Parking advocate presses case in Columbia
Goose Creek woman lobbies senators on new bill
By Ron Menchaca
The Post and Courier
Thursday, January 29, 2009
COLUMBIA — Ruth Jones is used to hunting around for handicapped parking spaces in the Lowcountry. So she expected similar hassles when she traveled to the Statehouse on Wednesday to speak in favor of a Senate bill that would tighten rules for the issuance and enforcement of handicapped parking license plates and placards.
The Post and Courier - Photo by Alan Hawes
Susan Newman (left) and Ruth Jones traveled to Columbia Wednesday to urge state senators to pass a bill that would tighten rules for the issuance and enforcement of handicapped parking license plates and placards. The bill cleared the Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday.
As it turned out, Senate staffers knew she was coming and directed her to a private lot near the front door.
The 62-year-old Goose Creek resident got another surprise when several senators sought her out, thanked her for coming and promised to push for the bill's passage this year. "That just amazed me that they wanted to meet little old me. I'm just working trying to get this thing passed."
Jones, a Navy veteran whose spinal- cord injury confines her to a wheelchair, is part of a Lowcountry group that's been pushing for the stricter rules to discourage able-bodied people from using parking spaces intended for the disabled.
Jones relies on a van equipped with a wheelchair lift to get around and maintain her independence. But she often encounters people misusing or abusing handicapped parking spaces and placards.
The Post and Courier Watchdog recently placed a spotlight on the problem in its "Parking Cheaters" series.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society also backs the bill, Angela Jacildone, the group's South Carolina advocacy manager, said.
Previous stories
Disabled group photographs parking obstacles, published 06/24/08
More eyes on parking cheaters, published 12/22/08
While some Charleston officials, residents and others say the problem appears to be improving downtown — thanks to a spike in tickets, the opening of a new downtown garage and the newspaper's series — supporters of the state legislation say it would address the root causes for much of the abuse.
It would better define the criteria for who qualifies for handicapped parking and require the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a special registration card that links an individual to a particular handicapped placard and plate.
on-line center for investigative reporting.
Are you ticked off by people who illegally use handicap placards? Want to know which restaurants are making you sick or which gas stations have bad pumps?
Check out what our Watchdog reporters found.
The Watchdog series found that the DMV has no way to verify whether a licensed physician has actually signed off on an application for a handicapped placard or plate. The bill also establishes penalties for people who falsify applications for disabled parking.
Susan Newman, a professor of nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina whose doctoral dissertation focused on photographing obstacles for the disabled, said the current rules are too subjective and invite abuse. "
As a nurse, I have witnessed first-hand the issuance of many permanent placard applications to individuals who did not meet criteria for permanent disability," said Newman, who accompanied Jones to Columbia.
The bill easily cleared the Senate's Transportation Committee Wednesday and is expected to come before the full Senate next month. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Vincent Sheheen and Sen. Dick Elliott, both Democrats, would then go to the House, where it has died twice before.
South Carolina state Sens. Larry Grooms (left) and Paul G. Campbell talk with Ruth Jones on Wednesday.
Jones, a board member for the Disabilities Resource Center in North Charleston, said she already is mobilizing disabled residents to lobby House leaders. She also has collected more than 500 signatures on a petition supporting the bill.
One issue that remains to be sorted out is whether the registration cards or the handicapped placards themselves should include a photo ID to help law enforcement flag violators.
Sen. Larry Grooms, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, was among those who welcomed Jones to Columbia. The Berkeley County Republican said he would like to see the photo requirement remain part of the legislation.
Either way, he expects it to pass the Senate. "There's a strong will here. We want to get this passed."
