All fifty states allow the deaf to drive.

quote:

Originally posted by recoatlift:
Good call! I never though about deafness.
I’d just be afraid to let ‘em drive!

Is that right? I had an aunt and uncle who were deaf mutes, my uncle was probably one of the most careful, safest drivers I knew of. No worry about being distracted by a radio or other noises made him much more visually aware of his surroundings and he had his mirrors properly adjusted for any potential blind spots and he USED them.

When I was still working, we were not open to the public. We had assigned parking spaces for handicapped employees. Had one spot for somebody who was legally blind. Federal property.

I know of a McDonald’s across the street from a hospital and nearby a college area does brisk work of towing cars of folks parking in that lot but not entering the restaurant. Often cars are gone within a few minutes of parking, even with a dog inside.
It seems a bit much to tow but this isn’t small town USA and folks clearly don’t care about the signage. Without parking McD loses customers while other restaurants gain them.

I saw an exhibit at The Henry Ford about parking meters. Parking meters solved the problem of people squatting in spaces. Here is what I would propose for your hardware store. Partner with a parking lot App. It's a private lot, so you can charge to park there and can make the fee really high. Tow truck companies love to tow cars that aren't paid. Also, validate or cancel the fee for your customers. So now you have either only customers parking there or people willing to pay you to park there or people risking getting towed.

My parents have a Handicapped placard, because my father is elderly and has difficulty walking without using a cane. AFAIK, they haven't had too much trouble getting parking spaces.

However, in Alabama, we are overrun with either Handicapped or Disabled Veteran marked vehicles. Obviously, the majority of these are legitimate, but like other have noted, I question the validity of a few. I'm a veteran myself, but I get no disability (yet).

My personal experience with Handicapped-marked vehicles is the lack of driving skill, both on-road, and off-road (parking lots, etc.).

A bigger trend that I have noticed is people parking in Fire Lanes in front of stores, to run in to get something. Not to be offensive, but the offenders I have observed might play "victimhood" status if confronted. JMHO.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
I'd have just called the tow truck.

He can have signs put up by his local tow company for free. They would love to have the business.

We have about 8 of these on the building

Does the store actually have any of the offenders towed, or are the signs just empty threats?

Seems like word would get around if the store really did use the towing, especially in a small town.

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For a few years, I lived in Chicago, near north side, where street parking was at a premium. The small apartment building that I lived in had a parking lot with assigned spaces, and signs warning that offenders would be towed by "The Lincoln Park Pirates" (reference to Steve Goodman song, same title). Even so, I typically had to call the tow company once or twice a week to clear a poacher out of my slot so I could park.

We tow sometimes.

I'm surprised the store's lawyer has not required that all the parking spaces be marked for store use only... I was told that they do that around here because of liability... seems it would be even a bigger thing in California...

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
The old man was clearly weak and feeble and likely could have easily gotten a legit handicapped placard before the court date, etc. But the judge was pissed that he had lied to the cop and slapped him with a $200 fine, which he couldn't pay and had to go on a payment plan.

Ahh, yes, "protecting and serving" with the best of them...giving an enfeebled old man two tickets for not having proper papers...then putting him into financial ruin over it as well. What amazing public servants.

quote:

Originally posted by dwd1985:
then putting him into financial ruin over it as well. What amazing public servants.

No, he put himself into financial ruin by parking in a place he shouldn't. While I understand the thought, keep the facts straight.

We had a girl who was clearly handicapped. She had polio at a young age. But she came in early every day and wouldn't use the handicap spot. She was "saving it" for someone who needed it. But we were a wholesale business who only rarely had outside visitors. Well, we did get sales people, but they can walk. I finally had to have a talk with her. I told her we reserved the spot for her, and the spot she was using took up one for a non-handicapped person. It galled the owner that he lost a parking spot because she wanted to be considerate. Spots near the building were scarce.

I didn't have a problem, I just came to work early when the spots were vacant.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:

quote:

Originally posted by dwd1985:
then putting him into financial ruin over it as well. What amazing public servants.

No, he put himself into financial ruin by parking in a place he shouldn't. While I understand the thought, keep the facts straight.

We had a girl who was clearly handicapped. She had polio at a young age. But she came in early every day and wouldn't use the handicap spot. She was "saving it" for someone who needed it. But we were a wholesale business who only rarely had outside visitors. Well, we did get sales people, but they can walk. I finally had to have a talk with her. I told her we reserved the spot for her, and the spot she was using took up one for a non-handicapped person. It galled the owner that he lost a parking spot because she wanted to be considerate. Spots near the building were scarce.

I didn't have a problem, I just came to work early when the spots were vacant.

A handicapped space is for handicapped people. By the OPs comment I quoted, the man was plainly enfeebled and could have easily been given a handicapped placard. The placard the man had in his posession may even have been his, just expired. You're upset because an old, handicapped man didnt remember or know he needed to keep his papers up to date. And you feel
It’s justified to put him into financial ruin over this…because a handicapped man parked in a handicapped spot. How virtuous of you.

Saw it yesterday at the grocery store. Late 30's - early 40's man, looked fit, driving a pickup truck with a construction company logo on it. Wearing clothes with the construction company logo on it. Dirt clothes, clearly from doing construction. Asshole.

I've probably told the story before about my nephew who was working for the township code enforcement at the time. Giving a young guy going going in or coming out of the gym (giant franchise type) for parking in a handicap spot. "I have a handicap parking permit." He told him, no, your mother has a handicap parking permit. It's a permit for her, not the vehicle. Got lots of lip and hostility. He went back every night for near a week and gave him a ticket each time.

You're going in the gym to work out, and you can't walk an extra 25 feet?


But it's sort of like the handicap door openers we have all over at work, that are always worn out and being replaced at great cost, because 99.8% of the people who use them every single time aren't handicap. "It's a handicap opener, not a lazy piece of shit opener."

We'd have the occasional entitled types who would park their cars in our shop's lot then go off and do whatever they planned to do, without ever entering into our shop or having any consideration for who's property it is that they're parking on. Little did they realize that our manager has a hair trigger for a finger and the towing company on speed dial. Watching the tow truck pull out with its bounty can be quite gratifying, if in sort of a perverse way. But still satisfying nonetheless.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
I cannot count how many times I’ve seen a WELL abled body person park in a handicap space and walk briskly, jog, etc into a got damn store. They must be going to their PCP and talking their way into a placard. It’s bullshit. If it’s a well abled person acting as a driver for someone injured or handicapped, sure, but I’ve seen enough bs of this over the years.

And fucking Karen. Everyone is an entitled narcissist these days. I cannot wait to move rural. I pray every single day for it to God.

Being deaf qualifies as a disability. The disabled could be a marathon runner and still qualify for a placard. The idea is that being closer to the door makes them less likely to be hit by another car.

In my State , being deaf is not a qualifying disability . Handicapped parking is for people that are mobility impaired .

Some people have no respect for private property, including the rich, the entitled, and normal shitheads. It's a common disease.

You should have asked her precisely what her handicap was and if not forthcoming, handicapped her so she was legit.

Actually you can't ask... that is a HEPA violation.