Disabled
By Tigasin321 •
On Tuesday I went to lunch at Applebees. There were many free parking spaces. A brand new Land Cruiser drove in (new car sticker nearly covering the windshield and all the seats covered in plastic) and parked in the disabled parking bay right by the entrance. I watched expecting to see a disabled person exit the car. Instead two young Qatari males impeccably dressed and hooked up to their phones (can't risk missing an important call) elegantly glided the three steps to the entrance of the restaurant. 30 seconds later another Land Cruiser with two more young Qataris arrived and parked in the second disabled bay. Neither was disabled. This kind of selfish arrogance pisses me off. What do you think?
You were well on your way to almost making a valid point until you brought up the "story of the liggle girl and the starfish"!! Are you serious?
I sincerely hope that my time in Doha doesn't lead me to get this upset about something as trivial as someone illegally parking in a disabled spot.
I have a 'disabled sticker' on my car. There are two colors of stickers for disabled people. The first one is for drivers who are disabled but can drive and the other is for persons who cannot drive and are accompanied by a driver. In both cases you are allowed to park in the disabled parking area.
I have seen on several occasions that the disabled parking is taken up by normal people. If the police spot such a vehicle then they impose a fine and put the receipt on the window of the car. However, people will never learn from this unless there is a provision to tow away the car.
Even though such people are a small fraction of the society, there are enough to occupy the limited parking spaces available for the disabled.
Sounds to me that you are the one who's getting all hot and bothered and angry. I am a Connecticut Yankee and we are not known for getting too emotional.
In my post, I said this behavior pisses me off. It does but not to the extent that I get all hot and bothered and angry. I also said that I should have said something and next time I will. You seemed to think that this would provide you with a lot of amusement. Well, whatever, I am all for amusement.
Perhaps, there was no point in doing the post but it seems to have hit a nerve and maybe other people will be braver than I was when they see this kind of behavior. And maybe as a result, it will happen less. Then perhaps, I would have made a little more difference than the birds flying over Applebees.
i mean its just plain rude and bad manners to park in a disabled space, i would like to see these people that do it try and get a wheel chair bound person out of the car. Theres just a compelte lach of manners in this country, if i saw someone park in a disabled spot then i would politly say did you mean to park there thats for disabled people, like when people drop rubbish i cant cope with that either. Unless people start pointing out the errors of there ways then they will carry on doing that! The police helping out come on! There too busy directing traffic and dealing with accidents all the time!
By the way chbck........
I think you comment "I sincerely hope that my time in Doha doesn't lead me to get this upset about something as trivial as someone illegally parking in a disabled spot." is just as inconsiderate as these guys who feel they have the right to park there. If you had a disability maybe you would feel different. These spots not only are near the entrance of the establishment to allow easier access, but they are usually wider, so that if the person has to transfer to a wheelchair they can. Perhaps you should consider putting yourself in a disabled persons position of having to park far away, in a tight spot and trying to manouver around traffic, speed bumps etc to get where they want to go.
If we are as complacant as you about 'things we can not change' the world would be a lot more backwards than it is today. You obviously have not heard the story of the little girl and the starfish............................
Richard 123 GOOD FOR YOU for getting so hot and bothered!! Maybe if there were more people in the world who got hot and bothered of inconsiderate, selfish and rude behaviour the world would be a better place!
I am not sure of the laws here in Qatar but in Canada, it IS a requirement to obtain a Handicap sticker. If there is a temporary requirement then this can be obtained. Not all handicapped people are considere DISabled. A handicapped person may still function fully where as disabled people usually have sever functional limitations. Both may need use of a handicapped parking spot and I would hope that people would be courteous enough to leave them free for them!
Judging from the original string the young men and their attitude would certainly suggest they are mentally handicapped or is that just plain ignorant!!!
You're born, you take s**t. You get out in the world, you take more s**t. You climb a little higher, you take less s**t. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what s**t even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake son.
Handicap - A physical or mental disability.
Disability - Lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; incapacity -OR- a physical or mental handicap, esp. one that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful job.
Since when is it a requirement to be permanently disabled in order to use a disabled parking spot?
Well, if they are parking in a handicap spot, they obviously do have a handicap.........STUPIDITY and RUDENESS. As for the pregnant women needing parking near the entrance........PREGNANCY IS NOT A DISABILITY OR A HANDICAP!!! It is a normal biological process women have been managing with for a LONG time now. Of ancestors worked while pregnant, in the home, on the farm.....so I am sure we can manage to walk 200 meter from a spot a bit further away!In fact it will help to make the delivery easier if you are fit.a little walk will do you some good!
A common trend in the US at the major grocers and malls to provide stork Parking for expectant mothers. This parking is similar in location as the excessive number of disabled parking however it is designated for pregnant women.
Hmmm- which personality is coming out today?
A woman being pregnant is Not a permanent Disability but a temporary Handicap.
The answer to that one is very fundamental: No!, unless is a real emergency or you have a car registration that is bona fide, authorizing your parking in that space. That is just my opinion. Check and ask for information with your local police.
honestly at the malls we sometime park on the trottoire when its too full but never at a disabled person parking.. im very surprised about the police not doing anything about it! i have a question here, a pregnant lady could be taken as a disabled person? coz she cant walk a lot and get tired easily etc...?
If, I was a Policeman traffic officer in Doha, probably, they would kill me or fired me a long time ago.
Why do I say that?
Do you have any idea? How many Vehicular and traffic infractions tickets could be wrote and issue on the streets of Doha for vehicular violations.
The revenues would be enormous and substantial for the state.
Just a thought.
I noticed in City Centre car park the other day that one of the vehicles in the disabled bay had a disabled sticker. So now that I know they exist, the police or shopping centre security should be enforcing it and slapping an immediate fine on vehicles without them. Then again, as I have mentioned previously, fines don't really work here. Maybe they should start an advertising campaign on tv and the papers ... showing a disabled driver/passenger trying to find a car bay .. SPELL it out to them.
They should also stop people from parking in front of ramps/curb cutouts too. I would just love to "accidentally" scratch or just ignorantly bump straight into the offending car as I struggle to manouver my trolley that has a mind of it's own around it.
Oh dear ... rant, rant, rant ................ but honestly people who are not disabled parking in disabled bays bugs me bigtime.
"... the police who are usually very strict about this stuff"....?!?!?
Wow, I guess I am living in a completely different Doha to you.
When have you EVER seen a policeman enforce *any* sort of road rule, at all? (Apart from controllong traffic flow at a roundabout)...?
I don't think the same of all Qataris at all. Most of the Qataris I have met are polite, generous and warm people with a good sense of humor. I should have said something to these guys. Next time I will.
they think that behavior makes them look cool .. i agree with u really selfish but please don't think the same of all Qataries this is a minorty of selfish spoiled bratz u will fiend them any where in this world but why didnt the ploice who r usuly very Strict about this kind of stuff do something did they see them ?