How To Park Like a Tool

sprout said:

Tom, I think in NYC, if it's not all 4 tires on the sidewalk, it's a good parking job... especially for NYPD. Enjoy the city!

4 tires on the sidewalk?

I remember coming out of a building in Manhattan very early one morning. The entire side of the street where I was parked was already double-parked (doing the Alternate-Side Tango), so I was trapped. A cop came down the sidewalk and I asked her what I should do. She said she didn't give a damn, but she'd better not catch me doing it. So, I did the obvious: I waited till she rounded the corner, checked for pedestrians, then drove down the very wide sidewalk all the way to the corner.

metaphysician said:

sprout said:

Tom, I think in NYC, if it's not all 4 tires on the sidewalk, it's a good parking job... especially for NYPD. Enjoy the city!

4 tires on the sidewalk?

For example, here's a site (with photo) of the NYPD doing the 4-wheels on the sidewalk thing:
http://transalt.org/files/news/streetbeat/askta/020211.html

metaphysician said:

So, I did the obvious: I waited till she rounded the corner, checked for pedestrians, then drove down the very wide sidewalk all the way to the corner.

See? That's why one shouldn't park on the sidewalk in NYC. It's the emergency driving lane.

This all pales in magnitude to "Handicapped" Parking Space fraud, the placards being the new symbol of being somehow connected and without any personal integrity or shame whatsoever.

Connections have nothing to do with it, my mom had a handicapped placard for years because she shuttled my nana around. She only used it when my grandmother was in the car though, I guess that's where integrity/shame come in.

RobB-

I just found out they may be trying to clean it up:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/05/22/new-jersey-changes-handicapped-parking-program/

Amazing factoid in that story: at one mall alone, police found hundreds of fraudulent placards, drivers or both. Hundreds. At just one mall.

Honestly, I don't remember the last time I saw a truly handicapped person get out of a car parked in the handicapped space. I put the rate of fraud here at roughly 99%.

RobB said:

Connections have nothing to do with it, my mom had a handicapped placard for years because she shuttled my nana around. She only used it when my grandmother was in the car though, I guess that's where integrity/shame come in.

Your mom used it legitimately. She wasn't part of the problem.

I know that, he (she?) was suggesting that people who are somehow "connected" are getting these passes. I don't think that's the case. They just refuse to turn them in or throw them away when they're no longer needed.

"Grandpa died in 1997 but I'm still using his handicapped placard" - that sort of thing. It's not a guy at the MVC giving placards to all his buddies.

RobB said:

I know that, he (she?) was suggesting that people who are somehow "connected" are getting these passes. I don't think that's the case. They just refuse to turn them in or throw them away when they're no longer needed.

"Grandpa died in 1997 but I'm still using his handicapped placard" - that sort of thing. It's not a guy at the MVC giving placards to all his buddies.

It's not the MVC- it's doctors who dole these out like candy.

konstant said:

It's not the MVC- it's doctors who dole these out like candy.

Do they really, or is that urban legend?

Not all disabilities are easily noticeable.

Thank you. JustTheAunt went into this in great detail in the past.

I once had a passerby in Westfield scream at me because he didn't see a placard, and hadn't looked my license plate. After I politely corrected him, he wanted to know if the other 2 people in my car were also handicapped. I asked him, "Why? Should I go dump them off at the far end of the lot before parking my car?" Then I told him to go eff himself.

My parents had a handicapped thing for their car back when my father was in and out of hospitals and rehab for a year... I came across it the other day in the owners' manual for the car, and it had an expiration date. Is that common??

metaphysician said:

Thank you. JustTheAunt went into this in great detail in the past.

I once had a passerby scream at me because he didn't see a placard, and couldn't see my license plate. After I corrected him, he wanted to know if the other 2 people in my car were also handicapped. I asked him, "Why? Should I go dump them off at the far end of the lot before parking my car?" Then I told him to go eff himself.

Bravo. And I agree that not all handicaps are visible. Most people, when I tell them I have Meniere's Disease, are guaranteed to say, "Well, you LOOK great!" with a big smile. That's part of the problem. People don't know what to make of a limitation they can't see.

FWIW, I don't have a handicapped tag for my car, and I won't, unless I find I really, really need it. And even then, I probably won't use it most of the time, because I know there are a lot of folks out there who need the assistance more than I do.

According to a new law (from http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Vehicle/handicapped_renew.htm):

How to renew wheelchair symbol license plates

You must renew your wheelchair symbol license plates every year as part of the Statewide renewal process. Every 3 years, beginning August 1, 2013 a medical recertification will be required to renew your wheelchair symbol license plates.

If you no longer qualify for the plates, you must surrender your wheelchair symbol plates and “Person with a Disability Identification Card” and apply for a new set of regular license plates at any MVC Agency.

How to renew persons with a disability placards

You must recertify your qualifying medical condition every three years. You may renew your placard by mailing the recertification application or you may visit any local motor vehicle agency. There is no fee to renew your placard. Photocopies will not be accepted.

If you no longer qualify for the placard, you must surrender your placard at a motor vehicle agency or by mailing it to NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, Special Plate Unit, P.O. Box 015, Trenton, NJ 08666-0015.

Temporary placards always have an expiration date. They're issued by the police Dept in your town and good for 6 months.

Further:

Medical Certification Process Change Effective August 1, 2013

Certification by a qualified medical practitioner is now required as part of the initial and recertification application process. Qualified medical practitioners include physicians, podiatrists, licensed chiropractors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants licensed to practice in this state or a neighboring state or a physician stationed at a military or naval installation located in this State who is licensed to practice in any state. The Motor Vehicle Commission requires a qualified medical practitioner to certify that you meet the eligibility criteria for the Person with a Disability identification card, placard and/or license plates. This certification requires a script from a qualified medical practitioner for your condition. If your medical practitioner is not authorized to write scripts then they are required to write a letter containing the same information that would appear on a script for your condition. The medical practitioner certification requires the disclosure of the practitioner’s National Provider Identification Number and their Taxonomy code.

metaphysician said:

Temporary placards always have an expiration date.

Yes, but not all placards are temporary.

Was going to post but thought better of it.

marylago said:

metaphysician said:

Temporary placards always have an expiration date.

Yes, but not all placards are temporary.

That's why I identified them as the ones issued by local police, as opposed to the ones issued by the NJ MVC.

I like to keep a stack of these in your car

http://www.youparklikean*****.com/files/notice_1.pdf

jayhawk4000 said:

I like to keep a stack of these in your car

http://www.youparklikean*****.com/files/notice_1.pdf

Since the *** filter messed up the link, I took the liberty of shortening it, to make it postable.

http://bit.ly/17wTS6N

And here's the other notice available on that site: http://bit.ly/17wUVUa

I plan on making some of each. On tasteful card stock, of course.

Tasteful card stock is fine... but what about those NYC parking stickers that quite literally take 2 or 3 hours to remove from a window? Where can I get me some of THAT?

Those are like the Disability Rat stickers I wrote about on the previous page. Brutal glue!

Can someone explain this one?

Damn iPhone. Look sideways... he's actually not ready to launch.

You're not using the camera correctly. I used to do the same thing but eventually I figured it out.

How's this for a way to get blocked in?

You've got to be kidding me!

8675309 said:

You're not using the camera correctly. I used to do the same thing but eventually I figured it out.

Share

Nope. No kidding. And as the code enforcement guy parked next to them on the other side said, if you're gonna make an illegal left into a parking space, at least be smart enough to straighten out your car so the cops can't tell that that's what you did.