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Handicapped parking

18K views 38 replies 26 participants last post by  ithelper 
#1 ·
I really hope I am preaching to the choir here, but I have seen a very disturbing trend lately and hope to bring it to people's attention.
In the past I have seen motorcycles park in the striped areas around handicapped parking stalls and just this week I saw two different bikes in two locations doing just this thing. To answer a question: no neither one of them were Dr. House.
To me this is just rude and ignorant and it gives all of us a bad name. Sure, those handicap stalls are some prime spots and I would love it if there were designated motorcycle stalls in all parking lots (I have seen a few just around here), but there is a good reason for the way they are set up. I am saying this from a personal perspective because my brother is in a wheelchair from a dirt bike accident. His truck is set up so that the wheelchair is hooked to a crane in the back and swings out to his door greatly improving his mobility and independence. I know that many handicap vans are also set up with lifts that come out from the side doors for the same purpose. Obviously a bike parked in the striped areas can cause a major problem with both.
If we want respect from all the cagers out there then it is only right that we give respect to those who legitimately need something to help them get around as well.
Thanks everyone.
 
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#3 ·
I agree. I have family who have a genuine need for those handicapped spots. When I drive them I always look for the spots with that extra space to ensure they can safely and easily enter and exit the car.

It's a damn shame these riders are using the space to park their bikes.
 
#4 · (Edited)
The only striped area I will park in, and always will, is when that area is an endcap on a row of angle parking. There are numerous stores including the local WalMart that have angled parking with that wasted little triangle at the end, usually enclosed with a few posts. I do park there. It would be really cool if they'd actually put signage that it is for MC parking. If anyone ever commented to me about it, I'd point out it is one more open parking spot nearer the door for them. I'm using "wasted" space, otherwise I'd be taking up a whole parking spot.

As for any striped area near any handicapped spot, no way.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I really hope I am preaching to the choir here, but I have seen a very disturbing trend lately and hope to bring it to people's attention.
In the past I have seen motorcycles park in the striped areas around handicapped parking stalls and just this week I saw two different bikes in two locations doing just this thing. To answer a question: no neither one of them were Dr. House.
To me this is just rude and ignorant and it gives all of us a bad name.
That depends on where it is. The local walmart (ok "local" is 25 miles away) has this. They have a cart corral (shopping cart return area) and a planted tree and just used the striping to fill the area in between the two. There is no way a vehicle can park there, there is no way that a vehicle that did park there would need or reasonably be able to use that space. I park between the tree and the cart corral which is striped. The space between the two is maybe 2/3 of a normal space in width.

The other side of the cart corral (nearer the store) is where the striped area that could be used is located. I have only seen 1 bike there ever, usually they park in the regular spots. Note all of this striped area is the same blue/white color as the disabled parking is next to the cart corral.

Just because it is striped does not automatically mean that it is usable space for anything really.

OTOH afaik CA DMV does not give disabled plates out for motorcycles. http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/plates/specialplates.htm You may notice that Olympic Games 1984 and Press Photographer both have motorcycle sized plates while disabled does not. If they do I have never seen one and I did not find one with a google image search.
 
#6 ·
In the defense of some,there are riders who have disability status but do not have a plate. I guess they could hang a tag somewhere but sure enough someone would steal it. Saw a Kilboy photo from the Dragon showing a rider with a crutch of sorts strapped to the side of the bike and they were an amputee from the right hip. You never know.
 
#8 ·
Gads, that sounds like my father was from about 80 years old on... He'd pull up and park on the end caps and actually right in front of stores in loading zones.

The bad part - he probably easily qualified for the handicapped spots due to his knees and mobility, but he wouldn't do the sticker or hanger deal.
 
#10 ·
I have no problem with motorcycles parking in the "extra areas". In fact, like I said, I think it would be great if the stores could designate some of those areas for motorcycle only parking to keep the " insane parking lot" drivers from plowing their vehicle into some poor unsuspecting bike. What I think is ignorant is using the spaces on the side or between spots that are obviously for unloading areas for handicap vehicles.
Trixter, am I right that you posted in another thread that you only have one hand or am I thinking of someone else? While I wouldn't say that it would affect your parking I do think that if there are some who need a disabled plate on their motorcycle (or trike) then it should be something the state provides. I would guess it is different from one state to the other and obviously some states don't do that even though it would be great if they did. Yes, someone would steal a placard, but maybe even a non-removable sticker for the plate if they can't do special plates. In which case if they did then the motorcycle could use the regular handicap stall.
 
#11 ·
I have a son in a wheelchair. In order to get his chair out of the van, it needs to come out the side door. This is why you see some handicap parking listed as "Van Accessible". Those spots leave extra room on the sides to allow a ramp or lift to operate freely. If someone parks in the marked off area next to the spot, it would be a shame for the mechanical lift to knock the bike over.

OK, I wouldn't really knock the bike over, but it sure ticks me off when I see it. It hasn't happened to me yet. If it did, I would park the van just right so that when the lift is lowered it would block the bike in. Then I would leave the lift down the entire time.
 
#12 ·
I really hope I am preaching to the choir here, but I have seen a very disturbing trend lately and hope to bring it to people's attention.
In the past I have seen motorcycles park in the striped areas around handicapped parking stalls and just this week I saw two different bikes in two locations doing just this thing. To answer a question: no neither one of them were Dr. House.
To me this is just rude and ignorant and it gives all of us a bad name. Sure, those handicap stalls are some prime spots and I would love it if there were designated motorcycle stalls in all parking lots (I have seen a few just around here), but there is a good reason for the way they are set up. I am saying this from a personal perspective because my brother is in a wheelchair from a dirt bike accident. His truck is set up so that the wheelchair is hooked to a crane in the back and swings out to his door greatly improving his mobility and independence. I know that many handicap vans are also set up with lifts that come out from the side doors for the same purpose. Obviously a bike parked in the striped areas can cause a major problem with both.
I am thinking that if maybe the wheelchair accidentally bumps into the bike coming out the door and flips the bike onto it's side, the bike owner will then understand why it's illegal to park there. IMHO, this is just more arrogant dipsticks giving bikers a bad name.
 
#14 ·
I have the little wheelchair plates on all of my bikes and am allowed to park in the handicap spaces, but don't like taking up a space. I'll usually find a spot to park along the store front or in a striped area. I've never had any problems doing this. I think the people might react to seeing the bike setting there and then see the plate and let it slide.
 
#15 ·
I park in the stripped spots and have no qualms about it. You can do it and use your brain.

Im not going to park directly NEXT to the parking spot. Next time your at Waldo World look at the HUGE amount of space they stripe off.......me and 3 ridding buddies can park in the spots in the front of the row and still not be any where near a vehicle, crane or not.
 
#24 ·
Techincally, you can only park in the bow, not the stripped area. Even if you have a handicapped tag. I saw a guy get a ticket for parking between two other cars, just be cause he had a tag and wanted to park in the handicap area! Even parking a bike in the stripes can get you at ticket.
 
#26 ·
At a local fast food joint there's an angled striped spot, a car wouldn't fit there without blocking traffic, then a small space it's wide enough for a bike, but I think it's intended as a walk way out the front door.. then 2 HC spaces.

In that location I will park on the stripes with my bike as I'm alway getting to go orders so I'm not there long, and I'm not blocking any cars HC or not.

Pardon the term, hopefully I don't offend somebody, but I'm a parking Nazi when it comes to HC spots. I will confront able bodied people parked in those spots. Why? you may ask. Well because I'm disabled, not enough that under the current local rules I can get a HC placard. Most days I wouldn't "need" it anyhow. Some days I do. My knees have been shot since I was 12, and I royally *bleep*ed my back in the Canadian Armed Forces. But anyhow if I can manage not using those spots other able-bodied people better not park there.

Oh another pet peeve.. oh this one gets me... A vehicle with a HC placard parks in the HC spot, the HC person is in the pass seat.. the driver who is not HC gets out walks into the building/store/whatever leaving the HC person in the vehicle.... GRRRRR that spot is if the HC person is getting out..


/rant
 
#28 ·
heh there's a grocery store with 4 HC stalls, they are wider than normal stalls.. but I can't even count how many times I've seen the HC person stay in the vehicle there, and there's normally 3 or 4 regular stalls right next to the HC stalls that are open, 2 of them are actually closer to the door than the HC stalls... GRRR*^*$#^*$&(^#$)
 
#29 ·
Taking a handicap spot and not having credentials for it is disrespectful at the least. As far as other spots to park a bike at Wally World. I park right up against the store kinda in the area of where they put the carts in, never had any problems.
 
#31 ·
You may be able to do that several times and be ok, but don't be surprised if you come out of the store and see your bike heading down the road on the back of a tow truck. Yes, they can and will do that at WalMart, depending on the manager and if they notice the bike there.
 
#30 · (Edited)
At a couple stores I rode up onto the sidewalk and parked out of the way but under the overhang/awning/covered area as it was raining :p nobody said anything.. 'twas a small town though.

At work I keep joking with Facilities about making dedicated motorcycle parking. One time I showed up, no spots left in the lot and I wasn't going to park my bike on the street so I found a sidewalk path on the property which nobody uses as it's overgrown with trees and it's quicker to walk downt he parking lot than to use this sidewalk.. so I put it there... nothing was said.

One evening there was plenty of parking, but I was being a twit so I parked on a concrete pad right outside the door, it was there as a landing from a set of stairs to a temporary building. The stairs had been removed and the building will be going away soon, so I wasn't in the way.
 
#32 ·
You don't always know the full story.

I sometimes park in the blue line areas by the handicap parking places. But I am handicapped. I ride a trike because I can't hold up a bike any longer. There is no place to put mt handicap placard on my bike. I did someone would just steal it. So, I use the unused portion of the parking lot.

:)
 
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