Just For A Second – Illegal Use Of Disabled Parking

ALLIANCE – Parking in a disabled parking space may not seem to be such a big deal. Some people might say “I was only going to be in there for a minute,” or “all of the disabled parking was open.”

Sometimes parking in a parking spot clearly marked as a disabled parking space may not be a problem. Then there are those times when someone who truly needs the parking space has to drive on by because they see the spot is already filled.

During that “just for a minute,” time, one or more vehicles who really need that spot may have driven on by as they look for another place to park.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 created rules and standards to determine the number and location of required disabled parking spaces. This is done to allow those with mobile disabilities the ability to go out into public and be able to go somewhere with a minimal amount of pain or easier disembarking from a wheelchair accessible van.

Appendix A to Part 1191 – Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (AGBF) explains the specifics of mobility access.

The AGBF requires one in every eight accessible spaces, but not less than one, shall be served by an access aisle 96 inch (2440 mm) wide minimum and shall be designated “van accessible.” The vertical clearance shall comply with §4.6.5. All such spaces may be grouped on one level of a parking structure.

The AGBF §4.6.5 states the minimum vertical clearance of 114 in (2895 mm) at accessible passenger loading zones and at least one vehicle access route to such areas from site entrance(s) and exit(s).

Parking in a disabled parking space without the proper license plate or placard is a crime as the federal government defines. Fines vary from place to place, but parking without a permit of some sort is still a crime no matter where in the country one might go.

Taking a disabled spaced “for just a minute” may cause someone who really needs that space to have to park much further out and in a spot with no ramp clearance. Illegally parking in these spaces is both inconsiderate and against the law.

 

Source References Available Upon Request