Handicapped parking in new mall

[Navy]

They have recently just built a new humongous mall in my town. I have been
out there twice and the handicapped parking is ridiculous. I don't think
the designers had any notion of what was needed for the handicapped. At J C
Penney's, looking at the front of the store, the handicapped parking is at
the extreme right end of the store and the entrance is in the middle. At
the movie theater, none is in the parking lot at the front of the movie. No
signs show where it is. I asked the person at the ticket window and she
said it was over at the side of the building! I won't be going to that mall
very often. When we went into Penney's, they only had wheelchairs and would
have to take a clerk to push you around if you were there by yourself! Now,
that is dumb planning. They could afford a couple of electric carts for
that expense! I expressed my dissatisfaction to the manager of the store,
but doubt if anything will get fixed. Also, the wheelchairs were all the
way to the back at the service counter (yes, the service counter was all the
way to the back, no side entrances available). I know nobody here can do
anything, but I just had to whine to people who would understand.

The mall is one of those new designs where every store opens to the
outside - no more closed in mall where people can go from store to store
without getting in the heat or cold or rain, etc. No more walking area for
the elderly.

Navy
Take out the FISH to email me.

[Me]

"Navy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:46ae5710$0$20566$[email protected]..
> They have recently just built a new humongous mall in my town. I have
> been out there twice and the handicapped parking is ridiculous. I don't
> think the designers had any notion of what was needed for the handicapped.
> At J C Penney's, looking at the front of the store, the handicapped
> parking is at the extreme right end of the store and the entrance is in
> the middle. At the movie theater, none is in the parking lot at the front
> of the movie. No signs show where it is. I asked the person at the
> ticket window and she said it was over at the side of the building! I
> won't be going to that mall very often. When we went into Penney's, they
> only had wheelchairs and would have to take a clerk to push you around if
> you were there by yourself! Now, that is dumb planning. They could
> afford a couple of electric carts for that expense! I expressed my
> dissatisfaction to the manager of the store, but doubt if anything will
> get fixed. Also, the wheelchairs were all the way to the back at the
> service counter (yes, the service counter was all the way to the back, no
> side entrances available). I know nobody here can do anything, but I just
> had to whine to people who would understand.
>
> The mall is one of those new designs where every store opens to the
> outside - no more closed in mall where people can go from store to store
> without getting in the heat or cold or rain, etc. No more walking area for
> the elderly.
>
> Navy
> Take out the FISH to email me.
I've met very, very few designs I can tolerate. The curb cuts are absurdly
placed in Seattle. The metal plate, which is too small, that we have to
push is never visible at any distance so which of the two doors in the front
of a building I'll be able to use is an absolute mystery - until I walk to
the wrong one.

How about the size of the signs inside a mall or building that tell us which
way is which. Can't read the things at any distance.

[california_chief]

Navy wrote:

> handicapped parking is at the extreme right end of the
> store and the entrance is in the middle.

> At the movie theater, none is in the parking lot at the front
> of the movie. No signs show where it is. I asked the person
> at the ticket window and she said it was over at the side of
> the building!

ADA requires handicapped parking slots be the closest to the entrance.

That means at the front door.

If you're an activist, complain to the mall management company. If you get
no results, complaint to the USDOJ.
Usually the hint that the second step will be taken produces results without
going to the Feds.


.... EVERYONE is weird. numbnutz tommy is proud of it.

[Me]

"california_chief" <Fire_Chief@Jamacha_Junction_FD.ca.us> wrote in message
news:8ktri.19784$[email protected]..
> Navy wrote:
>
>> handicapped parking is at the extreme right end of the
>> store and the entrance is in the middle.
>
>> At the movie theater, none is in the parking lot at the front
>> of the movie. No signs show where it is. I asked the person
>> at the ticket window and she said it was over at the side of
>> the building!
>
> ADA requires handicapped parking slots be the closest to the entrance.
>
> That means at the front door.
>
> If you're an activist, complain to the mall management company. If you
> get
> no results, complaint to the USDOJ.
> Usually the hint that the second step will be taken produces results
> without
> going to the Feds.
>
>
> ... EVERYONE is weird. numbnutz tommy is proud of it.
>

Email or write the stores, too. Save copies of the stuff to give to the
government.

[Norman]

Many municipalities have regulations stating what percentage of spaces must be
reserved for handicapped parking.

Try contacting a State Representative; they have to be good for something...

[Navy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know I had a legal recourse. I will
act on all of them. Please tell me what ADA & USDOJ mean.
--
Navy
Take out the FISH to email me.

"california_chief" <Fire_Chief@Jamacha_Junction_FD.ca.us> wrote in message
news:8ktri.19784$[email protected]..
> Navy wrote:
>
>> handicapped parking is at the extreme right end of the
>> store and the entrance is in the middle.
>
>> At the movie theater, none is in the parking lot at the front
>> of the movie. No signs show where it is. I asked the person
>> at the ticket window and she said it was over at the side of
>> the building!
>
> ADA requires handicapped parking slots be the closest to the entrance.
>
> That means at the front door.
>
> If you're an activist, complain to the mall management company. If you
> get
> no results, complaint to the USDOJ.
> Usually the hint that the second step will be taken produces results
> without
> going to the Feds.
>
>
> ... EVERYONE is weird. numbnutz tommy is proud of it.
>
>

[[email protected]]

On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:37:05 -0400, "Navy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know I had a legal recourse. I will
>act on all of them. Please tell me what ADA & USDOJ mean.

Take a look at:

http://www.ada.gov

This brochure has tons of information about accessibility standards
and provides illustrations to go along with the rules.

http://www.ada.gov/smbusgd.pdf

KarenF

[jofirey]

"Navy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:46af4928$0$16584$[email protected]..
> Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know I had a legal recourse. I will
> act on all of them. Please tell me what ADA & USDOJ mean.

ADA = Americans with disabilities act

USDOJ = United States Department of Justice

Believe me the ADA has teeth. A local supermarket opened up with some
oddly placed disabled parking. They planned to be a strip mall and the
spaces were supposedly close to every thing. Now they have lots and lots of
handicaped spaces.

I would think the local body that approved building plans, etc could be of
immediate help too. Probably the county or city planning commission.

Jo

[Navy]

Thanks, Karen,
The links have proven very helpful. I was not aware of that the standards
had been written up this clearly.

Thanks, Jo, for explaining the abbreviations for me.
--
Navy
Take out the FISH to email me.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:37:05 -0400, "Navy"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know I had a legal recourse. I will
>>act on all of them. Please tell me what ADA & USDOJ mean.
>
> Take a look at:
>
> http://www.ada.gov
>
> This brochure has tons of information about accessibility standards
> and provides illustrations to go along with the rules.
>
> http://www.ada.gov/smbusgd.pdf
>
> KarenF

[DeeTee and Bob Taggart]

I found starting a conversation with the store manager works wonders. For
instance, with the JCPenney people, suggest they move the wheelchair access
booth to the front of the store. Point out the stupidity of having to go
through the whole store to get it. When our grocery store back in Maryland
first brought in the electric carts, you had to go inside, walk halfway
through the store to the Customer Care Counter to get a key and go back out
to the front of the store to get a cart. Then reverse the process when you
were finished. I asked to speak to the manager and asked her how user
friendly was that? She immediately ordered a bag of keys and issued them to
anyone with a handicapped placard. All I had to do was show her my piece of
paper that came with the placard and I was issued my own key so I could pull
up, walk just inside and operate a cart. They also had a clerk detailed to
go with you to your car and bring the cart back inside using his key. It was
great. Here, the Kroger has four or five carts just inside the door that do
not require keys. You just have to hope that they're not all out on the
floor when you come in.

DeeTee

"Navy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:46ae5710$0$20566$[email protected]..
> They have recently just built a new humongous mall in my town. I have
> been out there twice and the handicapped parking is ridiculous. I don't
> think the designers had any notion of what was needed for the handicapped.
> At J C Penney's, looking at the front of the store, the handicapped
> parking is at the extreme right end of the store and the entrance is in
> the middle. At the movie theater, none is in the parking lot at the front
> of the movie. No signs show where it is. I asked the person at the
> ticket window and she said it was over at the side of the building! I
> won't be going to that mall very often. When we went into Penney's, they
> only had wheelchairs and would have to take a clerk to push you around if
> you were there by yourself! Now, that is dumb planning. They could
> afford a couple of electric carts for that expense! I expressed my
> dissatisfaction to the manager of the store, but doubt if anything will
> get fixed. Also, the wheelchairs were all the way to the back at the
> service counter (yes, the service counter was all the way to the back, no
> side entrances available). I know nobody here can do anything, but I just
> had to whine to people who would understand.
>
> The mall is one of those new designs where every store opens to the
> outside - no more closed in mall where people can go from store to store
> without getting in the heat or cold or rain, etc. No more walking area for
> the elderly.
>
> Navy
> Take out the FISH to email me.
>

[Me]

"DeeTee and Bob Taggart" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:46af9b49$0$4914$[email protected]..
>I found starting a conversation with the store manager works wonders. >

I did the same at Nordstrom's in Seattle. After I tripped trying to get
into the builkding, I got the manager and told him about it. He said the
handicapped entrance was on the other side of the building, to which I
replied, "Please put a sign up. This isn't Macy's." Sign was up two days
later.

> instance, with the JCPenney people, suggest they move the wheelchair
> access booth to the front of the store. Point out the stupidity of having
> to go through the whole store to get it. When our grocery store back in
> Maryland first brought in the electric carts, you had to go inside, walk
> halfway through the store to the Customer Care Counter to get a key and go
> back out to the front of the store to get a cart. Then reverse the process
> when you were finished. I asked to speak to the manager and asked her how
> user friendly was that? She immediately ordered a bag of keys and issued
> them to anyone with a handicapped placard. All I had to do was show her my
> piece of paper that came with the placard and I was issued my own key so I
> could pull up, walk just inside and operate a cart. They also had a clerk
> detailed to go with you to your car and bring the cart back inside using
> his key. It was great. Here, the Kroger has four or five carts just inside
> the door that do not require keys. You just have to hope that they're not
> all out on the floor when you come in.
>
> DeeTee
>
> "Navy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:46ae5710$0$20566$[email protected]..
>> They have recently just built a new humongous mall in my town. I have
>> been out there twice and the handicapped parking is ridiculous. I don't
>> think the designers had any notion of what was needed for the
>> handicapped. At J C Penney's, looking at the front of the store, the
>> handicapped parking is at the extreme right end of the store and the
>> entrance is in the middle. At the movie theater, none is in the parking
>> lot at the front of the movie. No signs show where it is. I asked the
>> person at the ticket window and she said it was over at the side of the
>> building! I won't be going to that mall very often. When we went into
>> Penney's, they only had wheelchairs and would have to take a clerk to
>> push you around if you were there by yourself! Now, that is dumb
>> planning. They could afford a couple of electric carts for that expense!
>> I expressed my dissatisfaction to the manager of the store, but doubt if
>> anything will get fixed. Also, the wheelchairs were all the way to the
>> back at the service counter (yes, the service counter was all the way to
>> the back, no side entrances available). I know nobody here can do
>> anything, but I just had to whine to people who would understand.
>>
>> The mall is one of those new designs where every store opens to the
>> outside - no more closed in mall where people can go from store to store
>> without getting in the heat or cold or rain, etc. No more walking area
>> for the elderly.
>>
>> Navy
>> Take out the FISH to email me.
>>
>
>