I have lived in the same condo complex for over 10 years. I have a disability and a PERMANENT handicapped placard always displayed on my front mirror. Often, my car is parked for months at a time on the street, public parking. There is only ONE handicapped parking space on this dead end street, for two high-rise condominiums of almost 200 condos. About a year and a half ago, I got a call from our doorman stating that the police had put a yellow sticker on my windshield, and I had to move my car within 24 hours or it would be towed. I called the police and asked about this, mentioning that I’m disabled with a placard and all they said was: “it’s a law and they only enforce it when someone makes a complaint.” I asked where I hasd to move my car to, and wss told: “a few feet forward or back”. The kicker was, I was told I had to do this every 24 hours! Not possible with my disability. Ultimately I had to move my car a block away and park off-street, and it has sat there over a year because it’s too far for me to access it. I believe this is discrimination, but am too sick to fight it right now. CONNECTICUT SUCKS, and we pay a premium in taxes for that suckage. Anyone else been through this?
Your local municipal government would be the place to go with this problem. Perhaps they can help you.
I have to ask; why do you continue to own a vehicle that gets driven less than once a year? You could pay for door-to-door taxi service for much less than it’s costing to keep a car.
In many jurisdictions, additional marked handicapped places can be marked if there is demand for it. Obviously, you meet the demand part. Check with your local police or zoning board to determine who has to approve additional handicapped parking. There may also be a formula that determines the minimum number of places that must be identified, and your area may be short. I know on federal installations there is a minimum set and must be complied with. It is entirely possible that the city is in non-compliance with its own ordinance.
I empathize with you because I currently have a temporary handicapped parking permit that is due to expire in a few weeks. Hopefully, I won’t need to have it renewed, as my orthopedic condition has improved greatly.
However, I can tell you that in my state (NJ), there is a need to revise the law that sets the “formula” for the number of handicapped parking spaces per building or per store, or per shopping mall. It is probably an indication of our aging society, but I frequently pull into a parking area, only to find all of the handicapped spaces already occupied with vehicles bearing a handicapped placard. They are parked legally, but they have already filled the handicapped spaces to capacity. At my local supermarket (which is brand-new), there must
be at least 12 handicapped parking spaces, but even that number is insufficient, even on a weekday morning when the store is not very busy.
Even though I hope to NOT be in the handicapped category much longer, I plan on contacting my State Assemblyman and my State Senator in order to express how important it is to reconfigure the formulas for calculating the number of handicapped parking spaces that are required. Hopefully, one of them can sponsor a bill to revise the current, outdated formula. I strongly suggest that you contact your state legislators on this topic also.
As to the requirement to move one’s car every 24 hours, in all likelyhood this is a local ordinance. I would suggest that you speak (calmly) with your local police chief, in order to see if he can issue some kind of permit that you might display on your dashboard, in order to avoid being ticketed for failure to move the car every 24 hours. You should also contact your city councilman, or alderman, or whatever your municipal representatives are called.
If you persist in a calm and rational manner, I am confident that either the police chief or your councilman/alderman can come to your assistance, based on your unique situation.
Good luck!
Is there a organization for people with disabilities in your area. They may be able to help you out.
Maybe the person that complained also has a permenant disability. I am also disabled.But I am not facing a parking concern. I try to do as much as I can before I ask for special consideration,I have suprised myself what I can accomplish with out help,we all deal with our limitations differently.Sell the car,parked for a year,I am suprised your not asking for advice about how to care for a car that is used so infrequently.
Anything at Americans with Disabilities that can help? Maybe you are already up to speed on this.
ADA link
I agree if you call your local goverment office/traffic court.their has to be a law on the books that will help you in someway that another plackard could be put on the window so you wont get towed.this should never of happend.you would think as long as the disabilty plackard is up to date and the car is inspected. they should leave you to park wich ever is the easiest way for you.good luck and i hope you can get this situation resolved. rob
Check if your state’s open records law permits you to determine the name of the complaining person. Where I live you can do that. I got this from a cop while asking about the procedure for complaining about excessive motorcycle noise.
Once you get the name and address, you might want to write a letter to explain your situation to the complainer. That you learned who they are might cool them down a bit. It’s easy to complain while hiding behind the police, or can you?
There is only ONE handicapped parking space on this dead end street, for two high-rise condominiums of almost 200 condos.
First I would suggest that only one designated parking spot is likely too few. I wonder what the regulations are on that where you live?
it has sat there over a year because it’s too far for me to access it.
Considering that, I would sell the car. How much is that car costing you per year and if you are getting by without using it for a year, I suspect you would be better off without one. Also sitting for a year between uses is not good for a car and I fear even if it starts when you need it (not really likely to start however, unless you took precautions) it may not prove to be very reliable and that could be a real problem being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a car that just quit.
Before you get too heated up, your car may have fallen into the category of “stored” on the street (and worse, in a HC spot). If you use it that little, should it really be taking up a HC spot? Maybe the complaintant is also handicapped, and needs a spot close to the entrance for daily use? Face it – you’re probably driving too little to warrant a car, or at least, one right outside the door. If you only want to drive once in a great while, could you arrange a ride to get to your car? Sure, it’s not as convenient, but other people have rights, too.
I have to agree, if your car is left in the only public handicapped spot for months on end without moving, it would be considered storage or abandoned. Someone else with a handicap probably complained to the town about it. You could request the town add more handicap spaces, they have very clear laws about this stuff now.
There are several issues here. Sorry but while I sympathize with your need for close in parking, most cities have restrictions for on street parking. In our town it is 18 hours. You can’t just park a car on the street for day after day. If someone was parking in front of my house continuously, I would complain severely. It is an eye sore, traffic hazard, hazard for kids playing, and inconvenient for guests.
Most cities also have regulations on the number of off-street parking that must be provided for higher density housing such as apartments, town houses, condos, and so on. If they do have a parking lot, you can simply ask the owner to provide a few more handicapped stalls.
Streets filled with parked cars makes life hard on everyone which is why the parking restrictions are in force.
photo2010,
Maybe a local TV News show would be interested in your story. I would call some and see if they have an investigative team that would like to take your story and see where it leads. Should the story “air,” I think you would get help.
I don’t like those formula based requirements. The result here is that it is applied across the board without any logic. One of the Lowes here has 30 spaces dedicated to disabled parking and they are always empty. We have a boat launch with 5 of the 20 trailer spaces for disabled. ??? It often makes no sense. It would be nice if the businesses would recognize the need for spaces and put them in according to the number of customers that might frequent their stores rather than having the government dictate some formula that is compromise.
Be careful what you wish for! If you’re successful, you may not be able to find a parking spot when you lose that placard 
Yep, you’re being selfish here. You want to monopolize the only spot in the area so you can go out once in a blue moon? Put yourself in the other person’s position for a minute.
First of all, I was not parked in the only handicapped spot on the street. i was parked on the street in regular public parking, not taking anyone’s spot. There are many people that park for over 24 hours at a time. The fact is, the board of my condominium couldn’t care less about the needs of disabled tenants. I also had to bring fair housing in to put force the board to put a curb cut in front of the entrance to my building, which they fought against. The fact that i haven’t been driving for a year doesn’t mean I have to give up my car or my right to drive, and also doesn’t mean that I should have been forced into this situation. It also doesn’t mean that i don’t need to get places, and I have had people driving me when I do, a major hassle because there is poor mass transportation where I live. I was able to walk to my car when it was on the street, now it is too far for me to walk to because someone wanted to cause me trouble.
Yes I hear it from my grandmother.
No sympathy here. My grandmother lives in a similar situation in the city. One handicapped spot on the street but a HOG who rarely drives at her place parks there all year long. When her disabled friends/relatives come over they have to walk far.
Not cool.
The suggestion that you sell off the car you are not using is not an attempt to take away your right to own a car or to drive, it was simply a suggestion based on economics. You probably could rent a vehicle when ever you need one for less than the ownership cost of your present car, some rental agencies will deliver. A taxi would probably be the most cost effective.
If you have relatives in your area, you might consider loaning them the car in return for them to drive and maintain it and bring it to you any time you need it.
The law against storing cars in public parking spaces is a fair law. Its for public use, not your personal use. If a car isn’t moved periodically, it deteriorates and it could be an abandoned car.
Your condo should have been required to provide at least one private parking space per unit. If the law in your area doesn’t have this requirement, then that was a stupid oversight by the local lawmakers.