Sedalia should enforce handicap parking laws

I wonder how many disgruntled disabled people there are in Sedalia. Do you realize that if Sedalia police patrolled Walmart at any given time, four out of five cars in the handicap parking spaces do not have any handicap logo displayed, but park there anyway?

But why not — nobody in this town does anything about it. There are no consequences for parking in them. The truly needy have to try to get to the store from the closest spot out by the fuel pumps because all the inconsiderate people park in the spots reserved for those with disabilities.

I have a handicap tag and won’t park in one of those spots if my wife isn’t with me because I am aware of the difficulties some people have.

In one day (probably just one pass through the parking lot) I can count 10 cars with nothing displayed; at $500 each (the amount of the fine), that’s $5,000 a day, times 30 days — that’s $150,000 a month, which is $1.8 million a year. And that’s from one sweep once a day at one lot.

Throw Bing’s, Woods, Kmart, etc., in there and its a few million a year. That single-handedly would support Sedalia without tax increases, plus maybe a few weeks of this and word would get out that Sedalia is finally doing something about this problem. Then these spots would be available for the people who they are made for and who truly need them.

Go to any city where the residents know this law is enforced and you do not have this problem — either that or the people are raised to be more courteous and caring for other people.

Ronnie Barker
Home repair
Sedalia