Have no significant other.
Alas, that was lost in an edit (thanks to the “if you have more than 1 poll in a post you need to do this arcane thing that is not made clear”), sorry.
Yeah, I wouldnt be able to form an informed opinion.
I never park in a space designated for someone. I dont need to be close, I like to walk, and I don’t like door dings, so my car is that one parked all by itself, if possible. Yeah, I’m that guy who’ll pass up a spot that’s too narrow or where someone is over the line.
Random discussion about the reserved parking spaces, I wonder if the answers would change based on the voters health, mobility, and vehicle. Not to mention if you were riding herd on a bunch of kids (or grandkids considering the age of a lot of posters!).
I voted that I wouldn’t, the same way I don’t park in the dedicated grocery pick up slots, even if there’s no one there. I’m in adequate health and shape, so I’ll park as close as possible in a lane that lets me leave easily without driving back near the front of the store (sloped one way parking) is the norm for the two stores I visit. But yeah, I’ll go a few spaces extra to avoid the idiots parking their gigavehicle overlapping the line or just inable to park normally.
I have a couple of times, but only at my local Ralphs. I do walk with a cane. But never in Veteran, or expectant Mother or stuff like that.
I’m able to walk a distance with no problems, so I usually do park a fair distance away from the door (also to avoid idiots dinging my car doors, as noted).
However, if my wife is with me in the car, I’ll park as close to the door as I can (without parking in a handicapped or other reserved spot), because she’s somewhat limited in mobility, and can’t easily (or, at least, happily) walk very far.
I have actually thought about doing that because there is never anyone there. Plus I’m kinda ornery that way.
I am both handicapped and a veteran.
I’ve never seen veteran parking spaces.
If I am having a really good day (rare) I will park a little further away as long as I can heave myself onto a shopping cart for support as I walk.
On bad days I will park in the closest handicapped spot available.
I see a lot of Police Only spots where I live and I would NEVER park in those.
Between handicapped, pregnant women, parents with toddlers / children , order pickup, veterans, employee on the month, contractors (orange & blue big box hardware stores), & PD, & maybe some others I’m not thinking of there are maybe about 3 spaces on the far side of the lot for me but only the handicapped ones are legally enforceable.
Depending upon factors like the time of day, the weather, how many are occupied, & what I’m planning on getting I will sometimes use the courtesy spaces. I really doubt that a Toddler Tumble class is going to get out at 8:30pm & those four empty spaces will suddenly fill up.
For the rounding questions, I am assuming no tax, but if something costs $2150 I’m more like to estimate $2400.
Lowe’s has veterans parking spaces. That’s the only place I’ve seen them.
The only place I’ve seen designated police vehicle spots is Walmart. I would never park there even if I was in a police car. If I was called there for official business (usually arresting a shoplifter) I’m pulling right up to the front door. The fire lane is for all emergency vehicles not just fire and not just when it’s on fire. On duty I’m not going to Walmart for any other reason.
I read the first Straight Dope book in high school. I read a few more. Now looking back at the list I’m not sure if I read all of them. I was pretty busy with diapers and such when the last one was published.
Huh, i rarely see more than handicapped and one other special thing. Restaurants have pick-up up, home Depot has spaces for contractors… If there are enough of the “special” spaces empty to not feel bad about taking one, there are plenty of ordinary spaces at all the places i shop.
I am now.
A few years ago, I parked next to a vehicle (I think it was a pickup truck, am no longer sure) that was angled slighly in my direction, with one front tire a bit over the line. There was plenty of room left in the space that I parked in.
The driver of that truck apparently didn’t bother to steer when they started up, but just started moving in the direction they’d left their wheels in. They drove right into my car on the way out, and then tried to drive out of the parking lot with bits of my car dangling off theirs. They were prevented by a number of people, shoppers and store employees, who were also in the parking lot at the time – I was in the store, and the first I knew of it was a store employee coming up to me and saying "Is your car a [make, model, color]?
I no longer park next to anybody who isn’t parked reasonably straight in their space and within the lines.
Mine might well be affected by the fact that I routinely walk a great deal further than 40 feet, and consider distance from the store’s doors a relatively minor factor in choosing a parking space. But if I couldn’t comfortably walk 40 feet or further, I’d probably be applying for a handicapped space permit. If there were no handicapped spaces open but there were spaces left open that were posted for veterans or pregnant people of whatever, I wouldn’t blame a handicapped person for using one of the other spaces. But if you can walk to/from the next unreserved space, then I say you ought to do that (although I’m not going to snarl at somebody, because I can’t tell from looking at them whether they can walk 40 feet to get into the store and to one of the carts with chairs attached but can’t walk 80 feet to both do that and get to the further space, or will be in significant pain the whole time they’re doing so.)
I used to drop my mother off at the door and then go park, during the time when she could walk short distances but couldn’t easily walk longer ones.
When we left, she’d wait for me and I’d go get the car and bring it around near the door for her to get in. I might be briefly stopped somewhere that wasn’t even a parking space, in either or both directions.
– I’ve seen veterans’ spaces more than one place around here; at least one store, and the hospital/medical group parking lot; and I think other places but can’t think where right now. I think I’ve seen “pregnant and/or small children” somewhere, but can’t remember where. Some lots have reserved spaces for particular workers, and some do have reserved pick up spaces. The lot by the firehall has a lot of spaces reserved for emergency crews, sensibly enough.
– In this area it’s rare to have trouble finding a space; though I know one grocery lot which is very occasionally overcrowded – it’s right downtown and they have nowhere to expand the lot to, but it’s a bit undersized for the store. Even that one is almost always fine, though, even to find drive-through spaces in for somebody who doesn’t mind walking.
– For the rounding questions, I only answered the two nearer the extremes; because if I rounded the others it would probably be toward the middle instead of the ends, and probably wouldn’t round them at all – I’d probably say “thirty-seven sixty” (twenty-one fifty being already in the middle). I might or might not round the ones that were nearer the extremes.
I’ve been increasingly having to do that for my wife, as well.
I am fortunate to enjoy relatively good mobility into my 60s. In fact, I am actively trying to increase my step count these days. Therefore, I’m parking farther away on purpose.
I know able-bodied folks who absolutely have to find the very closest available spot, even if it’s too narrow, or they have to drive back around to get to it, or wait for someone to back out. Seems silly to me, especially when there are plenty of spots 50 feet back.
Well, at City hall and the Police station, of course.
You see able bodied appearing folks….
Not all disabilities are patently visible to others, a very important distinction that is important for you to understand. It’s bigoted and ableist to assume otherwise. I, for instance have not one but two invisible disabilities that need accommodating with designated parking. You would not know to look at me. Wheelchairs, walkers and white canes are not the only disabilities.
I’m not @Wheelz but I believe they are referring to able-bodied people, without disability plates who are trying to part in the closest available spaces even at the cost of some/much additional work/risk/delay rather than part further out.
You are still correct though that we don’t know the circumstances of the person at a glance. I spent a week looking for short distance parking spots after a severe but not actionable ankle sprain - sure I didn’t need or deserve handicap plates for a short term injury, but I was working hard to keep off my feet as much as possible, and 50 extra feet made a different in that week!