Like when the Cubs blow a lead, public officials ramble, parents let their kids "check out" in the self checkout lanes, and customer service representatives who can't provide customer service.
Also on this list, and to some people it may not be such a little thing, is when people are in such a "hurry" that they grab the first parking spot they find and use it. Let me clarify one thing -- it's when the first spot they find is a handicapped parking spot.
I vividly remember visiting a store at the corner of Aptakisic and Buffalo Grove roads when a soccer mom (sorry, just telling it like it is) pulled in driving an SUV that seemed like it was big enough to have two ZIP codes, parked in a handicapped spot and sashayed into a nail salon to get (presumably) her nails done.
It's a little thing, but it is:
- Rude
- Arrogant
- Disrespectful
- All of the above
The correct answer is 4 -- all of the above. I am fortunate that I do not have any physical challenges or handicaps the limit my mobility. There are others, many others, who are not so fortunate.
State, regional, and local governments have adapted strict regulations for handicapped parking. We're not talking rocket science here folks, we're talking common sense and respect.
Recently, the Buffalo Grove Village Board, sparked by the concerns of Trustee Beverly Sussman, about the fines levied against those able body jerks who just can't walk an 50 feet and think arrogance is a handicap.
The fine is currently $250 for using a parking spot clearly marked for the handicapped. Sussman wants it raise to $350. The prevailing feeling was that warning of fines really don't deter folks from using the spots.
So what is the solution? Perhaps business owners in strip centers could sticker, or ticket (probably not) violators. Some folks would probably want more active enforcement by the police department, but I am reluctant to have patrol officers taken off the streets and out of the neighborhoods to crack down on arrogance.
What may be needed is a re-evaluation of the penalties.
Do away with fines.
Some folks may simply see fines as a way to boost their frequent flyer points, so there's a return on their investment.
But what it it hit them where it hurts.
In a wheelchair.
Perhaps those folks who take per granted their ability to walk unassisted should get a taste of reality.
- First-time offenders -- a day as a wheelchair user driving a car.
- Second-time offenders -- two days as an electric wheelchair user driving a regular car.
- Third-time offenders -- two days as a wheelchair user driving a handicapped-equipped vehicle - -the kind that needs the extra space of a handicapped parking spot.
- Fourth-time offenders -- two days as an electric wheelchair user driving a handicapped-equipped vehicle - -the kind that needs the extra space of a handicapped parking spot.
Fifth-time offenders -- By the time some gets to this point they will proven themselves to be so callus that there's probably not much that can be done except really drive home the message. In addition to requiring them to work with the village's Commission for Residents with Disabilities, how about if they experience all of the above punishments with one additional twist.
Let's make sure they have someplace to go -- Like, say Misericordia or Little City where offenders can get first-hand look at why handicapped spaces are so important.
And let's not give them time to get their nails done first.
