There
is a parking lot in a Twin Cities suburb that recently had the lines on the
blacktop repainted, including the blue areas that help indicate handicap
parking spaces.
But
it turns out that these spaces are not legal handicap parking places unless
there is a sign "visible from inside a motor vehicle parked in the space"
according to
Minnesota
statute 169.346. The blue paint means nothing without the sign, and
the sign means everything ... even without the paint.
The
store had moved its handicap parking spaces to a different part of the parking
lot, and used the proper signage, but the people who did the painting saw the
old blue areas and made them new again.
What
I find interesting is that almost no one knows about the law, and therefore no
one parks in these spaces. That may change as soon as there is an inch of snow
on the ground ... which I'm sure is the reason Minnesota says a handicap spot
is not a handicap spot without the proper sign.
The
paint does serve a valuable function, though, when used WITH the sign. Handicap
spots have to be a lot wider that normal parking places, to allow the
deployment of a wheelchair ramp or lift.
WCCO
reporter Darcy Pohland uses a wheelchair, and gets to her stories in a station
van equipped for her needs. Our photojournalists who work with Darcy know how
important it is to have room for that ramp to deploy.
I
would never park in a properly signed handicap spot, because it isn't right ...
and there is the $200 fine.
I
do park in the blue-painted spots at my local store that are not really
handicap spots anymore. But I also have a copy of the law in my car to share
with anyone who might think that I parked illegally.
