Sunday, September 12, 1999
Handicapped parking is difficult to qualify for
BY DEBORAH KENDRICK
Enquirer contributor
A few years ago, a friend found a parking ticket on her windshield as we returned to her car from lunch. The ticket, it turned out, was for parking in a spot designated for “Handicapped Parking” without the appropriate identification. Unfortunately, my friend had mistakenly assumed that just having a person with a disability (i.e., me) in her car was sufficient qualification for using the space.
She was wrong. The rules have long been a bit stricter than that and, as of last month, stricter still in Ohio.
Readers often write with questions regarding handicapped parking privileges. Janet Lockwood of Cincinnati writes:
“We were shopping at Furrows on Colerain Avenue recently, when my husband noticed that a woman pulled into a parking spot which was marked with wide diagonal lines between the Handicapped Parking spaces, (intended to give people with disabilities enough room to get out of their vehicles.) I mentioned to her that the space was for Handicapped Parking (she had no special license plate) and she just mumbled. When I talked to the store manager and asked if a call to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department was the correct way to handle this, he said he had no idea, but seemed very interested...
“We also drove past the Firestone Tire Store off Springdale Road and noticed that they had a spot near the front door with a sign for Handicapped Parking that read: “Handicapped Parking — Must Show ID — $200 fine.”
Confusion on rules
There's a fair amount of confusion surrounding the rules for handicapped parking, and the new law passed by the Ohio Legislature changes the rules yet again. First of all, fines for parking without proper identification (a license plate or properly displayed windshield placard) raises the maximum fine from “up to $100” to a range of $250 to $500. Each jurisdiction sets its own fines, however. The Hamilton County Sheriff's office and Cincinnati Police Department report the current fine to be $56, ranging slightly in some areas, and doubling after seven days if not paid.
In addition to raising the maximum fine, the new Ohio law, introduced by Bryan Williams, R-Akron, makes it tougher to get the qualifying license plate or placard.
“He introduced the legislation,” says Mark Seifarth, coordinator of government affairs for the Ohio Rehabilitation Services commission, Columbus, “when he heard about someone who got a handicapped license plate for their dog in his district. The point was to prove how simple it was to get one of these, and Mr. Williams wanted to tighten the rules a bit.”
Now, the application to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a handicapped parking placard must be accompanied by a physician's approval, written as a prescription.
Encouraged to call
Cincinnati Police and other districts routinely watch for and ticket violators, but, as Deputy Todd Irving of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office puts it, “It does sometimes slip past us.” If it does, business owners and other citizens are encouraged always to call local law enforcement to report violations.
Mrs. Lockwood sums up the situation well in her letter. We need, she says, “to be sure the spots are being used by people who need them and not by lazy, inconsiderate people. Technology is allowing people to have mobility who may have been unable even to survive accidents in the past, and many of these people may require wheelchairs or other devices. Smart businesses will make it convenient for people with disabilities to shop at their store rather than at a competitor's. Besides, it's the right thing to do.”
Cincinnati writer Deborah Kendrick is a nationally recognized advocate for people with disabilities. Write her at Cincinnati Enquirer, Tempo, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202. E-mail: dkendrick@enquirer.com.
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