Parking Headaches

Two local news stories during the past week have highlighted the precarious state of handicapped parking in the Halifax area.

The first profiled an office worker in downtown Halifax who uses a wheelchair. He must park his pickup truck on a street spot because the winch on the back of his vehicle is judged to be too high for any of the parking garages in the vicinity.
When he does find a parking spot, he must make sure that he moves his pick up every three hours to avoid getting a parking ticket!
(I did not see a blue parking sign on his vehicle.)
Empty parking spots are rare in downtown Halifax, and sometimes when he must return to the same one, he will later find a parking ticket on his windshield because the officer has concluded that he has been parking in the same spot too long.
He has tried to discuss this problem with the H-R-M parking officials, but they have not been able to help, and he has amassed a total of more than $800 in parking fines!
The second incident concerned a student at the sprawling new CP Allen High School here in Bedford who has problems walking, and uses a cane.
Despite the fact that his vehicle displays the blue "handicapped" parking permit, he is unable to park in a designated blue parking spot close to the school entrance.
When the news reporter brought this situation to the attention of the School Board, their P-R person defended the policy, because giving this privilege to one student, would mean that all students with a permit would be able to take advantage of it.
(My reaction: "What's wrong with that?")
In a curious twist, even before the story could get on the air, the board suddenly overturned its policy, and will now allow the student to park near the school entrance.
While he applauds this move, he is urging the school board to apply it to any other student in a similar situation.
Like many other folks, I have had problems with parking in the urban area, even though I also display a blue symbol license plate.
I use a walker for mobility, and must have a clear area at the rear of my van to remove and replace it.
'Blue' parking spots are often hard to find, especially downtown.
Rant alert! Rant alert! I have not walked in downdown Halifax for several years, as I no longer want to bother with parking hassles.
The parking situation in the downtown parking garages and especially at all local hospitals is very inconvenient, to say the least. (And I am being kind, here!)
As you know, Dear Reader, you have to stop and pick up a ticket -- even if you're bound for Emergency -- pay the parking charge in the machine inside the hospital, and insert the ticket in the machine at the exit on your way out!
I simply cannot grasp the ticket to pull it out of the machine, or reinsert it.
Therefore, when I visit a hospital, I must have a helper, usually my wife, who has to get out of the van, go around to pick up the ticket, and rejoin me in the van. Of course this process has to be repeated at the end of my visit.
Some of the staff, especially the folks in charge of security at the local hospitals have been kind, understanding and very helpful.
I realize that hospital budgets are extremely tight, and that parking fees help with the "bottom line."
But charging patients and visitors for parking seems to be a crude (and cruel!) way of going about it.
And so I have a plan to help remove the scourge of hospital parking charges.
It goes something like this:
If I ever WIN BIG on the lottery, I will contact the administration at each local hospital, and ask how much money was brought in by their parking machines over the previous year.
I will then offer to write and send a cheque for that amount, if they promise, in writing, to remove all parking barriers and all charges!
Renewal available on an annual basis, by the way.
It's worth a try!