Editorial: Don't park in the handicapped space
The Editorial Board
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sep 25, 2022
The letter came in to the editors, unsigned. “I'd like to ask a favor if I may,” it began. The writer had noticed a lot of people using the Americans with Disabilities Act compliant parking spaces and restroom facilities when they didn’t need to. It’s a common sight.
If you’re one of them, stop.
“You may be rushing to use the bathroom or grab a small item from a store, so one tends to grab the closest spot/facility available,” the writer continued. “But PLEASE think of others, as someone who has NO CHOICE but to use a specific ADA designated parking/bathroom spot, who must then wait until you either return from your ‘I was only a minute' or 'the stall was larger' excursion. Those for whom these were actually intended, by LAW, should not be forced to wait for you to relinquish that needed real estate.”
For those who need legal sanction to leave other peoples’ spaces alone: As our writer says, many of these accommodations are also governed by state and federal law. Title 75 of the Pennsylvania code governs parking for a “Person with a disability and disabled veterans.” Anyone who parks in a handicapped parking space or even obstructs a person’s use of the space, like parking in front of an adjacent ramp, will be guilty of a summary offense and fined from $100 to $300.
The problem of people without disabilities taking handicapped spots is common enough that the state should consider increasing the fines, and local police departments should definitely be more zealous in enforcing the restriction. The second would be the most effective way to reduce the number of people who take advantage of something other people need. We need not only to supply accommodations for the disabled but also to protect them.
“Simple request, easy to comply with. Thank you,” the letter concluded.
It is simple. Our society has made simple, practical accommodations for our fellow citizens who face more physical challenges than most of us. Provisions like handicapped spaces and stalls help them participate more fully in our common life, and ensure we all benefit more from their gifts and abilities. Everyone benefits.
The two accommodations our letter writer mentioned impose no burden on anyone. At most, you have to park a few more spaces from the front door and wait in line for one of the other stalls. You can do that. It’s a tiny inconvenience for you to protect a necessity for others.
First Published September 25, 2022, 11:00am