Being in a hurry is no excuse
Each time I ask any of my students that I’m teaching to drive at Young Drivers of Canada we talk about how busy we all are. I personally have something to do almost every evening and weekend throughout the year. Regardless of how busy we can be, it’s important to show respect to others as you run from one location or event to another.
As I exited a local drug store recently, I happened to see a vehicle sitting in the accessible parking space with their hazard lights on but no permit to park there. I’m assuming they put the hazard lights on to let others know they weren’t going to stay there very long. Does that matter? If we believe in ‘Murphy’s Law’ we know someone will come into the parking lot and need that space. The parking lot was pretty busy that evening, but that doesn’t give that driver the right to park where they shouldn’t, does it?
Running into a drug store doesn’t usually take a long time, but that’s not the point. For someone who needs the parking space, it’s very frustrating and disrespectful. I know a few people who need that space as walking isn’t easy for them, plus they need the wider spaces to get out of the vehicle and into a wheelchair. Did this driver think this through or did they even care?
A better solution and a solution that shows respect would be to wait for an empty parking space. That may only take a few minutes, so then the driver can do whatever was so important to them. Other than this drug store, I’ve also seen people do this at a grocery store, restaurant and shopping mall. Those places have a larger parking lot, but very few accessible parking spaces. People tend to stay there much longer so that makes it more difficult for those who need the reserved spaces. You can’t seriously be in that much of a hurry that makes you want to take that reserved space?
I think it’s time to put the shoe on the other foot. How would you feel if you were the person who needed that parking space and someone who didn’t need it had taken that from your use? Perhaps we need to think this way about many other things when it comes to driving…and life. Respect those around you and help those around you as well. Show the respect that you would like to have shown to you.
How do you know there was no permit. It appears on the dash or on the sun visor.
I went and looked.
There must be a way to report them to a bylaw officer or something? I saw this happen in front of an LCBO just before Christmas and I felt like taking a picture & shaming them via social media, as it was 2 young guys simply choosing to park there while they went in to buy booze. I chose not to say anything for fear of my own safety at night, but really. They weren’t in a rush; they spent the same amount of time I did in the store and there were ample parking spots around. Its simply disrespectful. They should have to fork over the expensive price of a ticket.
In most jurisdictions it’s a by-law offense. So unless you have a by-law officer on speed dial (which I’m hoping to get 😉 ) it’s rare they’ll ever get the ticket.
Recently saw a woman use in a handicapped parking space to go to the ATM.There was a car behind her as she was parking that needed that space. The driver honked to let her know that she should leave him the spot. She ignored the driver and went to the bank. I noted that there were a plenty of free parking spaces about a dozen cars down. Would losing 30 seconds to park in a proper space would have inconvenienced her that much.
Another thing to note from a comment I overheard years ago. It’s not because you borrow a car with a handicap shield that it gives you the right to park in a handicapped parking spot unless the person it’s meant for is in the car.