Is Using the Handicapped Stall Illegal (or Unethical)?

Great Debates
41

Hopefully not too much of a hijack, but I read the title as “Is it illegal to PARK in a stall”. Of course, the OP corrected me. But anyway:

I imagine it’s illegal to park in a handicapped stall. Unethical and selfish, sure, but can a car be ticketed/towed if I (non-handicapped) park there?

What about these:

  1. Pregnant women stall? Is it merely a courtesy provided by the mall/store?
    Is there anything legally preventing me from parking there?

  2. Electric car stall? Same question, can I be ticketed/towed for parking there? Even if it’s a stall without a charging station (and would that make a difference)?

I know they are selfish and rude, but can the police cite me for parking there? Would they check to see if I’m x-months pregnant?

42

In a situation like this, I see no issue with using the handicapped stalls. However, in a public venue which has people coming and going all the time, it is NOT ok to use the handicapped stall UNLESS all the inaccessible stalls are occupied.

Handicapped-accessible stalls should be viewed (by everyone) as stalls of necessity. For the disabled, of course, they are necessary each and every time a trip to the toilet is needed. For the able-bodied, they are necessary when no other toilet is available. For all, they are stalls of necessity, not convenience.

And as far as “oh, well the disabled should be able to wait just like everyone else.” Yes, that’s the whole fucking point! To only have to wait the same amount of time that everyone else would have to wait to get to a toilet. If every single toilet is available, except for the handicapped-accessible toilet, there is only one person who is waiting for that stall to become available: the disabled person. No able-bodied person is waiting to pee or poop simply because one, single, solitary toilet is occupied. I wait practically each and every time I need to use the bathroom when I use public restrooms; irrespective of whether it’s “#1” or “#2”, and irrespective of whether the bathroom is full of people or whether the handicapped stall is the only stall occupied.