Poll: Help Me Determine The Message To Leave On Some Cars
For the poll this week I’m asking what should be printed on the cards I’m going to get to leave on cars parked like this:
I see things like this often and I want to do something about it but 1) the police are too busy, 2) parking violations is closed, 3) I can’t wait for the person to come back, 4) and if I had paper & pen I can’t write legibly.
Here is one example of what I was thinking:
To harsh or not enough? Â I have listed several ideas in the poll, all have come to mind. Â The poll is at the top of the right sidebar.
– Steve Patterson
Steve for God's sake, do you even read what you write about before posting the blog? You are pettying up your otherwise decently intelligent credentials with this kind of self-pity shit.
This car owner is already an arrogant asshole and he knowingly did what he did, well aware it was wrong.
Any message you give to him will be haughtingly sluffed-off and discarded – as trash thrown on the ground.
Not individual skirmishes worth fighting for.
The frequency I encounter such people is frustrating, I often let it go but other times I want a way to let them know they were caught in the act – they didn't get away with it. They best would be for them to get an expensive ticket, booted or towed.
I have to agree with Alfred. Putting options about keying someones car while most likely tongue and cheek, will only portray you as a hot head, and I doubt that is what you want. I agree that people need to be held accountable for their actions, but the best possible way is to simply meet person face to face and talk to them, non aggressively, and explain the situation. Showing anger or leaving notes on a car does little to nothing. I understand that it's an inconvenience to wait to speak with someone, but if you're willing to spend your day being mad about it and doing nothing, I'm sure the extra time to have a conversation with the person will produce much better results.
Explaining to someone how their actions effect you is a very good technique. TELLING someone they are wrong, while you might feel better (not really), just makes the situation worse.
Agreed these are teaching moments. When creating a poll it is important to include a wide spectrum of answers.
Exactly. OH NO! Someone's posting pictures of my car on FACEBOOK! And TWITTER!
Don't fight self-important assholes by being a smug self-important asshole.
The best thing to put on here is just a little blank space where you can write in something pleasant like “The striped space is for loading and unloading from the designated handicapped space to the left.”
And cut out the “The authorities have been notified,” make it say “I'd hate to see you get a ticket, so I thought I'd give you a heads-up so you can move your car.”
Eh, the photos on facebook and twitter part seems a bit high-schoolish, and will just be responded to with high-schoolish anger.
Also, I would leave off the part about the authorities being notified. Go ahead and notify them, and there will either be consequences or their won't, but telling them about them on the card is unnecessarily challenging.
I don't know how effective it will be, but I would make some statement asking them to be considerate even when no one is watching, even when they think they'll get away with it.
Also, don't say anything you wouldn't say to them (or in a way you wouldn't say to them) face to face, because sooner or later someone will come out as you are putting these on their car, and it will result in a confrontation.
I understand your frustration and your desire to shame the car owners for their stupidity, but I would just let it go if I were you. Karma is a female dog, and they'll get theirs someday. Besides, since Facebook and Twitter aren't exactly anonymous, I'd hate to see someone retaliate against you even though I think your idea is well-intended.
And I'd never count on the police to do anything relative to parking. It's taken me literally months to get derelict cars removed from in front of my house, but last week I was 20 minutes late moving the car on street cleaning day, and sure enough, I got a ticket. Not that I'm complaining about the ticket per se, just the bass ackwards way in which this city works much of the time.
Pretty good, except it assumes that the violator is able bodied, somewhat educated and actually cares. Your example is a classic case of poor design combined with, likely, limited parking. When the cross-hatched area is the same width as the other parking spaces, it becomes an attractive nuisance. Yes, the ADA requires one this size for a van-accessible space, but not for other accessible spaces. We have a similar situation at our local Starbucks, where, when the lot is full, the access aisle is used by people, some who actually know better, because, they're “just running in”. It's a trade off – wide enough to use a side lift versus wide enough to park in.
As for text, I've been known to observe that “I have to assume that your handicap is mental”. I've also seen people with handicapped placards parking in the cross-hatched area becauise it gives them better access to the side of the vehicle that's needed. The two real challenges are that SOP is that one should not challenge another's disability and compliance is only as good as enforcement.
If you really want make progress, leaving anonymous notes is probably one of the least effective ways. If it's that important, include a way for the violator to contact you. They may be clueless. They may have some sort of temporary issue. They may have forgotten their placard. They may also just be hostile a-holes. But odds are good that further dialogue will result in either better understanding and/or an apology. (And posting on Facebook or Twitter means nothing to most people – what are the consequences?!)
JZ71 said: “The two real challenges are that SOP is that one should not challenge another's disability and compliance is only as good as enforcement.”
I disagree on the first, and have an alternative take on the second. First, what is defined as a disability for parking purposes is well defined. Also, we're not talking about who deserves a disabled parking space but rather this is a situation of a person parking in what was not even a space. Second, I view these cards as a sort of enforcement. If the real city authorities haven't stopped this activity, maybe notifying the parking offender that he's made life difficult for another human being will have an impact. Sure half the people will laugh it off but maybe some people will get a card and rethink their actions.
I applaud this card idea as long as the wording is non-confrontational.
O a different note, there's hidden camera a show on t.v. that shows how people react in situations of watching others violate the law or be jerks in public, and to see if those being filmed do something about it. Recent shows included having a male and female couple fight in a public park and get violent, and waiting to see if joggers in the park would take action. I like to think I would take action if no law enforcement was present. I view the card idea of this blog host as something along those lines.
Agree on the legal definition part (you need to display a placard or have a disabled license plate, plus this has a yelow curb), but disagree on the “you can't park” in the hatched area. Some states, like Minnesota, do not allow the hatched area, requiring, instead, super-wide spaces for the disabled, giving them the flexibility to use them as they need to.
In theory, the hatched area is inteneded to provide guidance, but, in this example, with angled parking and with accessible spaces designated on both sides of the hatched area, IF the (empty) space on the right were occupied, I could very easily see a disbled driver of a van with a side lift encroaching into the hatched area. Do you expect he/she to park somewhere else? Further away? Back into the space? There are no perfect answers, especially if you require a large vehicle with a lift (unlike Steve, who just needs to open his door fully).
The best examples are probably at Walmart, where they provide a lot a hatched space around all of their accessible parking spaces. And worst is probably at the Trainwreck in Rock Hill, where the one accessible space is labeled for handicapped parking AND to-go orders!
Finally, my SOP comment was aimed at the abusers. There are plenty of able-bodied people who use a relative's or friend's placard to park in an accessible space. Should those people be challenged, even if they appear to be healthy? There are people with placards who do look “normal”, yet still have valid reasons for using disabled parking . . .
i would leave out any personal indignation (i.e. “i don't appreciate”) because most likely the perp doesn't care. make it matter-of-fact and non-confrontational:
“You have committed an illegal act which makes it difficult for those with disabilities to live independently.
The police have been notified.
Further violations will result in keying.”
j/k about that last part.
Good points!
If you're wondering why I keyed your car, take a look at where you parked.
Just urinate on his door handle…
How about a picture of an accessible van or similar vehicle using that type of space, and some text Make the card less condemning and more of an education thing. The card you have now is just going to get a negative reaction.
love it! As a pedestrian, when cars are sitting @ lights in the crosswalk, I often hit their hood or window as a wake-up call that they are in my right-of-way. I think it is extremely important to hold drivers accountable and bring violations to their attention. It's the only way we will see people become more aware, they need to know what they are doing is unacceptable!
You said, “It's the only way we will see people become more aware, they need to know what they are doing is unacceptable!”
I disagree. Acting illegally (assault) to combat illegal action (sitting in a crosswalk) probably isn't the best way to accomplish your goal.
I doubt that you can “assult” a car. It's not a person. It may border on vandalism, but if you don't leave a mark . . . What's the alternative? Let the idiots continue to live in ignorance / “It's all about ME!”?
The main point is we must push back aginst those who place their interests above the rights of the community. They have to be told, one way or another, “how you are treating others isn't cool so knock it off “
I always fancied having a rolling paint applicator that would put street stripe yellow footprints across the hood of cars that pull into the pedestrian crossing and I am perfectly capable of walking around the car.
They already make these:
http://www.prankplace.com/product.aspx?d=Fake-Parking-Tickets.NIFTY-NOTES—PARKING-CITATION&p=28478&c=44
Please be careful about this; considering the absolutely psychotic behavior I've witnessed from people after I've honked at them, people are violent and self-righteous beyond belief nowadays.
be careful, indeed. i was very nearly beaten-up for flipping off a guy who ran a stop sign and almost hit me. he followed me to my parking space in front of the brentwood borders and got about 1 inch from my face threatening to f@#& me up. driving makes people selfish as hell, and they just don't care if they're wrong.
@ renee – i've though about hitting the hood too but, again, you may be putting your life on the line.
Same thing happened to me.
I believe this is a good idea. By parking in these spots they are proving themselves as self-entitled asses. There is nothing wrong with either getting them a fine or in the least making them worry about it.
And now for a non-PC question – how many of these people “need” special parking because of their own poor life choices? Smoking and obesity are two major causes of debilitating illnesses, and by “accomodating” them, aren't we just “rewarding” poor choices?!
The reasons are numerous, I know many people who've been disabled since birth.
Agreed, there are plenty of disabled people who had no control over why, and definitely should be accomodated, but can we draw the line on obese smokers who can barely move?
Personally, I am able-bodied and choose to park as far away from the door as possible to get a little exercise in.
Love it. After just three weeks on crutches, I have a whole new appreciation for how poorly things are laid out for those of us who need extra clearance to navigate this world, and the lack of caring others exhibit toward those who need it. If you are bold enough to leave a note, I say go for it.
Here is another one you may have not have on your crusade list: placement of concrete parking bumpers at handicapped spaces. Great idea to put them so close together that the handicapped person can't exit to the front of the car because the equipment will not fit between the bumpers.
I photographed just such an issue on my recent trip to Oklahoma, a wheel stop was totally blocking the end of the ADA loading zone!