Letter: Wheelchair users need parking

Reader: Why aren’t police ticketing violators?

To the Editor:
All the kids are back in school and most of the visitors of Grand Bend have gone. The little town is almost empty. As I made my way to the bank I was a bit early so as I waited outside for 10 minutes and not to my surprise I counted 4 cars that parked in the handicapped parking space. I just shock my head and wondered is this ever going to stop.
In this town of 1000 people, the law is not hard for police to enforce. I have to ask why people park there. Why? Because nothing is being done to stop them. There is no respect for the people who really need to use these spaces. I ask myself why this bugs me, as I don’t use the spaces and I don’t know anyone who is in a wheelchair. I really can’t answer that.
To the people who abuse and use the handicap spaces, how would you like it if I were to park in your driveway and make you walk down the street to your house. You would be upset at me, wouldn’t you? So why is it that you people who do not need a wheelchair space park in these spaces and think it’s okay.
Their argument may be, Yeah, I’m only going to be a minute. Another we’ve all heard is, I only live down the street so I’m okay to drive drunk.
I do love the law that reads handicap parking only. Why make it a law if police are not going to enforce it? I was upset last year when I needed the help of the Grand Bend police. I went to the downtown location in the wintertime when the town was dead, tapped on the door and a female officer looked at me and pointed to the phone outside. The phone didn’t work and I tried to tell her that, but she just looked at me as if to say, I don’t have time and don’t care to talk to you. She walked away and left me standing there. I thought, What would it have taken her to come to the door to see what I wanted? There could have been a police officer shot lying on the ground for all she knew.
This example shows me that they simply don’t care. But I think not all police officers are bad, and neither are all of the people who park in handicap spaces.
Patti Wilton
Via GrandBendStrip.com