I’m not sure is what the law says. From the MA RMV site:
I don’t see anything about towing a car from private property when a car with Handicapped plates is parked elsewhere. The Residential Parking Only provision mentioned above is likely referring to public streets, not private property, so I’m not sure it applies here. I took a quick look through the MA state laws and my eyes glazed over with Lawyer-speak, but I didn’t see anything about giving cars with Handicapped plates free access to private parking lots.
The last time a woman asked for my seat on the subway because she was pregnant I asked how far along she was, and she said, “15 minutes, and man, am I tired”.
From the CVC, (California Vehicle Code)
*You CAN park:
In marked disabled spaces, such as those with:
A wheelchair.
Blue curbs.
In green curb spaces for unlimited time.
In spaces designated for merchants or residents.
For free at metered spaces.*
Really, anywhere they like? Loading zones, bus parking, emergency vehicle spaces, the judge’s spot at the courthouse, paid reserved spots at the train station parking garage? That is impressive.
Well, I didn’t say anything about towing, or the law.
Also, I don’t know why a genuinely disabled person with a placard would choose a reserved spot farther away than the Handicapped spots. Just to be a jerk?
Yes, in a later post he walks back the expansive claims I was mocking.
An allegedly disabled driver who bypasses the available spaces expressly reserved for him, and instead takes one allocated for someone else… well, if I ever encounter this hypothetical person I’ll be sure to tell him he’s a jackass.
Later? It’s the post right above yours. Look and see, I didn’t move it. In fact, it sat right there for 2 hours before you posted.
Here’s the thing. Sometimes the disabled spots aren’t in front of the particular place the person is trying to get to. Instead, there’s a sign that says “Pick up for Tony’s Pizza only.” Tony is as shit out of luck as you are out of brains in such a case. The placard trumps Tony’s sign.
Speaking as the regular driver for a gimp, if all the gimp spots are full, we’ll park as close as we can, regardless. Of course, around here no place has anything but the required gimp spots reserved, so taking a ‘pregnant woman’ spot (or whatever) has never actually come up. But that’s why we would.
How often has that happened, seriously? I have never seen it, except when all spaces within immediate sight were taken. In which case it doesn’t matter what allocations might be attached to any of them; you’re not parking.
I understand that’s the claim, but at least in the MA parking laws I looked at I don’t see that stated. In those laws (actually in the FAQ from the RMV) it explicitly states that there are some restrictions that override the HC plate, such as resident only parking.
I assume it’s true in some jurisdictions but perhaps not in all of them? And I suspect commercial private property lots are different than on street regulations.
Maybe once out of every 5 to 10 trips, so often enough to notice, but not often enough to be a problem. When it happens I drop her off at the door and go park elsewhere, then pick her up at the door again when she’s finished.