very difficult. She also had a decent job, and owned a Porsche.

She had the permit, but used to get a LOT of shit from people who would see her parking her shiny porsche in the disable space.

[zaq]

I remember reading about this... she was parking outside her shop in either Parnell or Ponsonby. Her bones/joints were rotting away... it's terrible. And the usual holier-than-thou crowd would abuse/intimidate her. That article probably make a couple of people feel really shitty about themselves...