Please don't park on the sidewalk or block the ADA sidewalk lips with your car

Submitted by RoughRhinos t3_10iaarn in philadelphia

Learned a lot today for what wheelchair users and even parents go through with strollers in this city. I was pushing a cart in South Philly full of clothing donations for Philly Aids Thrift and had to walk about 1.5 miles. I would've given up if I was handicapped after 5 minutes. It's hard enough with sidewalks crumbling and sometimes suddenly ending with no lips or randomly blocked off for construction, to also have to veer around a parked car on the sidewalk or a car parked illegally in front of the ADA lip. For me it was slightly frustrating but for a wheelchair user it would be basically impossible to maneuver around the car and then up a tall curb. I get that parking is tough and most people wouldn't go out of their way to block a handicapped person but after today I have no idea how a wheelchair users could ever use these sidewalks. Please just be considerate.

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Fattom23 t1_j5dbcr9 wrote

The city got sued about this and settled. Bizarrely, the final settlement said nothing about enforcement of curb cuts/crosswalks (just building more of them). In my daily life, I mostly see the same people blocking the same crosswalks most days and no one with the authority to do anything about it seems to want to do so. It's infuriating; if you ever figure out a way to make the city care, let me know because I'd love to help.

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Civil_Peak t1_j5dbkja wrote

You know what the funnest thing about cars blocking the sidewalks is even when you call the cops and report it or report illegal construction without permits blocking sidewalks, the cops never show and do anything. Wait guess that not that funny.

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Ng3me t1_j5dcc2x wrote

200% agree. It’s vile behavior.

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bukkakedebeppo t1_j5dforo wrote

Rolling a cart really does open your eyes to that kind of stuff!

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Electr_O_Purist t1_j5dmvwt wrote

Good luck telling the entitled old heads who think they own this city’s streets where to park. Your plea for compassion toward a marginalized minority is no match for Philly’s empathy bankruptcy. Especially when their precious parking spot is at stake.

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Angsty_Potatos t1_j5dr1zt wrote

Two of my old head neighbors do this shit. Every time we get the opportunity to park in a way that fucks em up we do so.

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Vexithan t1_j5eb45r wrote

Our neighborhood is rife with this shit. Same people. Every day. Every week. It’s ‘their’ parking space so fuck everyone else. On top of them no longer being ADA accessible, anyone with a small child in a stroller needs to go out into the middle of the road because some assholes decided they didn’t want to walk a block to their car.

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dwntwn_dine_ent_dist t1_j5ecozb wrote

One day I was headed home pushing my twins in a double stroller. Construction on one side of the street forces me to use the opposite side. Just before I get halfway up the block, a contractor pickup truck pulls into a driveway that cuts across the sidewalk and parks. Driver jumps out. I say “Look, if it were just me, I’d step into traffic and go around the bed of your truck, but there’s no way I’m going to do that with my 6-month old kids. Can you back out and let us through?” He looked at me and just said, “No.”

I had to walk around a whole block.

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Ng3me t1_j5eg20c wrote

Replying to dwntwn_dine_ent_dist (#1,435,623)

While pushing a stroller I had a guy in a small dick special pickup truck pull into the crosswalk by Cheesesteak Vegas. I looked at him like “come on”. He said sorry but didn’t move so I told him, “You’re still in the way.” He moved.

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filladellfea t1_j5epf4n wrote

i agree with your sentiment, but people who park on sidewalks probably don't even know what the ADA is.

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breakersounds t1_j5eu6yx wrote

Did you just ask Philly to not park on the sidewalk?? Lol

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billycheesecake t1_j5eum1d wrote

id be surprised if they use with anyways with how shitty most sidewalks are

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kilometr t1_j5exa2c wrote

Replying to Fattom23 (#1,433,428)

There are groups that go around advocating for the handicapped and sue cities/businesses for violating ADA requirements. Their main goal though is to generate income through legal fees. Actually helping handicapped people is a secondary goal.

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Fattom23 t1_j5eydkn wrote

Replying to kilometr (#1,436,953)

Regardless of the goals of the organization, the ADA (and general decency/competency) gives the city a duty to affirmatively attempt to keep those curb cuts clear so that the disabled (or really anyone) can use them to access the sidewalk. When citizens do the work of finding where the cars are blocking them and then telling the appropriate authorities, who then can't be bothered to come out and even write a ticket, that's just sticking their finger in the eye of anyone who cares about citizens being able to get around the city safely. The city deserves to be sued in that case.

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Unfamiliar_Word t1_j5ezuhk wrote

Replying to breakersounds (#1,436,744)

Yes, he did and more people should and it should be enforced zealously by law enforcement, although McNesby's slobbering goons are not likely to ever show that modest commitment to the public good.

If you disagree, well you're a bad person and should go live in Jersey. Philadelphia would be better off without your decidedly inferior kind.

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getnakedivegotaplan t1_j5f6ptw wrote

I just made a separate post about this without seeing your post first. It's so infuriating walking through South Philly with a baby stroller it's literally every block the curb cuts are not accessible.

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Proper-Code7794 t1_j5fux01 wrote

Please don't blow the red light if you're on a bicycle at 34th Street and try to run over all the nurses

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PlayerH8rsBallz t1_j5gn45v wrote

Shoutout to the guy in S Philly with the big white SUV covered in gun stickers who seems to be incapable of legally parking his vehicle due to the enormous size of his dick.

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sidewaysorange t1_j5hg0s6 wrote

using a stroller in the city is a nightmare. IF it's not the curb cut outs being blocked its the uneven sidewalks.

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edited to add a word i forgot 🙄

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