Go for a Hike, Use your Disabled Placard

Went up to Runyon canyon to go hiking this morning. It's a city/state park in the center of LA near Hollywood. There are a lot of trails and it's an off leash area for dogs. On weekends there are hundreds of people and a like number of dogs. What a great place. Everyone is a dog owner, which means they are mostly friendly.

You are forced to park in the neighborhoods just off Hollywood Boulevard. It's not very parking friendly as there are few places to park unless you have a local residential permit. I have scouted a place where I park legally and all is well.

When we returned to the car, a fellow hiker in my group noted that parked around our car were three Mercedes SUVs, all of which had handicapped permits. They weren't there when we parked. Now this is not a handicapped friendly area with hills, rough climbing and the like. No one believed that these folks were actually disabled. We were disgusted. It was like the guy with the SUV and surf boards on the top parking in handicapped spaces. In this case, it allowed them to park in the residential area without fear of citation.

We discussed what to do. I vetoed letting the air out of their tires on the off chance that someone may actually be handicapped. We could call a cop, but then they would have to actually be there and talk to the parker. My guess is that they would rather be out catching bad guys. So I leave it to you, my readers. What is the approved action to take? Let me know.

And another thing – the city just added signs so you couldn't park in the area before 8 AM. The hikers were probably bothering the neighbors early on Sunday Morning. I though that a better idea would be to charge for parking in the area. If you wanted to park before 8, it could be a higher rate. Folks would be motivated to start their hike later, however if you wanted to get moving early, you could pay a bit more. The money could go back into fixing the cracked sidewalks, crumbling curbs, and trimming the overgrown trees in the neighboorhood. Residents could be exempted with their permits.

JVH