Quote: In Alaska the state would do nothing about it. NOTHING. Drove me mad. When I first started working there it was myself and one other person both with tags. As years progressed, the number of people went up (a lot with 6 month passes, that still seemed to park there with expired tags over 3 years later) and some with out passes. Winter time was the worst because the lines would be covered and apparently the signs mean nothing.
These one people had a 5 year pass... their truck, a piece you step on to get in/out of the truck, I am SO not kidding, had to be 5' high and no other step. They would both HOP to the ground (if I even attempted that I would be on my butt or hurt severely) every day. I can not imagine jumping out that high and not getting hurt some how.
No one questioned them because they had the pass. And I know for a fact, if you go in and say you lost/misplaced/the pass was stolen they would give you a new one with a new year (5 years from the current year) and so the cycle is easy to continue.
I see down here people use the handicapped to go in for a couple minutes. Calling the cops does little. It is just not a high priority on their list down here. Funny thing is summer time when the snowbirds are gone seems to be worse then the winter time, pass or no pass (which I see all year round... no pass).
Of course there was also a law passed you couldn't smoke with in 15' of a door. What a joke that was. They all congregated on the handicapped ramp including the head of the department of labor. Signs posted all over meant nothing. I mean heaven forbid you freeze while puffing away on a cancer stick. It was so bad I could not use the ramp. I'd hold my breath while I attempted to work my way up stairs. It was terrible.
We've been gone 2 years and I am still bitter about both issues.
Cops drive by nothing was ever done about either situation
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Rachel, I am in Anchorage, Alaska. Nothing has changed in the two years you have been gone!

We can NEVER get a van accessible spot (and we have two children in wheelchairs). I usally have to drop them at the door at many places with our older teenagers, while I go and try to find a handicapped spot to park for when we come out! And believe it or not, SOMEONE actually called the DOT and reported us misusing our placard!! Apparently they saw me and my older daughter exiting the vehicle and called it in, not knowing that we had just dropped our lift at the door to the store and let the two little ones out with their older brother before parking. I knew nothing of this until I got a letter in the mail from DOT saying they were cancelling our placard!!
Luckily all it took was a call to DOT explaining what happened to straighten things out, but with all the handicapped parking abuse that does go on, I could not believe WE got reported (unjustly) when we do park legitimately!! And by the way, we NEVER park in handicapped parking unless we have one of our wheelchair kiddos with us!
Angela
