# OK, What about THIS picture **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2001, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508 "2001-01-11T13:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/1 "2001-01-11T13:58:19Z")
Saw the earlier thread about what was wrong with the stop light picture which reminded me of this picture [http://www.thedamnedestthing.com/page3.html](http://www.thedamnedestthing.com/page3.html) (I’m sorry I don’t know how to link correctly, I’m ignorant, old and don’t have the time to learn alot about computers). Anyway about 1/2 way down is a picture showing a street with a handicap parking space with a tree, pole and parking meter on the sidwalk. It’s been a year or so and I don’t know whats wrong with the picture. Could anyone help? ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/2 "2001-01-11T14:00:04Z")
HOLY COW!! It’ linked correctly, maybe I’m some secret computer guru and don’t even know it. Then again all I did was copy and paste the web address. ---
**Author:** ![hardhead365](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@hardhead365](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardhead365)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/3 "2001-01-11T14:03:46Z")
With a tree, a parking meter, a telephone pole, and a guy wire all on the exit side of the parking space, it is unlikely that a handicapped person could get onto the sidewalk after leaving the car. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/4 "2001-01-11T14:07:47Z")
It could be tough for a handy person to feed the meter. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/5 "2001-01-11T14:19:03Z")
I’ve considered both possibilities, however. The exit side of the space is into the street like all other spaces. A handicapped person driving the car gets out on the drivers side which is into the street (a passenger, however, may have trouble but I’m not sure how much. The parking meter seen is, I believe, for the adjacent space that is not shown in the picture. I’m familiar with at least one city in America that doesn’t have parking meters for handicapped spaces. People who park there do so for free. I don’t think that is an unusual situation either. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/6 "2001-01-11T14:23:08Z")
Shouldn’t the sign be facing the street, not the camera? The arrow at the bottom looks like this: \<—\> or perhaps like this: —\> so it should be parallel to the street. Also, the location of the sign would make it hard to see as you drive down the street because it is blocked by the telephone pole. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/7 "2001-01-11T14:35:57Z")
The curb, which is new if coloring is an indication, appears to have no handicapped ramp cut into it. (It may be a falsely cropped picture if the ramp is at the extreme right of the picture, but as presented it certainly looks odd. Putting a handicapped spot adjacent to a guy wire and a small, mulch surrounded tree is rather stupid, of course, as noted earlier.) ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/8 "2001-01-11T14:40:38Z")
Who cares about the parking space? Didn’t any of you see that poor runner’s Theismanned leg? Yeesh, it makes me cringe just thinking about it! ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/9 "2001-01-11T14:51:23Z")
In Arlington, VA, they got tired of people getting handicap plates for the most trivial reasons, then parking free all day at meters and/or reserved spaces. So now handicapped drivers must pay the same. They still have reserved spaces, but they have meters too now. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/10 "2001-01-11T14:59:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sigene \* > **The exit side of the space is into the street like all other spaces. A handicapped person driving the car gets out on the drivers side which is into the street** 'Tain’t necessarily so. Handicapped drivers of vans with wheelchair lifts often have to get out on the passenger side. And thanks, **Five** , I saw that poor runner’s leg. Nearly threw up. And to think my mother once said I’d make a good nurse… ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/11 "2001-01-11T15:10:06Z")
> [@](#): > > The parking meter seen is, I believe, for the adjacent space that is not shown in the picture. I would tend to agree with this. Positionning of the meter would seem to indicate that it’s for the vehicule praking behind the handicaped space. As for the ramp, it _could_ be ahead of the space. **Five** : The instant I saw that photograph, I thought it was a fake. And I’m still of that opinion. Could be wrong, though. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/12 "2001-01-11T16:25:20Z")
I have to agree with several others here. I think the “problem” is that the space is pretty much blocked by all the junk on the sidewalk (pole, pole, tree, meter, sign, guy wire, etc) making it an odd place to put a handicapped space. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/13 "2001-01-11T16:29:21Z")
**omni-not** : > [@](#): > > **Five** : The instant I saw that photograph, I thought it was a fake. And I’m still of that opinion. Could be wrong, though. You could well be right. Absent from the photo is any hint of what _caused_ such a severe break (A hurdle? Wouldn’t it be right behind him?). But I know such injuries are possible, whether the one in the picture is real or not, and so it still makes me want to hurl. ---
**Author:** ![Heath\_Doolin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Heath\_Doolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heath_Doolin)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/14 "2001-01-11T18:23:12Z")
Nah its real and I think I know what its from If you look behind the guy, you see three lines at varied distances. I believe this guy is a triple jumper and that break is a impact break. Nasty ones where you could have the bone shatter instead of a clean break. Personally though, the one that sent me throught cringes was the professional weightlifter who had his shoulder break while doing a clean and jerk. Nasty photo shows his shoulder bending inward as the weight falls. That and the video where the guy took a skate to the jugular at a NHL hockey match give me the willies ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/15 "2001-01-11T21:18:26Z")
Re the “handicapped” parking picture: It looks to me as though– –the guy wire is _exactly_ where you’re going to want to swing the right-hand side rear passenger door all the way open, so as to get a folding wheelchair out of the back of the car onto the sidewalk (Mom dropping off Grandpa, etc.), –and it’s also _exactly_ where Mom is going to bonk her head on it and trip over it while she stands there wrestling the wheelchair out of the back of the car, –and the little tree is _exactly_ in the way of swinging the front passenger door open all the way and getting Grandpa out of the front seat and into the wheelchair. Geez. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/16 "2001-01-12T22:20:28Z")
HEY! What about that skinny little tree? It appears to be planted right at the edge of its little sidewalk square rather than in the center, where rational beings would have put it. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2001, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/17 "2001-01-14T15:12:04Z")
Now THAT tree is something I haven’t considered. Hmmm… Or maybe it is just “too much crap” in the way for a handicapped equiped van to function correctly. Though, that tree…sure doesn’t look right. ---
**Author:** ![Zor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/848f3c/32.png) [@Zor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zor)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/18 "2001-01-14T17:14:24Z")
You know, when a joke takes this much explaining and people still don’t understand what’s funny, it’s not a joke anymore. I say it’s a bad choice on behalf of the webmaster who put that picture up… ---
**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/19 "2001-01-14T21:23:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by omni-not \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > The parking meter seen is, I believe, for the adjacent space that is not shown in the picture. > > \*\* Um, disabled parking spaces aren’t supposed to have meters. They can park for free (even in a non-disabled spot) simply by displaying their placard. Disabled spots are always free. ---
**Author:** ![Wanderlust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc29f/32.png) [@Wanderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wanderlust)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2001, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508/20 "2001-01-14T21:36:33Z")
I’d say there’s nothing in the picture worth commenting on. I’ve had a handicapped placard from time to time, when I’ve had surgery. I can vouch for the fact that many spaces are simply striping and signs added to the first space near the entrance, no matter how hard it is to park in or unload passengers from. Sad but true. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-about-this-picture/49508.md?page=2)