In New Zealand, a System To Watch for Disabled Parking Violators

cylonlover writes "What does it mean when a parking spot is marked with a wheelchair symbol? If you answered, 'It means I can park there as long as I'm going to be quick,' you're wrong — yet you're also far from alone. Every day in parking lots all over the world, non-disabled drivers regularly use spaces clearly reserved for the handicapped. They often get away with it, too, unless an attendant happens to check while their vehicle is parked there. Thanks to technology recently developed by New Zealand's Car Parking Technologies (CPT), however, those attendants could soon be notified the instant that a handicapped spot is improperly occupied."

Comments

Re:P&T on handicapped parking

[BlueStrat]

Your knee-jerk leap to a foul-mouthed implication of an ulterior motive to his or her post is inappropriate.

You must be new here.

Strat

Re:P&T on handicapped parking

[AK Marc]

One of the issues is "disability" allows one a placard. There should be classes of handicap. "Can't use telephone" is a disability under ADA, but doesn't warrant closer parking. Missing both arms is a disability, but doesn't affect the ability to get from a spot at the door vs a spot at the back of the lot, though the extra space of the handicapped spots is nice. Some places (obviously not in the US) call them "mobility" spots and have restrictions based on mobility. That makes much more sense. People unable to walk 200 meters unassisted can get one, but those without issues traveling, regardless of other disabilities, are ineligible.

And it always surprises me the number of people who "earn" them who misuse them. If the handicapped person is driving someone else to run in the store, but he handicapped person does not get out of the car themselves, then they are not entitled to park there. If the handicapped person is sending someone else to run an errand for them, the person going can't use the placard, though I've been handed them by handicapped people for that reason more than once.