Parking privileges for pregnant women

[malkin]

I used to drive a Honda CRX and when I was pregnant there came a time when I couldn't get out without help. This happened pretty much all of a sudden one day in the grocery store parking lot.

I must have been quite a sight, rocking and bobbing, and a passerby stopped to help me. My neighbor helped me when I got home, and after that, I didn't try to drive that car until the kid could sit in her own seat.

[sfa]

Hmmm, I wonder if they would inadvertently increase birth rates in NYC by allowing parking in "no parking" zones to pregnant women! But seriously, the proposal is aimed at women having difficult pregnancies. I've known lots of women whose doctors have limited their activity levels during pregnancy because of various complications that are certainly no fault of the woman--preeclampsia, placenta previa, gestational diabetes can all require that the woman take it easy to avoid further complications or premature labor. While of course there would be potential for abuse of this privilege, I could see that it would make life a lot easier for women with pregnancy complications.

The first time I saw one of the "mother and child" parking spaces was when I was visiting Atlanta when my DD was a year old, and they seem to be common near my in-laws in NC. It strikes me as a nice benefit for when you're dragging around a toddler with a diaper bag, stroller, etc., but I don't remember having any particular difficulty walking distances when I was heavily pregnant (getting out of low chairs is another matter. And don't even ask me about trying to get out of a low waterbed while nine months pregnant!). They aren't common around where I live--I know of one Target parking lot with one space and that's it. I think hebe is right that it's more of a marketing tool--if they were serious about allowing close-in parking for pregnant women and parents with small children, there would be a lot more spaces than just that one.

[zoom-zoom]

When I was finishing up my last semester of college I was also in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy...and it was Winter...in MI. I applied for a special disabled sign for my car so that I could park closer to the campus buildings, instead of walking a quarter mile or more on poorly cleared, icy pathways from the student parking lots to the classroom buildings. I had several near falls that really terrified me. Pregnant women don't have the best balance with all that weight so unevenly distributed...add ice into the mix and those trips to and from my classes always caused me a good deal of stress.

Even so, the school still required that I present a doctor's note...and my doctor wasn't all that eager to present it (he was a major a$$...biggest mistake I ever made was having that guy handle my pregnancy. Long story, but he's no longer practicing, if that says anything). I only needed this pass for a few weeks in December, but it really brought major peace of mind.

[Biciclista]

during the mid part of my first pregnacy, suddenly I had excruciating pains whenever I tried to walk very far (probably having to do with those ligaments loosening.) I forced myself to walk all the way out to my horse pasture to feed the horse. And I was young, and a wimp..

I love the image of Malkin stuck in her car!!!!

[Cataboo]

What bugs me is people using a disabled pass that clearly belongs to someone else in their family; there aren't many of those spots to go around.

I know a couple people who have disabled passes who look perfectly healthy - yet have horrible chronic conditions that they need those passes for. It's very easy to assume that because someone looks normal that they don't have a right to use a handicap space, but you really can't see in what shape someone's heart or any other organs are just by looking at them.

I also if I'm driving someone with a handicap pass, will quite often drop them off in front of the building and then go park in the handicap spot myself since we're probably going to walk to the car together.

[Biciclista]

Cataboo, that very well may be but let's face it, the most popular parking spaces are right next to the handicap spaces And most handicapped people that can walk SHOULD walk. and the same goes for all those other people parked right next to the door!!!
For most of us, a little walk can't hurt us...

[Cataboo]

Cataboo, that very well may be but let's face it, the most popular parking spaces are right next to the handicap spaces And most handicapped people that can walk SHOULD walk. and the same goes for all those other people parked right next to the door!!!
For most of us, a little walk can't hurt us...

I obviously hang out with way more incapacitated people than you do And spend a lot more time being the caregiver to people who need a lot of support because of poor balance in combination with poor vision. Yes, walking is good for people, but generally speaking it's best to get that exercise walking done in a controlled environment with no curbs, obstacles, ands lots of passerbys - because you would be absolutely amazed how many people will just shove past someone walking with a cane or a walker. That's when walking for them is best when you take them to a shopping mall early in the morning before its open or out on a track if the weather is good. Because what potentially will happen in falls is catastrophic.

And much like mothers with young children, caregivers who are having to support someone, guide their walking, while carrying personal items for both of them... are not having an easy time of it no matter how healthy they are and handicapped spaces help.

I don't presume to know why someone has a handicapped parking pass or to judge them for using one. It's none of my business.

[PamNY]

Hmmm, I wonder if they would inadvertently increase birth rates in NYC by allowing parking in "no parking" zones to pregnant women! .

That is the most insightful comment in this thread.

[lph]

what really gets me is the way so many stores are built to accommodate cars while people on foot don't get safe passage. What are pedestrians supposed to be doing out in a parking lot in the first place?! Our large residential area has very restricted access for cars and is very child- and pedestrian friendly, but to go grocery shopping 400 yards away you have to cross the road (on an ok ped crossing), but then cross diagonally across the entire entrance area to the parking lot, which has no designated walking areas, is almost unlit and where drivers come zooming up from the highway and swerve in to grab some groceries before heading home. It's bloody lethal, and idiotic planning. It was the one place I was worried about letting my son walk to when he was smaller - the local grocery store And he has had the run of the neighbourhood and the local woods since he was school age.

[shootingstar]

what really gets me is the way so many stores are built to accommodate cars while people on foot don't get safe passage. What are pedestrians supposed to be doing out in a parking lot in the first place?!

I hope folks here remember that I have several sisters who have had several multiple pregnancies and so got to hear their complaints..usually in final trimester. Not before.

Obviously I need to get pregnant to truly know...

OR like everyone else we will all grow old and more frail over time, so we will experience the shoddy treatment that we will receive from time to time.

As for safe pedestrian walkways, lph. I totally agree. The more we plan helpful safe walkways now..it will benefit way more people in the end.

[Biciclista]

Shooting star, your sisters had several multiple pregnancies? Lots of twins and triplets? how many??

Cataboo,you're right, I'm sorry. I have just known a few people with handicapped permits who REALLY would have been okay without them. I've just watched the wheel chair set of our society grow exponentially in my life and it scares the dickens out of me.

[Cataboo]

Shooting star, your sisters had several multiple pregnancies? Lots of twins and triplets? how many??

Cataboo,you're right, I'm sorry. I have just known a few people with handicapped permits who REALLY would have been okay without them. I've just watched the wheel chair set of our society grow exponentially in my life and it scares the dickens out of me.

Oh, no worries - it's actually harder to get a handicapped parking pass than you would think, at least it is here (my father once had to bring my little brother in a wheelchair to the DMV because they were giving him such a hardtime and refusing to give him a placard despite having the correct paperwork). It's sort of like getting disability or being prescribed pain meds, despite the fact it seems like everyone's abusing it, it's really hard for those who actually need it to get it.

I have a friend from high school who got swine flu a year and a half ago - it got into her lungs and she couldn't clear it for about 5 months, and she's been diagnosed with at least 3 chronic illnesses over the last year. Most days, she can barely get out of bed. Yet, she has to keep her job and for the most part, she looks fine. Tired, but fine. So the whole looking fine while being very sick has made it difficult for her to get her job to be flexible (many doctor letters later, she's allowed to work from home half the week) and she does have a handicapped parking pass. There are a few times when I've encouraged her to do a lot of walking (okay, by a lot, I'm talking about 8 blocks or maybe a mile, so really not a lot...) and she does do it. But what happens is that she spends the next few days paying for that exertion and unable to work or get out of bed. I have been places with her that people wouldn't believe she had anything wrong with her or give her access to handicap spots because of it. I know her well enough to know that she's never been a lazy person, and she hates the limitations on her life. And I hope that in the future she finds a way to manage things so that she can function and doesn't need handicapped parking, 'cause she's in her mid 30s and possibly facing spending the rest of her life like this... But the reality is that she does need handicapped parking until she or the doctors figure out a way for her to function. But she also shouldn't have to justify or explain her entire medical history to people that think she looks fine and shouldn't be using handicapped parking.

So, it's easy to say people need to walk and it's good for them. And I agree, americans don't do nearly enough walking. And i guess I'm being naive thinking that most people who have a handicapped parking spot would be quite happy to give that up for better health and that most family members of people who have a handicapped parking spot realize how important those spots are to the actually handicapped and don't abuse them.

[jessmarimba]

I had a temporary permit with my back, which I used whether or not I was wearing my brace. I looked perfectly healthy without it.

Walking was good for me but it was pretty hazardous for me to get back to my car with my purchases. My balance still isn't what it used to be.

What I find really amusing is that our open spaces are required to have handicapped spots at the trailheads. Which is funny to me b/c why would I need to park an extra 10 feet closer if I was going out for a 3 mile hike? It's not like these are paved, wheelchair accessible trails! I never figured out the logic behind those.

[OakLeaf]

Thanks for your comments, Cataboo, I totally agree.

I will say though, that at least in Ohio, to get a parking pass, your doctor needs to certify that you're unable to walk a certain distance without difficulty. I totally understand that someone doesn't need to be an amputee or a paraplegic to need a parking sticker, but when I see someone get out of a car with a handicapped placard and stride quickly and purposely to and through the store, I think I'm justified in assuming that it's not their pass.

It's such a problem at the NASCAR races in Daytona that they set up special enforcement. A dozen or more people get busted every event for borrowing a placard from a relative or friend, so they can get a primo parking space, and not have to walk so far to the grandstand where they'll be sitting and drinking beer for four hours.


ETA - I think the person who lends the placard should get busted in those cases, too. They more than anyone should know the need for accessibility and appreciate how they're taking the parking space away from someone who actually does need it.

[Jolt]

when did being prenant become a condition of illness and disability? I always believed that being pregnant was one of the more ultimate statements of being healthy. I also believe that being pregnant is not a condition of stupidity so why can't these ladies figure out that a bit of walking is good for them and that they should problem solve instead of whine?

Maybe I'm just being grumpy-

I agree with you! Not that I'm the best person to comment, never having been pregnant, but I don't think you're being grumpy at all, I think you're being reasonable.

ETA: Obviously I'm talking about normal, uncomplicated pregnancies, not those where there's a legitimate medical problem.