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Constable Bruce Elfant
Notebook Archives
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Constable's Notebook - July 2004
Included in the 1,325 bills passed by the Legislature and sent to the governor are a couple of bills intended to strengthen the handicap parking statutes. The first bill sponsored by Representative Garnet Coleman (but was later amended onto the major transportation bill) closes a loophole that has enabled people to use handicap-parking spaces as loading zones. We found that pizza delivery people and others regularly took advantage of the loophole that authorized people to park in handicap parking spaces “while temporarily unloading people or merchandise.” When the governor signs these bills, handicap-parking spaces may no longer be used to unload merchandise.
Representative Jim McReynolds sponsored legislation that creates an offense for parking on the diagonal stripes adjacent to handicap-parking spaces or for blocking ramps. The striped areas are necessary for the unloading of wheelchairs from the side of specially equipped vans. When these are blocked, for many, the handicap parking space is rendered useless. It is the same story with the ramps that enables disabled people to get their wheelchairs up curbs. Many in our community still don’t seem to know or care about the consequences of parking illegally in handicap-parking spaces. Aside from the $250.00 fine, it often means that disabled persons will not have the same access as the rest of us to public places and accommodations.
For nearly eight years my office has sponsored a citizens Handicap Parking Enforcement program that authorizes “citizen volunteers” to write handicap-parking tickets. I had hoped that by now compliance with these statutes would be near universal. Unfortunately law enforcement officers and citizen volunteers are still writing thousands of handicap-parking tickets each year.
Since active enforcement continues to be necessary we are accepting applications for our 9th class of handicap parking enforcement volunteers. Applicants must be citizens of Travis County with no criminal background and complete a 4-hour training class that will take place in August. Those interested in serving our community in this manner can go to constable5.com and complete the handicap parking application or call my office at 854-9100, request that an application be faxed or mailed. Applications need to be submitted by Friday, July 25.
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