General Disability Lifestyle

what do you think about this?

 

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010754112_parking10m.html

The city of Seattle is proposing changes in its handicapped-parking rules to restrict disabled parking to four hours in two Seattle neighborhoods to make room for other disabled individuals.

 

By Susan Gilmore

 

Seattle Times staff reporter

 

 

Citing the abuse of handicapped-parking placards, Seattle is considering putting four-hour limits on disabled parking in two Seattle neighborhoods.

 

The proposal, being circulated among disabled groups, would place time limits on parking meters on First Hill near the hospitals and in downtown Seattle.

 

"From everyone we hear from, it's a problem," said Mary Catherine Snyder, with the city's Department of Transportation.

 

By restricting the amount of time a vehicle displaying a disabled placard can park at a meter, the city hopes:

 

• It will make room for others who are disabled and can't find parking spaces.

 

• It will free up spaces for those who pay.

 

• The increased scrutiny may prompt those illegally using the placards to stop trying to get free parking on city streets.

 

Currently, if there is a handicapped placard on a vehicle, there are no time limits and parking is free.

 

The city says there is widespread abuse of the state-issued placards. In early 2009, there were more than 750,000 inactive disabled-parking placards in circulation statewide, according to the city.

 

"Placards represent golden tickets to free parking, especially in downtown Seattle where monthly parking is so expensive," said the city in a flier announcing the proposed parking changes.

 

Individuals with license plates for the disabled would not be subject to the four-hour limit. Snyder said placards are easily transferred and more prone to abuse than plates.

 

State law allows cities to limit spaces for the disabled to no less than four hours, which is what Seattle is proposing.

 

The time limits would be placed on meters on First Hill, near Swedish Medical Center and Virginia Mason Medical Center, and in a three-block-wide area of downtown bordered by Madison Street, Third Avenue, Yesler Way and Sixth Avenue.

 

"Our position is that we want (meters) to turn over frequently," said Jon Scholes, policy director with the Downtown Seattle Association. He said there are about 5,000 meters downtown and "the city should manage them in a fair and reasonable manner."

 

He said a four-hour limit seems reasonable for disabled individuals shopping downtown. They also have the option to park in a downtown garage, he said.

 

Scholes also pointed out that those who park downtown all day, with a disabled placard, are taking spaces away from other disabled people who need them.

 

 

Mike Gray, with the First Hill Improvement Association, said his group plans to meet with the city next week to discuss the parking issue. "The neighborhood does recognize it's a problem," he said. "It's obviously being abused."

 

His group recently was briefed on the First Hill parking study, which found 40 percent of all cars parked around Virginia Mason and Swedish had handicapped placards. Of these vehicles, at least 40 percent had been parked more than four hours. It was found that 7 percent of all the placards were expired or belonged to dead people.

 

Lucille Walls, executive director of the Alliance of People with disAbilities, said her group isn't asking the city to provide more parking than what is required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which says the disabled should receive about twice the amount of time on a meter that is allowed to those who aren't disabled.

 

 

Walls said about 18 percent of people in Seattle have a disability, and about a quarter of them qualify for a placard.

 

 

Walls said four hours seems reasonable for someone going to a doctor's appointment or shopping. One issue that would need to be addressed is disabled individuals who work and need a parking space for an eight-hour workday.

 

 

Jim Erickson, with the First Hill Improvement Association, agrees this could be a problem. "People who are employed will probably be disappointed when it happens," he said. "But I see it as a positive thing. It will give hundreds of people coming here for an appointment a chance to get handicapped parking."

 

The city points out that the hospitals have parking garages and that downtown Seattle parking facilities offer 50 percent monthly discounts to people with valid disabled permits.

 

 

Snyder said the city hopes to put the parking changes in place this spring.

 

 

On any day in downtown Seattle, said the city in its parking proposal, 30 to 40 percent of the parking spaces are filled with vehicles with disabled placards.

 

Parking-enforcement officials say that more than 10 percent of those are inactive; getting rid of those would free up hundreds of spaces for those with legitimate placards.

 

If the change is adopted, Seattle would be the second city in the state to put limits on disabled-parking spaces.

 

Last March, Spokane imposed four-hour limits for handicapped parkers in its "entertainment district" downtown, to accommodate tour buses and entertainers delivering equipment.

 

 

Snyder said a new law that allows police to ticket cars with placards that are expired or issued to a person who's now dead already is helping with abuse of the handicapped placards. Since last summer, the city has issued 50 of the $300 tickets.

 

 

 Seems ok to me.

 

 

This is obviously an attempt to stop fraudulent use of handicapped placards. Those that are permanently disabled would likely have the handicapped license plates that are not subject to the time limit. Any abled bodied person using handicapped placards illegally should be subject to a huge fine and jail time. We are not disabled by choice. There will always be some abuse of every system. I believe in kharma. What goes around, comes around to bite you in the rear.

I agree. Karma will get em.
I agree. They are doing what they have to do. At least they’re trying something.

 Sorry I am not of the mind that this Okay as a working member of the disabled community in Seattle this is just one more shot at the disabled community. I am all for nailing the people that do not have physical disability cards I also fault the ADA. With no disrespect intended to the people that are bi-polar or have a medical condition under the ADA doctors do in fact sign these permits as defined by the ADA why a person that is Bi-Polar needs a disabled place card is beyond me (do note I do have a bi-polar son and he does not use my 2 place cards). Fact is under the ADA broadly “2 or more conditions that impact life” the Doctors must sign for these place cards so really that should be looked at again. I know in Seattle I dread medical visits and make no mistake these are in Medical Center areas. Fine people of Seattle may know it but a disabled person from another part of the state that has to come here for a medical visit that in most cases will be over that 4 hour limit it is more or less the City of Seattle taking advantage in the name of place card abuse people and the disabled community that live and can park in their communities as long as they need. In short you do not catch abusers if place cards and the parking patrol can check them at any time. Ticket any abuser let them go into court and prove they are valid. Do not fine me because I do not want to pay the license transfer fee on licenses plates for the 3 cars I own now DP plates which cost $25.00 per transfer plus all and every local license fee more or less $60.00. My reason for my place cards I replace what I have around every 5 to 8 years and it can add up, those not working have to make due with what they can afford and buy and may give out used and that is every 3 to 5 years to transfer DP Plates. If anything this transfers the physically disabled to private parking lots that offer up even less disabled parking even paid to place card users that the abuser will move into. A typical private parking garage in Seattle you have to squeeze out a door side ways if you can walk. People are not in these areas to go shopping they are there for medical visits. There is a mixed message there they start out with the medical areas of Seattle move it into the Downtown area of the city that is another issue.

City of Seattle transportation Dept is not providing enough Disabled public parking spaces period and at best as the parking meet minimum ADA access. We have 36” curb ramps at 45 degrees into a traffic lane downtown no matter what direction you may be going in the small ramps place you into lanes of traffic and you have to cut back into the cross walk before traffic might hit you or no curb ramps at all. Example I use public transit and because I work and get my transit passes through work must deal with King County Metro. They have implemented a new regional transit card  called Orca an RFID system Metro has two offices to serve the disabled work force of 3.3 million people of which a large population are growing old and disabled what percentage are disabled out of my regional population I am not sure. But as an example if a disabled person that cannot say walk get to their main office they cannot from one direction the water front from say the ferry up Jackson Street on the North side of Jackson going East because it lacks a curb ramp at an alley way. Anyone in a chair should be aware that crossing at 1st and Jackson will have a ramp with a 1” height going down to King St and first again on the North side you may tip over because of the dips in the Street and ramp there it is best to so East on the South side of the Street. Getting the idea in a chair, scooter, power chair now of getting to get your reduced fair Orca pass because any and all disability info did not port over to the new system. Plus you think you are in one of any said mobility device that your disability is sort of like apparent think again Metro wants your medical info and your doctor to sign their official gimp for.

As it is seen in bits a hunks buy the non-working disabled it may be fine with you. But excuse me I have had to fight employers extensive time off before I found an employer that not only supports me but has stood by me since 1993 and the date of my disability. I do not make a living or support them through physical efforts but mental and I even had a long struggle to get them back. So sorry if this crap a minimal effort is Okay with those on SSDI your acceptance is anything provide a further hurdle for me to overcome because as minimal users of so many systems you accept it at its minimal. Sorry to burst your bubble and what this site has failed to even address the issues of the working disabled community in its social efforts. I want equal access and I work minimal is not good enough and abusers of the system are not an excuse to further hinder me and the non-working disabled better understand that.

There is no karma involved not good or bad for those that do work there is reality and well getting to a job as a gimp I am glad my mind works great forget the physical I'm still making a living. But this is not one little thing to the working disabled the combined lack of acceptable behavior on the part of the city of Seattle to th working disabled is appaling you do not fine the disabled $240.00 dollars because we don't have DP car plates you go after the abusers.

 To put some Numbers on Seattle being Accessible.
City of Seattle is consistent about 500,000 people.
Serves in its metro area 3.3 million
Western Population of Wa State 6.5 Million People
Easter Washington State is another estimate 3 million
Yet for the disabled community the major research, medical and experts on disability experts reside in a 500k population major Medical Centers and the disabled have 4 hours to get the business done. After all the City of Seattle has at 500k said so.
Disabled visiting Seattle with a place card well the city of Seattle in my quick method means that .032 of the population of Washington is not so far off the mark considering the age range of baby boomer.
Seattle’s most boastful claim to Fame fine disable people $240.00 in the name of fighting Abuse of place cards that visit including your trauma center King County. Not friendly to Elders or the Disabled I suppose it is why no one now gets off at the waterfront on cruse lines to Alaska anymore.

In California there are no fees for disabled plates. Maybe you should push to eliminate these fees in Washington.