Parking - Why?

[230RN]

In my own spot, which is kinda remote and lonely at my apartment, in winter I'll park nose out (facing south) so snow will melt off the windshield if it comes, and in summer I'll park nose in (facing north) so the sun stays off my steering wheel and car seat.

Someone noticed that and asked me about it two years ago and when I 'splained, they said, "Oh, that's a good idea," and he's been doing it now.

The only two things that bother me now are when a seemingly completely able person pulls into a handicapped spot.  They might have borrowed the vehicle or something, but they forget that (at least here in Colorado) handicapped windshield hangers are issued to the person and not the vehicle.  Dumbasses.

The other thing is folks like this one (I assume human) who parked in a walkway, between two handicapped spots.  No HC plates, no HC mirror hanger.  I drove around the block and came back through the lot to take this picture --he/she/it was still there.

The library wasn't even busy when I pulled in and five minutes later when I left, it was still mostly empty.  I had parked in the spot just to the right of his/her/its car.

[Sawdust]

Re the original post...obviously the guy was just making a quick trip into Costco for a quart of motor oil, which he intended to dump into his engine right when he came out.

Any other mysteries that need my expertise? 

[Ben]

Re the original post...obviously the guy was just making a quick trip into Costco for a quart of motor oil, which he intended to dump into his engine right when he came out.

Any other mysteries that need my expertise? 

Except that the Costco "quart" is actually a 55 gallon drum. 

[K Frame]

When I'm going to be loading groceries or something else where I need to use the cargo area, I'll park so that I can easily access the hatch on the Forester.

When I'm just popping in somewhere where I don't need the hatch, I'll as often as not pull through, especially if it's a busy parking lot.

There's NOTHING quite so special as trying to back out of a parking spot only to have some dicknuts slap the side of your car...

"WATCH WHERE YOU"RE GOING!"

And how might I do that, Mr. Dicknuts? That enormous, windowless panel van parked next to me effectively hides everything, and it doesn't help when you're walking so close to it that I literally can't see you until you clear the fender.

[KD5NRH]

I've learned to nose-out in the church parking lot. Lots of little kids running around, and we are not Darwinists.

I've done that a lot, because for some reason it also seems to be the place I'm most likely to leave my lights on.  The area of the lot I usually park in rises pretty sharply to the fence, so I can coast up to about 15-20mph before I get to the street if I do it just right.  With a manual transmission, it's an easy 3-4 attempts at a roll start.  Never needed more than two.  Anywhere else, if I can pull through to get nose out I will, but only back in if I expect getting out to be a hassle.

I don't get the people who will back in to a double-row spot rather than pull through from any of a half dozen empty spots around it, though.

"WATCH WHERE YOU"RE GOING!"

Put on your dark sunglasses, get out, unfold a white cane and beat him with it.  Then get back in and drive away.

[K Frame]

Well, the last time it happened I just gave him cancer with my X ray vision.

[lupinus]

The only two things that bother me now are when a seemingly completely able person pulls into a handicapped spot.  They might have borrowed the vehicle or something, but they forget that (at least here in Colorado) handicapped windshield hangers are issued to the person and not the vehicle.  Dumbasses.

You do realize that there's a large number of people who have disabilities and look like a seemingly completely able person right? Or do you have X-ray vision? The ability to read minds and determine if they're faking or not?

[Perd Hapley]

You do realize that there's a large number of people who have disabilities and look like a seemingly completely able person right? Or do you have X-ray vision? The ability to read minds and determine if they're faking or not?

What kind of disability would make it difficult for someone to walk across a parking lot, yet it wouldn't be discernible to passers-by? I ask, for I do not know.

[MillCreek]

What kind of disability would make it difficult for someone to walk across a parking lot, yet it wouldn't be discernible to passers-by? I ask, for I do not know.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chronic heart failure, for two such disabilities.

[41magsnub]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chronic heart failure, for two such disabilities.

Yep, I had congestive heart failure in my early 30's.  While it was in full force, walking across a parking lot was kind of a big deal.  Puffing like I had just sprinted a marathon.  It got better...

[lupinus]

What kind of disability would make it difficult for someone to walk across a parking lot, yet it wouldn't be discernible to passers-by? I ask, for I do not know.

Heart disease. Lung disease. Arthritis and various auto immune diseases. Bone or muscular disorders. Cancer patients. There's a lot of things that effect normal looking people that cause issues and for which up front parking is very helpful. Several in my own family with legit issues, and who have had far more than their fair share of commentary from parking lot busy bodies.

[Scout26]

What kind of disability would make it difficult for someone to walk across a parking lot, yet it wouldn't be discernible to passers-by? I ask, for I do not know.

Neuropathy of the feet.  Every step I take is like walking on floor covered with Legos.  Lyrica and aspirin helps, but there are some days it feels as if my feet are one fire/walking on a floor made of needles.

If I have to go somewhere on those days, I will do what Robert calls "Play the cripple card."  Came free with the cancer diagnosis.

And the anemia/shortness of breathe doesn't help either.

[KD5NRH]

Every step I take is like walking on floor covered with Legos.  Lyrica and aspirin helps, but there are some days it feels as if my feet are one fire/walking on a floor made of needles.

Wait...which are the bad days?

[K Frame]

What kind of disability would make it difficult for someone to walk across a parking lot, yet it wouldn't be discernible to passers-by? I ask, for I do not know.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, beginning stages of MS, various back/hip/joint issues

[zxcvbob]

All of those would be obvious when a 30-yo hops out of the car and walks briskly to the store with a natural gait, right?

You can't tell for sure when someone has a hidden disability, but often you have a pretty good idea.

[lupinus]

All of those would be obvious when a 30-yo hops out of the car and walks briskly to the store with a natural gait, right?

You can't tell for sure when someone has a hidden disability, but often you have a pretty good idea.

No. They wouldn't all be obvious in fact there's plenty that are very much not obvious, particularly on the way into the store.

I'm right there with you when folks don't have the tag. Otherwise it's a good time to mind ones own business and not make an ass out of themselves by assuming.

[KD5NRH]

No. They wouldn't all be obvious in fact there's plenty that are very much not obvious, particularly on the way into the store.

But which are legitimate disabilities for the purpose of a handicap parking permit?

Requiring a cane, crutch or wheelchair to walk is pretty visible.
Portable oxygen: do they make that in wallet size?
Unable to walk [50-200 depending on state] feet without stopping to rest.  Grab a roller tape and see what's 200 feet from the handicap spots in WalMart.  If they're not stopping to rest in produce, they're clearly able to walk more than the set distance.
As I was told when recovering from the knee dislocation, uncomfortable, or even excruciatingly painful != unable.  Once I was off the crutches and then the cane, I was ineligible for the permit.  While I was on them it was irrelevant since I couldn't manage the clutch and had to take the bus anyway.

[K Frame]

All of those would be obvious when a 30-yo hops out of the car and walks briskly to the store with a natural gait, right?

You can't tell for sure when someone has a hidden disability, but often you have a pretty good idea.

No, no, and no.

Early stage is key here for something like MS.

My Aunt, in the early stages, was largely fine. Until, suddenly, she wasn't. Then, after awhile, she'd be fine again. Until the next episode.

[K Frame]

Some years ago I saw a young woman park in a handdicap spot and hop out of the car.

Some older guy (himself in fine form) started jawing at her. She just stared at him, walked around the car, and helped her must have been 400-year-old Grandmother(?) out of the passenger seat and into her rolling walker.

This lady was old. And she was even shorter than Jamis...

The guy was watching this, and when she got grandma situated, the woman smiled at him sweetly and flipped him the bird.

[KD5NRH]

And she was even shorter than Jamis...

Pics (and measurements) or it didn't happen.

Favorite one, though, was a friend parking his 1-ton in a HC spot, and just as the cop started writing, another friend fireman-carrying his nephew and the permit out of the not-HC-accessible-anyway building to the truck while the rest of us lugged his chair and backpack down the stairs.

[K Frame]

Pics (and measurements) or it didn't happen.

Favorite one, though, was a friend parking his 1-ton in a HC spot, and just as the cop started writing, another friend fireman-carrying his nephew and the permit out of the not-HC-accessible-anyway building to the truck while the rest of us lugged his chair and backpack down the stairs.

Copies of the partially written ticket or...

oh who gives a *expletive deleted*ck.

[KD5NRH]

Copies of the partially written ticket or...

Actually, that town (I think it was Murphy back before it got built up much.  One of those suburbs that went from rural to sprawl in the last 6-10 years.) had the most logical court I've seen for such things; they'd write the ticket anyway, but then if you went to court with a valid permit it would either be dismissed at no charge (if you had lost the permit or it was expired by a couple days) or a $10 fee.  (If you forgot to put it up or whatever, since the actual offense is failing to display the permit.)  The officer noted the circumstances on the ticket, and the clerk pulled dismissal paperwork immediately upon reading it.  2-3 minutes while it was taken to the judge for a signature, and a verbal reminder from the clerk while she was making him a copy, to run the permit out to the truck first if we had to do it again, and it was all done.

Of course, having neither a permit nor a valid reason to have one would still net you the $250-500 (now $500-750) fine plus impound fees if you're not there to move it by the time the cop finishes writing.

[BlueStarLizzard]

I knew a girl in collage that had handicapped plates. I'm not sure what all was wrong with her, lot of chronic health issues and you'd never know that some days she needed a walker if you only ever saw her on her good days.

[KD5NRH]

I knew a girl in collage that had handicapped plates. I'm not sure what all was wrong with her, lot of chronic health issues and you'd never know that some days she needed a walker if you only ever saw her on her good days.

So what did she do if a good day turned bad while she was away from the car?

After I no longer really needed the cane all the time, I used it gently for about another month in case I started needing it again while I was grocery shopping or whatever.  I would switch hands and methods from time to time to keep from making myself dependent on it again, though.

[BlueStarLizzard]

So what did she do if a good day turned bad while she was away from the car?

After I no longer really needed the cane all the time, I used it gently for about another month in case I started needing it again while I was grocery shopping or whatever.  I would switch hands and methods from time to time to keep from making myself dependent on it again, though.

Ask someone to get it for her or suffer through until she could get to it. Like I said, I'm not sure all what was wrong with her. I know she had diabetes, but that wasn't all of it. She didn't really like to talk about it. One of those cases of putting a big smile over a bad situation.