Disabled Parking Permits
In Ontario we get 50% off provincial park campgrounds if you have a valid Ontario disabled parking permit. You also do not require a fishing license. Odd, I know. I have one. I have been asked o...
Forum Discussion
TucsonJim wrote:
The problem is that there is so much fraud with the disabled permits. I've seen television reporters questioning people about their permits, only to find out they were using someone else's permit.
Spot on. Honestly...it's so bad here, that I assume the permit is bogus unless I see an oxygen tank or a missing limb! The thing here being, in many cities, a disabled permit brings a great benefit: UNLIMITED time without feeding a parking meter! (If I lived/worked in Boston, I'd try to get one just for that!)
Now, in some states and provinces, all a person needs to do is convince a doctor that they have a disability which will allow them to get a permit from the motor vehicle department. There are no checks and balances, and there is very little in the way of follow up years down the road. I know a person who got a permit for a sore knee. A few years later, it got bad enough for them to have the knee replaced. Did they give up the permit when they healed up? Heck no. It's nice to be able to park closer. In fact, he'd carry a cane in order to keep from getting bothered.
Passing a few used $20's folded into paperwork at the DMV will also get you a permit!
So if you don't have an obvious disability, you will get harrassed and yelled at. It's just a fact of life. Too many people are taking advantage of a system that was designed to help severly handicapped people live life a little easier. I don't have much sympathy for those catch some flack when they don't really have the special needs.
Yep...it's a racket.
