Traverse City resident Ross Hansford is a pretty amazing man. He is a former auto engineer, husband of almost 50 years, grandfather, golfer and a stroke survivor. He has worked very hard with his weekly therapy to get back up on his feet, but still needs some help to get around. As Ross explains it "I had a stroke in 2004 which left me paralyzed on the left side which requires a wheelchair. I have a power chair and a special automobile that opens up door and the ramp comes down."
Getting around is possible thanks to his modified rides, so when it came time to get back on the golf course he also looked at some modified clubs. Ross told me "I was trying to get back on the golf course. My nephew made me a special one which has a different shaft size and so forth. He sent it to me in the mail and I had to go downtown to the post office there to get the club." And that's when Ross noticed something that surprised him. Ross explained "Unfortunately in handicapped parking they had a meter which you had to put coins in." Ross said in all his travels around the country, this was a first, "I have never seen any there, anywhere."
Now, and this is really important, before you judge Ross, you should know that he doesn't have a problem with paying his fair share. He really was more concerned about how anyone with physical limitations could actually feed the meter. The spots in city owned parking lots are kind of tight in terms of maneuvering a wheel chair up to them. He wanted to know if installing a meter was legal under the American with Disability Act so he called me because as Ross puts it, "I thought you might have a better chance of getting the information."
So I got to work for Ross. First call was to the U.S. Department of Justice which oversees the ADA. Their response to Ross's question:
"The Americans with Disabilities Act does set forth guidelines regarding the location and number of parking spaces, but not whether they should be paid."
--Alejandro Miyar, Office of Public Affairs United States Department of Justice
So the ADA regulates how many spots should be handicapped parking, but not whether they should be metered. As it turns out, it's the city's decision whether to install meters or not. But before you judge Traverse City for installing them, there are several things to take into mind. I contacted the city's Parking Authority and they explained to me first and foremost that drivers with:
"All legally issued Handicap certificates, of which there are three types, do not have to put coins in any meters in Traverse City. That includes meters that are not signed as H.C. only spaces.
--Gill Rupp, Traverse City Parking Administrator
So when it comes to T.C. Parking meters, if you have a legally issued certificate or handicapped plate, you don't have to feed any meter. That's been the policy whether widely known or not in Traverse City for the past 20 years.
So, if handicapped parkers don't have to pay, why install the meters at handicapped spots? Well the parking administrator Gill Rupp passed on to me in an email the following story.
"About ten years ago, I got a call from the then leading Handicap advocate in Traverse City, called me and asked why we didn't have meters at the H.C spaces around town. His point was that H.C. persons really appreciate the providing of convenient spaces for them. His group said they aren't a group that can't afford to pay for parking as others are doing. His point was that just because they have any number of causes to have the need for close in parking does not mean they are not able to pay their way for this service. I then asked, through the DDA and the City Commission, after discussion in the City Traffic and Safety Committee if there was any objection to installing the meters. There was no majority objection in any of the groups to installing the meters, as long as it was not mandatory for those that had a valid H.C. placard or license plate issued by the State of Michigan to put coins in the meter."
And by law Traverse City doesn't have to provide the free parking either. Mr. Rupp explained:
"I believe it was in 2003- 2005 time frame that the State of Michigan Legislature passed a bill that says, no Cities, or private parking decks, etc. are required to provide FREE parking except for the special tag for anyone that cannot operate a meter device due to their H.C. This was done at the request of The Mich. Parking Association and many other operations that were losing millions of dollars, especially in Detroit, due to the illegally gotten or forged H.C. placards. I'm sure there are many areas that are charging for parking. I was recently on Hilton Head Island and they had meters at their beach areas that had meters which included H.C. I can just say that parking is very reasonably priced in T.C. and we have continued to provide FREE parking to the H.C. legally parked vehicles visiting our community where meters are in place."
So what do you think? Should handicapped spaces have meters? Were you aware of the optional policy here in Traverse City? Does it make sense to you? What have your experiences been? Let me know. Take part in our poll and leave a comment below.
