By Eric Wolf Schoen
Something happened that I did not like the other day. I went to the movies, a handicapped couple came in, they wanted to sit in the last row which is a handicapped seating row because there are no steps to the seats and the whole row was occupied by children.
They asked the children’s mother to move so they could sit and the mother said, ‘Did you buy those seats. The couple said no and the mother said ,’Well I did and those seats are mine.’ The couple said the seats are designated for the handicapped and the mother said she didn’t care, she bought the seats and they were hers.
Bottom line. She bought the seats in the back of the theater so her kids can run around in the back during the movie as they did to the anguish of many moviegoers. The rule: the back row of seats with no steps is for handicapped customers. The cashier is supposed to tell them that. But if they purchase their tickets online, they can get whatever seats they want.
Most people aren’t as rude to handicapped individuals like this mother was, but I’ve noticed a decrease in respect for handicapped people all throughout society.
License plates for the handicapped. Only supposed to be used if the individual with the handicap is driving the vehicle themselves with no one else capable of driving the car. But you and I see plenty of individuals that we know are using someone else’s tag parking in a space designated for the handicap.
And how many people do we see occupying a parking place with no handicap tag. Sometimes individuals I know confront them, but in this day and age you never know what the person in the car is, for lack of a better word carrying.
Delivery trucks. They think they own the streets. They think they.can park their trucks anywhere anytime. They block or park in handicap spaces that are empty, they block spaces that are full with a car legitimately parked in the space, and they put their loading mechanism down in spaces to make it easier to load shopping no respect. All no good.
Uber and Lyft drivers break the rules two ways. They park in handicap spaces waiting for their customers, and they park while they ‘run in’ to pick up food and other items people have ordered for delivery. Sometimes their wait can be 15-20 minutes.
In my conversation thus far I have not included the people who park in handicap spaces just because there are no places available. They know it’s illegal but they don’t care. Confront them and again you don’t know what they are carrying.
Cities like Yonkers can make a lot of money ticketing cars parked illegally in handicap spaces. The fee for illegal parking is up to $250. Hit 4 a day and you have $1000. That covers the workers salary and then some.
Cars parked in fire zones improperly are another problem that must be addressed. The fire and police departments have authority to address these issues. Cars must not be parked on the yellow lines or where it is posted FIRE ZONE. Again, a lot of money can be raised for the city coffers by simply enforcing the law.
Let’s start respecting handicapped individuals and respecting the law. First thing you can do is hold the door for them like a lady or a gentleman.
Parking at Ridge Hill
There is no major store, specialty stores have moved out, And all of a sudden Ridge Hill comes up with a brilliant way to pay for parking. Using your phone they want you to scan the phone and pay for your parking. If they are going to charge, why they didn’t reinstall the machines with credit cards that worked so well I don’t know.
First, many people don’t have cell phones. If they do they could be broken and they are headed to the Apple store to get them fixed. Or they don’t have phones that can take pictures of the codes that are required to pay by phone.
Someone said if you don’t pay they will record your license and send you a ticket. First of all, how would they get the name and address of your car. If the names and addresses are provided by New York State Motor Vehicles, the folks at ridge HILL have no right to get that information. If they are getting the information from the city of Yonkers, again the city has no right to give the information out. There is no enforcement mechanism, so until someone points out something to the contrary I am not paying any ticket. You want to charge to park, reinstall the machine you used before. They were easy to use. If they want to charge for parking at their empty facility, shop someplace else.
And the nerve to charge an extra $1, $11 for valet parking at Westmed. People who come to Westmed are there for their health. $11 will really get them sick. And with Covid do you really want some stranger inSide your car? I think not.
The way things are going, Cross County Mall and Cross cCounty Square Mall with a bigger selection of stores and free parking is where I am going to shop.
Another Accident on the Sprain North and South from Tuckahoe Road to Greenburgh
Another terrible accident on a stretch of road between Yonkers and Greenburgh.With all the terrible accidents on that road no one can figure out through speed bumps or another mechanism how to slow down the traffic! How many more people will lose their lives on that stretch?
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show alternating Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, WVOX.com click listen or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
