Parking Permits for Disabled Used by Many Who Look Able

Dear Street Smart:

I’m constantly frustrated by people who display handicapped parking permits on their dashboards but who obviously aren’t disabled. I know that sometimes it is difficult to tell if someone is disabled simply by looking, but I’ve met several people recently who gave me reason to question their physical limitations, such as a 20-year-old mother carrying her 4-year-old son into a supermarket while dragging along a stroller. Also, it peeves me to see people who pull into a handicapped spot just to make a quick run into the store or to make a phone call.

I wonder how many of the permits currently in circulation are either forged, stolen or improperly used by friends and family members. What policies does California have regarding who qualifies, how long the permits are valid and what are the penalties for fraudulent use?

Maybe your readers can come up with a way of issuing these permits so that the abuses can be minimized. Could a photo ID be included on the permit, so that the proper person must be present to make the permit valid?

Doug Switz, Fullerton

It’s a common complaint that people who do not appear “disabled” use placards to park in spaces reserved for the handicapped. Unfortunately, enforcement can be tricky for the reasons you cite. Some people have disabilities that are not readily apparent, such as a heart ailment that might prevent walking long distances. On the other hand, there is no doubt that some drivers are misusing the placards.

To get a placard, the Department of Motor Vehicles requires drivers to submit a form, signed by a doctor, that demonstrates their need to use disabled parking, according to DMV spokesman Bill Madison. The placards are good for two years. Current red-colored placards expire on June 30, 1993, and new ones will be colored differently. Those with a temporary disability can get a six-month placard, Madison said.

Placards go on the dashboard, which is convenient for those who may switch vehicles frequently, if they are driven by others. The state also issues handicapped license plates, which begin with the letters DP, followed by numbers, or with the letters DV for disabled veterans. In all, about 660,000 placards and about 31,000 plates have been issued in the state.

The state cracked down on placard misuse about a year ago, after parking officers statewide had noticed that an unusually large number of cars were using placards in downtown metered parking areas. The results are revealing:

Investigators stopped 600 people in the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento on the same day, Madison said. About 25% were found to be using plates illegally. Almost everyone caught was using the placard of a friend or family member, rather than using ones obtained by faking an application or buying them illegally, Madison said.

Anyone with a placard also receives an ID card. Before the crackdown, parking enforcement officers could not demand to see this card. Now the law has been changed so that they can, and that might cut down on parking scofflaws.

“I think that’s going to help a lot because they are the ones that see it and identify it,” Madison said.

Those who suspect that someone is continually using handicapped parking illegally should report the situation to the police, giving either the license plate or placard number, Madison said.

As for occasional offenses, it’s probably best just to hope that the offenders will get caught eventually. Of course, you could always request to see someone’s ID card, Madison said, though he figured you would have to be pretty gutsy to do so.

Those using placards or plates illegally face fines up to $1,000 and/or a six-month jail sentence. It’s about $100, depending on the city, if you are caught parking in a space with normal license plates.

Madison mentioned that those few with special plates instead of placards may face the wrath of a protective public that doesn’t realize DP or DV plates allow handicapped parking. Come late 1994, the plates will incorporate the wheelchair symbol.

Until then, Madison suggested that disabled drivers may want to put stickers with the wheelchair symbol on the bumper of their vehicles if they’ve encountered hassles.

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Dear Street Smart:

A left-turn signal is needed on southbound Avenida de la Carlota, at its intersection with Paseo de Valencia in Laguna Hills. Seldom are more than two cars able to turn left onto the southbound Interstate 5 on-ramp there because of heavy traffic going north. Any plans for a change?

Donald E. Cook, Mission Viejo

No improvements are planned for that intersection for at least three to five years, said Grant Anderson, an engineer with the county transportation department. So far, there have been no complaints that it’s a problem, Anderson said.

Anderson did say the county would re-examine the intersection and see if traffic counts are unusual. According to Caltrans, which did a survey out there last September, there is a much heavier demand for traffic to move northbound rather than turn left.

If others are experiencing problems there, you should let Anderson know. Meanwhile, a suggested alternative from Caltrans is to head south down to the El Toro intersection a short distance away. The intersection is busy, but there is a left-turn signal there to the freeway.

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Dear Street Smart:

I think the intersection of La Palma and Tustin avenues in east Anaheim is a good candidate for most dangerous intersection in Orange County. Eastbound La Palma has two right-turn lanes that merge in a very short distance into three southbound lanes on Tustin, often causing accidents.

Stanley E. Zubas, Anaheim

The lane striping was changed about two years ago there. So far, yours is the first complaint about problems, according to Anaheim transportation planner Alfred Yalda. Nor did Yalda know of any accidents there.

That having been said, there are plans to widen the intersection. Work will begin at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, Yalda said. Part of the improvements would make those two right-turn lanes become one before they merge with Tustin and the new lane would allow more room for drivers to merge, he said.

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Interested in plans to make Katella Avenue a “super-street”? The Orange County Transportation Authority and the County of Orange are holding two open houses about the project this week.

The first is in Los Alamitos on Tuesday in the multipurpose room of McAuliffe Middle School, 4112 Cerritos Ave. The second is in Garden Grove on Wednesday in Meeting Room B of the Garden Grove Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave. Both will begin at 7 p.m.

The open houses cover improvements planned to Katella from the San Gabriel River Freeway in Los Alamitos to Tustin Avenue in Orange. For information, phone OCTA at (714) 571-5826.

Reserved Parking

Dashboard placards and special license plates allow use of parking spaces designated for the disabled.

DASHBOARD PLACARD: Placards may be moved from car to car, but are valid only when the placard owner is also carrying an identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

LICENSE PLATES: Plates beginning with DP signify disabled person. DV signifies disabled veteran. In 1994, new plates will also have the wheelchair symbol.

Source: Department of Motor Vehicles