Friday, June 14, 2013

Handicap spots and idiot's

    So this has been on my mind for some time and finally I have time in which to put this down for all to read. I work in a customer service business in which me and all other employee's have access to view the entire parking lot at all times of the day and night. As all business's have we have parking spots for customer's and employee's to use. Of which there is about 8 or 9 spots total; 1 of those spots is designated for handicap people with proper documentation in and or on their vehicle to use.

    Now with this when we all go for our driving exam and or test we are all told and taught not to park in the handicap spot('s) ("unless otherwise permitted to do so") out of courtesy and requirement by the law. However it appears that this day and age no one cares about what is right and or wrong any more in regards to this and other matters.

    So why is it that people still park in the handicap spots and feel they have the right to do so?. I see soo many people do this it is ridiculous and when it is pointed out to them they get upset that you noticed and said something to them.

    Case in point. I was working a shift starting from 3pm and ending at 11pm 1 winter night. During that time there was about 10 vehicles parking in that spot. Surprisingly all but 1 took it nicely when I told them they were parked in a handicap spot and 1 even moved their vehicle and came back in and finished their transaction. However 1 person took severe offense to it and even said that there were no markings showing the spot as such. Now granted it had been snowing all day and all night. However I also had been spending my entire shift clearing the parking spots of snow and ice. I indicated to this person that had he been paying attention he would of seen the Handicap spot painting that is under his truck, I even pointed it out to him and said also he will be able to see it when he backs his vehicle up. I am starting to think that maybe just maybe all handicap spots may have to start looking like this.

Pay attention and you shall see this.
This is the evolution of handicap spots if we don't do something quickly.

    So I did some researching on what it would cost if a police officer was to see this and issue a ticket for parking in a handicap spot, the information is below with links to the source of the information as well.

    Now the same thing goes as well for "Fire Lanes". There are numerous people that will also park in a fire lane and feel justified about doing it as well. Are we as a society becoming so ignorant to the rules set forth that we no longer care either?. Information and source link also for this fine is listed below as well.

    Now case in point on June 02, 2013 in reference to the rules and regulations I was making a left hand turn from one road to another that also has a cross walk on it, now when there is someone in the crosswalk they have the right away until they are clear of the road entirely. So naturally I stopped and was awaiting this person to finish crossing the street before I continue on. However the person behind me did not like this and went around me and came within 1 meter of hitting the person crossing the street legally. Luckily I was able to get a shot of the plate and sent it to the police, now if anything came of that I do not know.



This car just went around me when I was stopped for someone in a crosswalk on Victoria rd.

    Here is a great Blog for some additional stats and info on crosswalks and other crosswalk data as well done by John McKiggan.

    I have even got to the point now of having a video camera with me every day just in case in see any infractions like this again so that they can be reported and action taken on the person that is putting other people in jeopardy.

    There was also a recent Article from Global News about an App called “SpotSquad” which would unleash a lot of parking bounty hunters. Currently they say it violates our rights because everyone is entitled to their privacy, however if you are breaking the law what right do you have to privacy, If I can see it why cant anyone else? The police can already issue a ticket if they see you breaking the law, so why can they not act on it if you report it to them and then they confirm it. Your privacy is inside your vehicle not the outside of it in public. To date it is still being debated and I say go for it, bring it out for the people to use, in the end we would have less violators doing the things that should not be done.

    A fire lane is a marked lane in a parking lot that is near a structure. Parking is prohibited in fire lanes to ensure the access of safety equipment to the structure in the event of an emergency. Fire lanes are defined as passageways or access roads that allow fire apparatuses to pass through. They are not intended for normal vehicle traffic. There are certain requirements that must be met when designing a fire lane. Because fire trucks and other apparatuses are so large, there must be certain accommodations made for them. Though these can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, they are generally similar. Fire Lanes also provide clear space for egress from a burning building and should therefore be wider for larger occupancy buildings.

Source Info: http://www.gov.ns.ca/just/regulations/sots/NSSOTbooklet.pdf

My name is Wilcre and you can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/

No comments:

Post a Comment