Would they be as quick to take your grave?
Handicap - a physiological or mental disability that increases the difficulty of normal achievement.
Parking - To put or leave a vehicle standing for a time in a particular location.
Now if we were to join the two we would figure under normal circumstances that this would imply a marked spot for handicap parking would be for those persons who fall into the above category.
While many people seem to grasp this concept, there are still a few that feel it's their God given right to get as close to the door of their favourite retail Mecca regardless of what the sign says, and more so if there happens to be a light drizzle on the day they pick to make their journey.
Case in point. Last week while leaving the grocery store at the local mall, T.C. Square to be exact, I watched as a young couple and their child pulled their silver SUV into the marked handicap parking spot and quickly exited the vehicle and moved even quicker across the parking lot to seek shelter from the light drizzle.
Because I'm curious by nature I had to check to see if the appropriate handicap sign was placed in their dash or at least visible somewhere through the windshield as it is supposed to be as required by law.
No such luck!
Because I work with physically challenged people, this has always been a pet peeve of mine. What happened next really got my pulse racing. A vehicle pulls up, with a lady driving accompanied by her, I would assume husband/partner. She scanned the parking lot for the designated parking space that would allow her passenger to get a little closer to the entrance, so the distance to travel in his wheelchair would be reduced. One could see the disappointment and somewhat fury in her face. That's right the nice couple in the silver SUV with no handicap parking pass had taken the only spot that was left, and of course it was okay that the small child who accompanied them saw this because that's the kind of thing we need to teach our children!
Listen people, with the Christmas rush now upon us, the temptation to take one of these parking spaces that are designated for handicap parking I'm sure can be overwhelming. But remember they are there for a reason and in my humble opinion a good one.
For the couple in the silver SUV, if you're wondering who left the note on your windshield, it was me.
Gord Ash
Victoria
