GAC for parking

[brady961]

I went to AK this past weekend and noticed the car in front of me used a GAC for parking in the HC area. They didn't have HC license plate or placard. So once they parked in HC nothing to identify HC parking permitted. They just held up the GAC and the CM waved them on thru to HC parking.

I have no idea what was stamped on the GAC and there is no way the CM could have read it either as they rolled up barely stopped held up GAC. CM didn't take it to read, and was far away to read it just holding it up to the window.

So I am curious does Disney give out GAC to park in HC parking if you don't have a placard or HC plate? Are there GAC with some type of stamp that stands out that allows use of HC parking too?

(ps I am not complaining, just curious as I have never seen this before. and i go about every weekend to one of the parks)

 

[BillSears]

Maybe the parking attendent just waved them through. I know I once worked at a place that required you to show your badge as you drive into the parking lot. One day I was feeling abit silly and held up a cassette tape which was about the right size. The guard waved me right through the gate.

Even if the parking lot attendent will let you park thier with a GAC I believe the Orange County Police would still ticket you. I've heard they patrol the handicapped parking and issue tickets.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't know why the parking lot CM would have waved them thru with a GAC. The GACs are only for use in the theme parks.
If someone parks in handicapped spots without a valid handicapped parking permit, they do risk getting a ticket.

 

[brady961]

thanks, i thought the same thing. the car is required to have a valid HC tag or placard. I have heard the Orange County sheriff dept patrols and tickets but I have never seen them patrol HC parking, or seen/heard anyone ever getting a ticket. I often see cars parked in HC without a tag or placard though.

wonder if they really do ticket ppl without HC placard or tag?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Sometimes we have had people from the Sheriff's office hanging around the gate at TL, and if it is slow I will talk with them. They do drive around the lots checking on cars, and sometimes will walk around in the handicap parking areas. I have been told by several deputies that they are generally very pleased when they give out handicap violation tickets. Not as happy as for aggressive driving, but a lot safer.

One has told me that sometimes he will talk to people as they are parking and will ask to see both the placard and the ID for the person whose tag it is. If they don't come up with the ID he will both ticket the driver and confiscate the placard.

 

[brady961]

good glad to hear they reallyy do patrol the lots. and also glad they check to assure the person requiring HC parking is with them. too many times ppl use them when person isn't with them.

 

[Figment1964]

I went to AK this past weekend and noticed the car in front of me used a GAC for parking in the HC area. They didn't have HC license plate or placard. So once they parked in HC nothing to identify HC parking permitted. They just held up the GAC and the CM waved them on thru to HC parking.

I have no idea what was stamped on the GAC and there is no way the CM could have read it either as they rolled up barely stopped held up GAC. CM didn't take it to read, and was far away to read it just holding it up to the window.

So I am curious does Disney give out GAC to park in HC parking if you don't have a placard or HC plate? Are there GAC with some type of stamp that stands out that allows use of HC parking too?

(ps I am not complaining, just curious as I have never seen this before. and i go about every weekend to one of the parks)

Could it have been that they were parking near the HC spaces? I know that the AAA Diamond Parking Pass is approximately the same size and color as a GAC and that those parking spaces are adjacent to the HC spaces. We've used that pass before and been directed to use the HC entrance. All we needed to do to get in was to flash the pass at the CM.

 

[Michigan]

Sometimes we have had people from the Sheriff's office hanging around the gate at TL, and if it is slow I will talk with them. They do drive around the lots checking on cars, and sometimes will walk around in the handicap parking areas. I have been told by several deputies that they are generally very pleased when they give out handicap violation tickets. Not as happy as for aggressive driving, but a lot safer.

One has told me that sometimes he will talk to people as they are parking and will ask to see both the placard and the ID for the person whose tag it is. If they don't come up with the ID he will both ticket the driver and confiscate the placard.

Thank the Sheriff for me but ask him to start having the cars towed. Once they have taken the spot they have already wrecked it for someone else and if they are from out of state or it's a rental they probably never pay the ticket.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Thank the Sheriff for me but ask him to start having the cars towed. Once they have taken the spot they have already wrecked it for someone else and if they are from out of state or it's a rental they probably never pay the ticket.

I do not know about reciprocity with other states, but if it is a rental the ticket goes to the rental company, they will pay it, and then hit up your credit card for the amount of the ticket plus a "handling fee". And they are allowed to do this as it generally is in the fine print on the back side of the rental agreement.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Sometimes we have had people from the Sheriff's office hanging around the gate at TL, and if it is slow I will talk with them. They do drive around the lots checking on cars, and sometimes will walk around in the handicap parking areas. I have been told by several deputies that they are generally very pleased when they give out handicap violation tickets. Not as happy as for aggressive driving, but a lot safer.

One has told me that sometimes he will talk to people as they are parking and will ask to see both the placard and the ID for the person whose tag it is. If they don't come up with the ID he will both ticket the driver and confiscate the placard.

The ID card for a person with a disability is new to me - FIL, 83 and uses a w/c has a parking placard for the car he is riding in but no ID card. Can a FL LEO confiscate a NJ placard? Aren't there due process issues?

 

[Talking Hands]

Your FIL has no ID? He should at least have some form of id. I generally just use my drivers license but have friends who do not drive and they have state issued ids. Also military id would be an id if he is retired military.

 

[CaptainJacksWench]

Interesting. I always have my handicap placard with me, which gets me in the handicap parking. I didn't know the GAC would work too. (Just in case I forgot to bring it with me, I am from out of town.) Sort of good to know.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The ID card for a person with a disability is new to me - FIL, 83 and uses a w/c has a parking placard for the car he is riding in but no ID card. Can a FL LEO confiscate a NJ placard? Aren't there due process issues?

The Florida tags are prenumbered. On both the front and back is a computer generated sticker which has on it the expiration date, the serial number of the tag, and my Driver's License number. For a person who does not have a DL they have to have a Florida State ID card and that number is on the sticker.

When I lived in Virginia, my hang tag had my name and birth date on the side which was normally facing the back of the car. The law did allow me to put a temporary cover over this so it was not displayed, but it had to be easily removable to be shown to a LEO if questioned.

I cannot locate the law itself, but one could consider that if a person uses or attempts to use a handicap placard and is not the person to whom it is issued that is violation of the Florida law, and can therefore be confiscated by a Florida LEO. I will do some research on this.

 

[skoopman]

Okay, I am probably going to be flamed for this, but this happened to us and here is why. We were on my DD's MAW trip and therefore had a GAC. We were told by GKTW to show Michelle's GKTW badge when entering the parking lot, in part because it gets us free parking and in part because it might get us "special parking." At MGM we parked with everyone else. At AK however they directed us toward the handicapped parking. We did not have a tag or placard or anything else. The car next to us when we were leaving was a MAW family as well. I do have to say we parked in the last row of hanicapped parking to leave the closer spots available for people who really needed it.

Anyways, that is what happened to us and that is probably what happened to the the person the OP saw.

Suzanne

 

[CPT Tripss]

Just to clarify - FIL does have ID, but there is nothing to link him specifically to the parking placard. I kind of like what is described as the FL system, with the sticker for the DL, as there is serious abuse of the parking placards here in NJ

 

[pugdog]

Just to clarify - FIL does have ID, but there is nothing to link him specifically to the parking placard. I kind of like what is described as the FL system, with the sticker for the DL, as there is serious abuse of the parking placards here in NJ

When he signed up for it he filled out the application with his name on it. The tag has it's own number on it. That number and his name are tied together. LE might have to call your state to get the name that is assigned to the number on the tag but they are sort of linked.
Here in MN each tag only has a tag number and LE can run a computer check to see who the tag is registered to and then compare it to who is in the car and check personal ID's. I would think that most states are the same way and all states can talk to each other about these things. It just might take a little bit of time to do it.

 

[michelle9343]

When we lived in NY my DD did not have to have any kind of ID to have a placard. DH when to our local city hall had a form filled out by DR and was granted one. Nothing on it indicated that is was DD. In Fla I had to get her a state non-driver ID before she could get one. I never realize that her number on her id was the same on her plac. untill I read it here. One day at Disney my sister had drove us and we were questioned my Orange county sherrif. I did not have DD id but when her saw her wc he said OK. Now I always remeber to carry her ID car.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The ID card for a person with a disability is new to me - FIL, 83 and uses a w/c has a parking placard for the car he is riding in but no ID card. Can a FL LEO confiscate a NJ placard? Aren't there due process issues? (and) Just to clarify - FIL does have ID, but there is nothing to link him specifically to the parking placard. I kind of like what is described as the FL system, with the sticker for the DL, as there is serious abuse of the parking placards here in NJ

Does the placard have his picture on it? That, along with him actually being there for comparison, should be sufficient. What information is ON the placard? Surely there has to be something that indicates he's the authorized designee?
My placard has a serial number, my driver's license photo, my name, and the expiration date (most of which CAN be covered by the temporary sleeve-type thing Cheshire mentions, and which must be easily removable at the requests of any law enforcement officer). Generally it's not an issue - although given the abuse I see, I wish more attention was paid to HP placarded-vehicles - but I went to a concert last year. As I pulled up to the entrance of the handicap parking area, the attendant requested a close-up look of the card for comparison, aka, to make sure the placard-holder was IN the vehicle.

 

[pugdog]

Not all states put on that much info. Here in MN there is only a tag number and an experation date nothing more. But LE can run a computer check and see who it is registered to. Not sure if I would want my name and birthdate and other personal info on it with all of the ID theft going on now.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Not birthdate - but yes, name (makes sense), photograph (makes sense), expiration date of placard (because there are still people using the 'lifetime' version even though the actual assignee may have been deceased for fifteen years ), and placard number.