Handicap parking permits

Written on December 12,2007 and December 14, 2007

It is that time of year when all of the parking lots are jammed with vehicles belonging to Christmas shoppers.When the lots are jammed unfortunately some of the handicap parking areas are taken up by phonies. Yes, I mean phonies, those who misuse or those having altered, fraudulent, or expired handicap parking permits.

The City of Toronto for the second year in a row realizing the seriousness of this misuse started on December 1,2007 sent out their Parking Enforcement Disabled Liaison Unit to patrol shopping Mall parking lots with their blitz targeting the able bodied, any caught can be fined $300 to $5000 dollars.

Last December 2006 this unit investigated more than 6000 permits and confiscated more than 1000 for reasons outlined above.

A classic example per a spokesperson from the Toronto Unit is a car pulling into a handicap parking space with either an elderly or handicap person sitting in the passenger's seat, this elderly or handicapped person is the registered person on the permit. The driver of the vehicle gets out, leaves the passenger in the vehicle, and goes shopping. Yes, it is more convenient for the driver BUT not for the other people who may need that handicap parking spot.

Just something to think about.

This writer for roughly two years has spent an extensive amount of research time on this abuse problem followed up with letters to both the ministry and the local papers outlining the abuses. The local papers published a couple of my letters and articles, the ministry's response was one letter in 7 months "We are investigating the problems"

After almost a year the provincial government has approved legislation to crackdown on those who abuse disabled parking areas.

Starting the week of December 13, 2007 the Ministry announced their legislation to control this abuse as follows;

The Ministry has reduced the validity period for temporary permits from 24 months to 12 months

The ministry weeded out thousands of "DEAD" permit holders.

Interim permits while a permit application is being processed from 6 months to 2 months.

It has been suggested a comprehensive testing program be put in place to verify if holders of disabled parking permits really call for them.

The ticket officers who keep watch over the misuse of permits discover the permit number is not registered to the driver or the disabled passenger using the vehicle the abuser can be charged and fined up to $5000.

NOW IT IS A CASE OF ENFORCING THESE CHANGES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE HANDICAPPED