There is a clearly marked handicapped sign in George Town which is being respected by all we law-abiding citizens of Cayman Islands. But there is one lawyer who challenges this handicapped parking and parks as and when he desires. Is there anything that can be done to make the lawyer accountable to the law as well? If nothing is done by anyone, the lawyer gets this precious VIP privilege at the expense of the truly needy people who should be cared for.
Auntie’s answer: People who read this column regularly will no doubt know that I have zero patience for able-bodied drivers who park in spots designated for those who are disabled.
I have gotten into many arguments with people using these spots who think that if they are just waiting for someone or delivering something, or even stopping to eat in their vehicle (I am not making that up) it is OK to park there. And it is definitely not.
It seems you have come upon one of these selfish drivers. The law is on your side here, specifically The Traffic Law, 2011. Section 119(5)(b) says a person who “parks a vehicle in a disabled parking space when he is not entitled to do so…commits an offence”. Further, the Traffic Ticket Regulations, 2012, in referencing the previous section, set out a $100 fine for “Contravening a provision relating to the use of a disabled person’s badge.” And you can help with that.
In fact, I devoted a previous column to the ways you can deal with these miscreants (see Acting against drivers who abuse handicapped spots), some of which bears repeating. Chelsea Rivers, the indefatigable advocate for the rights of disabled people and founder of The Blue Spot Facebook page, has discussed the issue with the RCIPS. She was told if a car is parked illegally in a disabled spot you can call the police to come ticket them.
You can also download a flyer from The Blue Spot that you can place on the windscreen to announce to the world the driver has parked illegally. Plus, if you take a photo of the offending (offensive?) car it can be posted on The Blue Spot.
Let’s hope some public shaming will do the trick and the lawyer in question will start obeying the law.
I am not handicapped and do not have a sticker but a family member does have a sticker for their vehicle. Whenever I am driving that person to the grocery store in their vehicle I park in the handicapped spot because the person is handicapped and they are getting out to shop.
I sometimes get stares of disapproval. Am i doing something wrong?
I never use the sticker or park in handicap spots if I am alone.
Hi cns i believe not all handicap spots are gazzetted and this may be the case as the lawyer probably checked. If the police give you a ticket and you go to court the magistrate will probably throw out the case because it is not gazetted. In addition i sure the lawyer will ask and get cost for wasting his/her time. All handicap spots need to be gazetted under the Traffic Law. (2011)
If a lawyer,who should know better, does that on a regular basis he probably knows he is in the right side of the law. just because is painted blue doesn’t make it a blue spot, that is also the law. Unfortunately there is no law against douchbags…. because that he is.
Although he probably can spell douchebag, which is why he is a canny lawyer with an eye for a loophole and you are not. I wish we knew the name of the person, because I would definitely hire them with chutzpah like that.
Take photos on a phone of the car parked illegally and front and back shots showing the lack of a disability permit. Send that to the police and make a complaint. Taking a few photos over 5-10 minutes is even better.
Complain to the Law Society. They keep proclaiming that their members do not break Cayman laws.
Quite a good analogy. As the complaint will prove ill founded because the lawyer knows the law and the complainant does not.
Call it in to the police. Include the location, license plate number, and brief description of vehicle including make and model if possible. It WILL be dispatched.
Unfortunately there are frequently more calls for service pending than there are patrol cars out responding to calls. It that case calls will be prioritized based in part on the seriousness of the call. This could mean that no officer is available at the time of the call and by the time an officer is available the offending vehicle has left.
It is the responsibility of disabled persons to obtain a license plate or a tag to hang from the rear view mirror and to display those properly before using designated handicapped parking. Instructions on the tag say to hang it from the mirror, or if not possible then to make it visible from the dashboard. The process to obtain a tag or plate is not difficult and there is no excuse for not doing so.
Apparently obese women driving flat bed utes wanting snacks from Cafe del Sol are exempt from this law…
They are not exempt. They just don’t follow laws, don’t care what you or I think of them, and won’t change on their own. There would have to be functional law enforcement on the island and as you can all see there’s not. End of story.