In Chicago, individuals with “handicapped” tags or plates do not have to feed parking meters. Wondering if anyone knows the reason for this?
-This practice is not restricted to spaces near particular destinations – as in parking lots, and street spaces are not designated as “For handicapped parking only,” so this does not appear to reserve convenient spaces for potential users.
-I’m not aware of any necessary corrolation between physical disability and economic status as would make a cash subsidy appropriate. If this were the reason, why not similar exemptions for able-bodies folk who are simply poor?
-Is this just to do something nice for folk who are unfortunate enough to require handicapped tags/plates? If so, why free parking? Why not a cup of coffee?
If you were unaware of this and are in downtown Chicago, check out the number of cars that have tags and unfed meters. I found it larger than I would have expected. And tho I may be an asshole, that is not my sole reason for posing this question!
In Arlington County, VA, this used to be the rule. In the convenient part of a metered section of parking would be handicapped spaces that would be free to those with the proper plates or placards. Also, in non-reserved meters sections, handicapped persons could also park for free. IIRC, they also had no time limits.
(Most street-side parking in Arlington is either metered or residential. For the latter, you need a resident sticker for the right zone.)
With parking garages in the business sections of Arlington charging up to $100 a month, many look for alternatives to them. Many people were getting handicap certification on rather dubious ailments, so that a lot of metered spaces were taken up all day by people that really could pay and park elsewhere. So Arlington recinded their free parking for handicapped. They have reserved spaces still, but their meters have red tops to indicated that it is reserved.
They also put stickers on all the meters’ pole to tell handicapped drivers that they had to pay. It was black on yellow and had the familiar wheelchair logo. This gave the effect that all these meter spaces were reserved for handicapped. They finally replaced them with stickers that simply said “All may park, all must pay.”
I used to be able to park at a cul-de-sac just north of my office for free (no meters and no residential zoning), but then they put Monday-Friday meters in all those open spaces. (Normal meters are Mon-Sat 8-6.)
I’m finally reduced to parking in the “no man’s land” between Old Jefferson Davis Hwy and the on-ramp from US Rt.1 to I-395. It’s free, but I’m sometimes trapped in there by idiots that park in the only access point.
My guess is that there a a few short term parking places [metered] near the building, with longer term parking [cheaper] further away. Meters usually have a short maximum time; after that you go back out and pay. For the handicapped, you exempt them from paying the meter so they can park close and yet not have to keep going out to the meter to feed it. It would be nice if they paid it once, but there is no way to enforce that.
Many public places in California (not meters, though) allow motorcycles to park free. At private lots, motorcyclists can often talk the attendant into letting them park free, arguing that a motorcycle doesn’t take up a parking space.
I don’t think it has to do with making it unnecessary to feed the meters,unless it was also the intent to exempt them from the time limit on parking. In NYC, people with handicapped tags from the city ( the state ones are no good} also can park without paying, but those without the tags can be ticketed for meter feeding. I don’t think there is any logical reason, just like I don’t think there’s any logical reason for disabled people to pay half fare on public transportation,and even para-transit services as they do in NYC. All disabled people aren’t poor,just like all senior citizens aren’t poor.
I can imagine it might well be a combination of what starfish and doreen suggest. Checked this a.m., and all street meters have a 1-hr limit (tho it seems few parkers adhere to it. Don’t know at what rate the city tickets.)
Thanks for your insight/guesses/snide remarks.
