Is scrapping the disabled parking system the answer? That’s what Toronto city councillor Howard Moscoe thinks is the answer to ending abuse of the system. Isn’t that a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water? Will we next move to end welfare because we know that there are some people who abuse it? Howard Moscoe also wants the disabled to pay for parking in metered street parking spaces.

 The reality is that no matter what system we put in place there are always going to be people who figure out how to beat the system. Mr. Moscoe will never see any system that is free of abuse. The reality is that many disabled people are already financially disadvantaged and on fixed incomes.

 There are currently 470,000 permits in Ontario. In spite of Mr. Moscoe’s rhetoric neither he nor anyone else has any hard data showing how many permits are being abused. He has estimated that the city is losing 3 million dollars in revenue as a result of bogus permits. Unless we have privy to someone’s medical data we have no way of knowing if they are truly disabled. Someone may look able bodied to you, but may have heart, lung, or vascular problems, validating the issuing of the permit. It seems to me that if the city wants to make up a potential loss of 3 million dollars that they can find a better way to do it than on the backs of the disabled.

 To read more about this issue please follow the link below.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/181018

 Do you think that we should scrap disabled parking, institute a fee structure, or leave it as it is?