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Due to all those recent stories about how much money the city is by not doing anything about enforcing parking laws (something for which SFist claims complete innocence of), the city is announcing steps to try and get more money out of parking.
First up, cracking down on handicap placards. Turns out those handicap placards are all the rage these days, as they seem to be everywhere. According to statistics, the amount of those handy-dandy blue signs has more than doubled in recent years and in San Francisco, the amount of handicap drivers out there is around 50,000. Now some of that might be because of the ever-increasing amount of senior citizens, but some of it is because healthy people are pretending to use handicap stickers to get handicap spots. We know, shocking. So the city is having people go out and check up on those people who are parking in handicap parking spots while using the placard. If they check out, they go away free. If they don't check out, meaning there's no record of them anywhere, they get a ticket.
Hmmm...note to self: start setting up fake handicap placard business.
Next up, increasing the fines for parking in the blue zone by a $100 bucks, thus making the fine for doing so $350. Money collected in the fines will be used to help crack down on healthy people who use the handicap placards. It's like killing two parking birds with one stone.
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I saw a contractor 2 weeks ago park in a blue spot and then place an HC card on his mirror. He got his tool boox and walked into a building.
The issue is not the use of the placards its the issuance of them. There needs to be a crackdown from the State on Doctor's issuing these things for runny noses. Also, if the incentive were taken away for having them then the abuse would go down. Access to blue zones should be the only benefit of the placard. Right now having one means you can park in any spot all day for free. The placard should be about access not about free parking.
Pictures or it didn't happen. Am I the only person who's figured out that I can use my cameraphone when I see someone behaving badly?
Enforcement is so needed. Over the years, I've read a number of news reports (Matier & Ross, etc.) on Disable Placard abuse by perfectly-able citizens, such as using a deceased relative's Placard or borrowing them from a disabled friend or family member to avoid feeding the meters and while I am not making any correlations here but check out any and all Chinatown street on any given Monday-Saturday and more than likely over 80% of the vehicles parked on the street bears a Disable Placard, yet somehow on Sundays when street parking is free, the Placards are less prevalent. Fishy, no?
This crackdown will in turn also help MUNI do its job.
Why does a handicap placard equal free parking?!?
It would seem to me that real handicap people would want more turnover in prime parking spots, thus making the trip from their car to their destination shorter because more prime spots become available more often.
Take all the pictures you want Mattymatt. Chances are the placard was issued to the person who parked the car. Take a look at the numbers that have been issued in San Francisco the look at the surrounding bay area counties. then look at the number of parking spaces we have(23,000 metered). There is a placard for at least every space. Now go outside and look at your block and compare the number of cars with them hanging in the window. The issue is less with your camera phone and more with getting the laws changes so that the placard holders have to pay for metered spots and should have a reasonable time limit placed. It is absolutely ridiculous that the placard entitles you to free parking all day anywhere you want.
Re "Pictures or it didn't happen."
Somebody else has figured it out.
See http colon //nyc.uncivilservants.org/
As someone who currently has a red disabled placard for a temporary disability (8 weeks with a cast and crutches), I would note the following: The placard does NOT allow me to park anywhere for free all day. I can park at a meter (IF I can find one open) without paying. I can park in a time limited meter zone (ie 30 minute zone) without complying with the time limit and I can park in disabled parking places. There is no parking in yellow zones, bus zones, street cleaning areas, white zones, etc. Not that people with placards don't park in these places but they are subject to tickets. Aside from handicapped zones in private parking lots like malls and grocery stores, I don't think the placard has ever helped me park since street parking is so rare and all the street handicapped zones are full, often with one car all day. Also, in all my time parking in handicapped zones, I would note that all but two people using spots near me have had "invisible" disabilities. Maybe they all have heart disease, joint problems, cancer, or whatever but only two had anything visibly impairing their mobility. Some were 90 years old and undoubtedly suffered from multiple disabilities that should have resulted in their licenses being taken away NOT a blue placard!! They could barely get into their cars or turn their heads to pull out.
And people who hold down full time jobs and use these placards to secure all day free parking in the Financial District??.....
It's both a problem of issuance and of enforcement. These days you can get a placard for almost any ailment that might conceivably make walking mildly uncomfortable. If you're fat enough to be winded after a two-block walk when you're ten minutes late, you can get a placard. If you're over 50 and your knees hurt like everyone else's who's over 50, you can get a placard. If there aren't more placards out there it's because some people have a sense of decency and others just don't realize how easy the placards are to get.
And enforcement needs to be stronger too. If you check out SFSU, you'll see all the blue parking spaces filled, largely by students driving grandma's car. Grandma does have a legitimate disability, but her 23-year-old grandaughter shouldn't get away with using it.
I'd support police officers challenging a driver who doesn't appear handicapped and temporarily confiscating the placard if the driver's explanation doesn't pass the smell test.
A handicapped placard should NOT = free parking ANYWHERE at ANY TIME. Just because you have a disability doesn't mean you can't pay, just like everyone else. It's ridiculous and that's why people abuse the placards.
I saw a Hummer just this past weekend (an exceptionally high off the ground one) with a handicapped placard. Guess you can also get a placard for being a self-absorbed retard.
And bob_here is right. You can get a placard for any ailment. In fact I have a friend exactly has he describes. Over 50 with sore knees. With a placard. WTF? This is ludicrous.
It isn't a case of Doctors authorizing Disabled Placards indescriminantly. I have a serious and permanent disability and obtaining my placard meant meeting a number of criteria signed off by my doctor and finally issued at the discretion of the DMV.
I have a real problem with countefeit placards being sold in Chinatown for $20. There are also people who 'borrow' Grandma's placard for their own use when grandma is not out and about.
Authorized placard users are issued an ID card that links the placard number with the name of the issuant. Police and parking enforcement will usually ask to see this card when checking the validity of one's use of the disabled space and the placard.
If the DMV and city parking officers would ask for this verification misused and counterfeit placards would be confiscated and citations issued to recoup lost parking fees.
Disabled people suffer even more than the city coffers when able bodied people monopolize the few designated disabled spaces in SF.
Counterfeit Placards available for sale in Chinatown?? Well, that explains mass sighting of them and on pactically every vehicle parked in Chinatown.
Counterfeit Placards for sale in Chinatown? Well, that explains the constant mass sighting of the Placards on practically every vehicle parked in Chinatown. If DPT enforce a crackdown in Chinatown, I am willing to bet that a great many will indeed be "busted" and the City's can reap some much needed revenue from these cheats.
Counterfeit Placards for sale in Chinatown? Well, that explains the constant mass sighting of the Placards on practically every vehicle parked in Chinatown. If DPT enforce a crackdown in Chinatown, I am willing to bet that a great many will indeed be "busted" and the City's can reap some much needed revenue from these cheats.