Disability disgrace........

dave289 · 07-02-2011, 12:34 PM

I am forty years old and have never parked in a disabled spot. These people seem to have no consideration for others or the rules. Then just listen to the lies that come from their mouth. I think they should increase the fine for this and also crack down on people who seem to get these disabled stickers on their car but seem to have no disability. They should also make it like a photo drivers licence so other members of the family such as this girl who obviously abuses her families stickers previuosly by the sounds of it. I think she said her family have three, I'm sure there more than likely not all disabled yet have these permits. Something should be done about this as is seems to get worse by the day.

http://video.news.com.au/1608985102/...area=endslate2

LTDHO · 07-02-2011, 12:55 PM

The pass is often missused and others do not care.

Glen 5150 · 07-02-2011, 01:10 PM

Sign of the times sad to say mate. Has always been a problem, but with our current inconsiderate society and nobody seems to have a conscience or be embarrassed by their actions or consequences, it will only get worse i'm afraid.

When my Wife was battling cancer I had this trouble all the time and rarely got a park, trying to park close to Doctors and Specialists when we had the correct authorization for a Disabled Park, only to see these spots taken by healthy inconsiderate 'oxygen thieves' that were to lazy to walk any distance. There was no 'stereotype' either. All ages, male and female, old bombs and Mercedes, rich and poor, but all were just inconsiderate and self centered!!!!!

zdcol71 · 07-02-2011, 01:13 PM

I'ts a pet hate of mine. I'ts a bit hard arguing the point if a vehicle actually has a disabled sticker on it, but it sure gets my back up when I see people parked there without one.
At the risk of being accused of hypocracy though, I have no problem with anyone who wants to park in the "parents with prams"parks.
The kid's in a stroller for Christs' sake!! It doesn't bother them how far away the park is from the shop!!.
I had 3 kids and never thought I was special enough to have my own car park!!

**Kingsley** · 07-02-2011, 01:23 PM

My wife does community nursing which often necessitates the use of the disabled pass when she takes them to appointments etc. The pass has to be returned if not needed. She often get's the death stare when parking in disabled zones until they realise she has an elderly passenger. Even then she cops the odd remark. One thing she has noticed is the car cops more open door hits from other cars when she's parked in these zones.

LowEL2XR8 · 07-02-2011, 01:25 PM

"I've never done that before."
"They're usually $60 but this one is $119"

Can't keep track of her lies. LOL

ST · 07-02-2011, 01:41 PM

That is quite possibly the worst reporter and report in the history of Australian media.

Meg's GT's · 07-02-2011, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave289

They should also make it like a photo drivers licence so other members of the family such as this girl who obviously abuses her families stickers previuosly by the sounds of it.

In NSW the disabled pass belonging to my Father has a photo ID of him on the back. Rangers often will check pass details and photo with occupants of the car if the said rangers are patrolling the car park.

Lotte · 07-02-2011, 02:00 PM

My Grandmother used to mention it, jsut loud enough for the culprit to hear, when we were driving her to the shops. If whoever was driving got dirty looks off the culprit (the usual suspects of course) she'd tell them it was her they should have an issue with and to pull their head in and wait till they have a zimmer to be eligible for the priviledge, like the rest of us, as they clearly have no real disability, other than having theair heads to far up their ****.
She was awesome.

3vXT · 07-02-2011, 02:04 PM

Is it true that a disabled parking permit means you can park in a 2 hour parking spot all day or that you don't have to pay a metre if there is one?

bungarra · 07-02-2011, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken2903

Is it true that a disabled parking permit means you can park in a 2 hour parking spot all day or that you don't have to pay a metre if there is one?

Never heard of that one in WA, don't know about any other state. I have seen the East Fremantle Rangers book people if they park in a disabled bay and don't have a permit up. Watched a guy get all upset as he got booked and was arguing that he had a medical condition and had left his permit at home. The ranger told him to bring it to council and the fine would be dropped if it was proven he had a valid permit or it was within a month of expiry. i spoke to the ranger later and he said on average for 1 in 30 gets proven correct, he did say allowance was made if it was obvious that it was an elderly person or person with a visible disability.

Jason[98.EL] · 07-02-2011, 05:12 PM

It annoys the you know what with my sister

Her son Bryce has a disabled ticket for her car she only uses it when he is in the car ( see Bryces story ) she never uses the spots if he is in the car but so many times she sees people that use them without handicapped person there

it annoys me to no end as well

Jason

nuthin' fancy · 07-02-2011, 07:01 PM

It is worthwhile chasing down the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode about disabled parking.

I never make fun of the disabled, if it wasn't for them I'd never get a decent park at the shopping centre.

Noddy · 07-02-2011, 08:17 PM

This is a subject I rarely comment on because tbh in this country, the system that’s in place is a joke. I have been told that in the US the system functions pretty well and to the point that if people use these parks for anything other than what they are intended for the general public will do a Seinfeld episode on your car. (For people that are too young to know about the particular episode I’m talking about look it up, it’s funny as)

I have been a car nut/enthusiast since I was four years old. I have been driving for 23yrs and for the last 12 of those I have been a paraplegic. Like most who have a serious disability personal independence everything and driving a car is what we, will I live for! Without it you might as well put me in a box.

In those last 12yrs I have seen it All!! Even to this day when I pull into a park in the xr8 or more so the T3 I either get filthy looks or worse abused.lol

Anyway with regards to the Australian disability parking system, if you are unlucky enough to have a reason to park in these spots you will realise the whole system has been a farce for years. Now recently the permit system has had a national overhaul.

Bill Shorten even emailed me 12mths ago asking for suggestions. They have spent most likely millions on the national upgrade. After 12mths or so I receive the new permit in the mail. Is it an improvement that will sift out the abusers?? Imo I doubt it will change much at all.

For the first couple of years that i was in the chair it used to bother me but I have mellowed now and I don't give a rats. Well unless I cop a mouth full from someone that is.
If I can't get that wide park I need to get my wheelchair out I just have to park in two normal parks, no big deal.

silicon · 07-02-2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken2903

Is it true that a disabled parking permit means you can park in a 2 hour parking spot all day or that you don't have to pay a metre if there is one?

Yes it is in NSW anyway. Free parking all day long in timed parking areas regardless of the time limit. No wonder they are abused.

The only way the culprits get busted is if the ranger watches the car arrive and leave. If they ranger notices them arrive alone the excuse is they are picking up granny and walk off. When leaving alone the excuse is they just dropped off granny.

G6E Turbo 2 · 07-02-2011, 08:54 PM

The System can be a used as a joke, I agree with you all

I have a Sticker myself and I use it now and then when my levels
of pain are an issue, have not been able to work since 05

I have back and neck injuries but to look at me I look okay

I have had lots of abuse which is really hard to cop at times

pottery beige · 07-02-2011, 11:31 PM

i love abusing able bodied people in disabled parking spots... one of lifes little pleasures.......

Halfmo Rocks · 07-02-2011, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottery beige

i love abusing able bodied people in disabled parking spots... one of lifes little pleasures.......

oh yes...one of the times i don't mind seeing someone's car get keyed/doored

fmc351 · 08-02-2011, 02:12 AM

obviously it gets abused and i have no tolerance for lazy ******. But unless you watch them arrive, and leave, you have no idea if they used it illegally.

I used to drop my grandfather off at places, Id park in the disabled spot, walk in with him, and depending why he was there, I may leave. If you only saw me leave, you'd think I was abusing the purpose of the spot. Im not disabled.

If you saw me arrive to collect my grandfather, but werent there when I left again, you wouldnt know I was in fact collecting a person who needed the closer spot.

Unless you see all of it, you'll never really know. I would never abuse the card, the risk of losing it to my grandfather would weight too heavy on my mind. That was all 20 odd years ago.

Not to mention not all disabilities are that apparent anyway. There is a post above that mentions pain levels. You may not be aware he has a disability, despite him using the spot legally. Dont jump to conclusions, youre going to feel like a ***** when you realise the guy/lady youre abusing is in fact disabled. I know I would anyway.

Trevor 57 · 08-02-2011, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottery beige

i love abusing able bodied people in disabled parking spots... one of lifes little pleasures.......

My 28 yo daughter has been abused many, many times for parking in 'disabled' parking spots by people of many ages, but mostly older people, she has a sticker/permit to say she can park in them, she can only walk very short distances. She doesn't look like she has a disability, but I can assure you she has quite a serious condition she contracted as a 7 yo. For a while she got abused so much she refused to park in them, prefering instead to walk a longer distance in serious pain.

People need to very careful about being too quick to judge. Obviously, many people see the person, not the disease or the sticker.

These permits are issued only with a Doctors approval, and the issuing is very carefully controlled by local Councils.

Bucknaked · 08-02-2011, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Trev

People need to very careful about being too quick to judge. Obviously, many people see the person, not the disease or the sticker.

Guarantee if one of these fools here had seen her, they would have abused her, attacked her or keyed her car because they think they are champions of justice.

You are right, people are too quick to judge. Unless she's in a wheel chair or walking with a guide dog, people assume they know everything.

I can't imagine how hard it must be for her to deal with hero's like this.

pottery beige · 08-02-2011, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Trev

My 28 yo daughter has been abused many, many times for parking in 'disabled' parking spots by people of many ages, but mostly older people, she has a sticker/permit to say she can park in them, she can only walk very short distances. She doesn't look like she has a disability, but I can assure you she has quite a serious condition she contracted as a 7 yo. For a while she got abused so much she refused to park in them, prefering instead to walk a longer distance in serious pain.

People need to very careful about being too quick to judge. Obviously, many people see the person, not the disease or the sticker.

These permits are issued only with a Doctors approval, and the issuing is very carefully controlled by local Councils.

trust me trev i'm not a hero that goes off half bottle..... i look for the obvious signs.. no sticker or permit is a start... another is the never had a job bogan that waits in the drivers seat whilst hasn't washed her hair in days mrs bogan just trots out to drop the overdue dvd's off....

Trevor 57 · 08-02-2011, 08:14 AM

I agree with what you are saying, but have also seen the other side, it is just worthy of mention, that sometimes there is another side.

OzJavelin · 08-02-2011, 08:33 AM

I think a lot of people who "erroneously" park in disabled carparks probably should have their own special sticker made up to say that they cannot function as a normal, useful member of society and that formal laws and social conventions don't apply to them because they are:
A. stupid
B. lazy
C. arrogant
D. selfish
(they can tick which one they want on their sticker)
The sticker should actually be portable so they can carry it around, allowing them to cut into lines of waiting people, argue with retail staff and other activities these types of people typically enjoy.

kaniSS · 08-02-2011, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowEL2XR8

"I've never done that before."
"They're usually $60 but this one is $119"

Can't keep track of her lies. LOL

$119 or $60 is peanuts tha'ts why she keeps doing it.

Fine her $1190 every time and see if she does it again.

dannyxm · 08-02-2011, 10:02 AM

My old boss had pain in her shoulder and sucessfully got a disabled parking permit.

Everytime i did something for her she always wanted me to use the pass to save for paying for parking.

She was new money, driving round in a 1 series BMW (pffft!) thinking she was all that and then some....

I always said no, its horrible to take advantage of such things and made her pay for parking on every occassion.

Thankfully i dont work there anymore.

69XWGT · 08-02-2011, 10:34 AM

Thats ok. You wouldn't want to park in a disabled spot if you weren't disabled when a mate of mine is around. You'd end getting bashed

His mother and father are both disabled and he is the one karting them around for shopping/bill paying and the like.
He is a really nice guy but he's a big lad that doesn't take crap from anyone.
When he see's these people parking in handicapped spots when they shouldn't be , he politely asks them to leave.
He had a couple of young smart ***** tell him to F off and they give him even more lip and started abusing him.
Well the next thing that happens is he drags them out of the car and if the attitude remains he usually gives them a bit of a touch up

FG XR · 08-02-2011, 10:37 AM

totally agree, i remember watching 2 seniors (around 60 yrs old) casually step out of their brand new Jaguar and head into David Jones. Yeah they even had a sticker, but what for i dont know!

EFPWR · 08-02-2011, 11:04 AM

I remember once when I was driving the cab, I had an elderly gentleman who couldn't walk more than 15m without needing to stop for a break. He had one of these stickers and asked me to park in the disabled spot and proceeded to put his sticker up in my cab. I parked right next to the shop in one of these spots for him and waited for him to go off and do his thing then come back. This lady came up to me raging because there was a taxi parked in the disabled spot (with a sticker I might add), all because she had to walk an extra 3-4 steps. She didn't seem overly disabled to me, she moved very quickly and with no issues in her step what-so-ever. Threatened to report me to her cop husband or some rubbish, I sort of tuned out.

So what, cause she was too fat to walk those extra 3-4 steps an elderly man who struggled to move WITH a walking frame had to suffer more? I think not.

blueoval · 08-02-2011, 11:48 AM

I had a disabled parking permit for 5 years due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was very bad for a period of time to the point I felt a walking stick was necessary. Over the past 3 years I have made massive changes for the better of my health and have actually sent the RA into remission. Since then, I only used the permit for parking ONLY if I felt I needed to due to pain. I often felt bad using it for my legitimate case.

Now that I have my life back on track and am doing tonnes better than I was, I did not renew my permit out of respect for those who are genuinely in a worse state then me.

But for the dozen times I used the permit in the whole of 5 years, not matter how ill I got I did not feel right using the park and I often would find a normal park to somehow make me feel better about myself.

It was always an ordeal using the DP and having every set of eyes looking at you and seeing if you 'looked' physically disabled in any form. A lot of times you see cars with the sticker "Check out the permit not the driver" and I was tempted to get one, but as people have said, disabled permits are available to just about anyone.

I used my permit once on one occasion, I was in a lot of pain at this point and limping badly, and needed to get into the shops for a brief abount of time, and I overheard this old joker talking with another chap along the lines of "He doesnt look disabled to me". I nearly went over and had words with these judgmental twats but I thought nah screw it, I have a genuine reason to use this, I dont need to justify my actions to people who dont know me.

You will get those who abuse the system, and get permits from doctors who give them out freely to anyone like candy, and then you will find the genuine cases which I get hard done by because their disability isn't visually shown with a wheel chair, crutches or something.