Respect the space

I just had to write because I am tired of seeing people breaking the law by parking in the striped portion of handicap parking spaces. Some people must believe that this space is also considered a handicap parking space because they park in it. Well, they are wrong; it is the loading area for the handicap parking space beside it.

The striped space is where a wheelchair-bound individual locates his or her chair so that they can enter or exit the vehicle. Anyone parking in this space can and should be ticketed. Unfortunately these violators are usually handicapped themselves, but that is no excuse.

I am not sure if this information is on the driver's exam, but it should be. So, please, if you are a handicapped person, the next time you are looking for a handicap space and see a striped space between two handicap spaces indicated by a sign, don't park there. Find a true space that is open. What you are doing is making it harder for the person who is in the correct space.

JOHN W. JASNESKI
Shaler
The writer is an architect and handicap accessibility inspector.