The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog.
To the Editor:
I am strongly against the two current bills mentioned in the media that would expand accessible parking permits to new groups.
As the current rules make clear, the accessible spaces are needed for individuals with physical conditions who need closest parking to get to stores, restaurants, medical facilities. The spaces are crucial for wheelchair-using people, who need the wider access aisles that are part of the accessible parking places to drop down their van ramps and have room to turn off the ramp.
The bills have not been thought out and are "feel good" bills, written without understanding of the issues I am describing.There is no need for those with PTSD, autistic people, or caregivers of disabled people to receive the placards. Instead of the care givers, the placard must be issued to the one who needs it, as is current law. The placard can go with that person to the driver's vehicle while the disabled person is in the vehicle. It would be tempting for care givers to park in the spaces even when they are not transporting a person with a disability.
PTSD does not require an accessible space. If the veteran has a physical disability, he or she can get a permit based on that fact.The same is true for people with autism.
Please remember the legal requirement under the New Jersey and federal law,(Americans with Disabilities Act , ADA) to provide parking for those with physical needs that prevent them from accessing places without those essential parking spaces.
We need much better enforcement of the mandated fines of $250 for first offenses; towing is also a legal punishment. Police should check that a disabled person with a required "disabled person's ID" card is using the space. If he or she loans the placard to someone not eligible, the placard can be confiscated!
As with spots set aside for pregnant drivers, a second tier for the proposed classes could be provided as a courtesy, but not in the legally reserved spaces under our current accessible parking laws.
All legislators should read the excellent N.J. Guide to Accessible Parking and refuse to pass the proposed laws.
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dds/home/Guide%20to%20Accessible%20Parking-Web.pdf
Sincerely,
Carolyn Schwebel, Director
"Equalizers, "Advocates for People with Disabilities"
2 comments:
I am so sick of hearing about these pretend "veterans" who fought in imperialist wars, it was simply a job that someone was dumb enough to sign up for. Just because you were in the military, does not in and of itself make you a "hero", you could have been in the band, or cleaned toilets. Nor is there anything heroic about murdering brown people in an imperialist war. If you signed up to go to Iraq, committed atrocities, and now are back home you don't deserve ANY special privileges, if anything you should be looked at for potential criminal prosecution based on killings you might have been involved with. Putting all of these so-called "veterans" into civilian police forces with priority, like Middletown PD, only raises the risk of more citizens getting murdered by the police. While I am all for providing accommodation for PTSD, there is no nexus between having PTSD and being able to walk from a normal parking space into a building. These young punks are NOT comparable to the brave citizens who served in WWII, fighting against German and Japanese fascism, they are mostly idiots who couldn't get a job anywhere else. This is the truth no one wants to hear, but it is true. We have street gangs in the Army now. If they're all "heroes" explain that. Let's give preference in government jobs to victims of police brutality, not a bunch of kids who wanted to play "Call of Duty" in real life and murder with impunity. They go to Iraq and kill with impunity, then we make them cops and expect something different? What the hell are we thinking?
I agree with this letter. Accessible parking is for the purpose of physically getting from your car to the store, etc. We already have massive abuses as anyone who has lived here can attest. If a veteran has a physical limitation that should be the basis of the request. This sounds like some politician's attempt to wrap himself in the flag to get votes.
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