Disabled parking not always closest parking to the door
Many, incorrectly, believe that disabled parking is right in front of the door and that those of us with state-issued parking permits always get the best parking. In many cases we do get prime parking relative to other spaces. Yesterday was a good example to dispel this myth.
I went to a crowded event at the Webster Groves Community Center. In the above picture the people in red are walking into the building entrance. The white car on is closer to the entrance than where I parked at right. I parked in the disabled space closest to the entrance. Other disabled spaces behind me are closer to the ramp shown on the left but I was lucky to get the space I did — I waited about 10 minutes for it to open up. Why not just park closer?
There were no closer spaces open but even if there was I couldn’t have parked there anyway. I have the ability to do the steps that would have been required at the main entry so why not park there? To get in & out of my car I need to open my driver’s door fully. Sometimes I get a regular space next to say a sidewalk or planter where I can open my door fully but in those cases the curb makes stepping out of the car difficult. Regular spaces, even those closer to my destination are generally not an option for me or others.
– Steve Patterson
If I am interpreting the picture correctly, the spot you have is far from the community center entrance but is quite close to the pool entrance. Yes, problematic for a February visit to the community center but quite convenient for a July trip to the pool…
They may have not provided enough ADA spots generally, I can't say, but it isn't totally without thought that the spot you were using was far from the community center entrance, that isn't what it was intended for.
The disabled spaces are not as far away as the aquatic center. It was so they could do the step-free walk to the entry without it being too steep. The number of spaces for the disabled seemed low relative to the total count.