It’s about time. You can read about it here.
I know a number of disabled parkers. They don’t want free or cheap parking, they want access. They need their wide parking space so they can get in and out of their vehicles with chairs and crutches. By lowering the rate, or giving it for free, the incidence of fraud skyrockets. By taking away the market for fake placards, you keep space open for handicapped parkers.
There is another issue. In California disabled parkers park free on street, but have to pay off street. Off street lots are required to provide parking space for handicapped, but can charge. In areas around medical buildings, the disabled park on street (Where it is free) while going to their appointments, and the spaces in the lots are empty. This causes no end of problems for local parking enforcement.
When doctors in the area were asked if all the people they saw needed handicapped permits, they said “no” but the patients told them that if they didn’t get the placards, they would find another doctor who would write the permission slip. Why? Because on street parking is free. If it wasn’t, this problem wouldn’t exist and only those that needed the permit would get them, and those people would have plenty of space to park, and gain access.
Good move, Indianapolis
