Disabled Stickers, Narrow Streets, and Snowbanks
This morning, I can hear the birds singing, a treat I’ve not been aware of in a long time. It’s a sunny but crisp Sunday, and I think I can feel spring in the air. I don’t know if this is true, but can only hope that we could actually be in for some milder weather and related mood changes. To quote a familiar Beatles’ song, "It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter." In a climate like Toronto’s, when snow is heavy, situations arise that would be unusual elsewhere, like the one described here…
Adequate and accessible parking for the genuinely disabled is essential, but not when be hazardous. For too long, vehicles with disabled stickers (not necessarily disabled drivers) have been allowed to park on busy mid-town cross streets, like Balmoral. These roadways that get even narrower when snowbanks pile up, like this past February. When a Wheel-Trans vehicle tried to squeeze between a parked Mini (with disabled sticker) and an iced over snowbank there was a wedging, and neither vehicle could be moved without tow truck assistance and police intervention. Consequence, the street was inaccessible to regular traffic for three hours. What are the chances that a Wheel-Trans vehicle should squish a car displaying a disabled sticker. Perhaps there’s a message in the irony?
Police vehicle cutting off the "accident area, parked vertically—shows how narrow the street is
Typical family size SUV arriving at "accident area"—shows the street can only really accommodate one lane of traffic
Typical street traffic congestion: snow or no snow
