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Board hears residents, providers complain about widespread misuse of handicap placards
Summary
Residents and service providers told the Lawrence Board of Health that handicap placards are being abused, creating parking shortages; speakers said eligibility is set by state rules and suggested contacting the state motor-vehicle registry and city council for changes.
During new business on March 10, several providers and residents raised concerns that handicap placards are being misused in Lawrence, crowding curb-space and preventing people with mobility needs from finding on-street parking.
Speakers described frequent requests for placards at provider offices, examples of apparently able-bodied drivers using placard spaces, and what they called casual or transactional use of placards when dropping off relatives. One provider said they see five or six applicants daily seeking placards for parking convenience.
Board participants noted that state rules define eligibility categories (examples read during the meeting included conditions such as severe congestive heart failure, inability to walk 200 feet without assistance, blindness and amputation) and that the city does not independently change those eligibility standards. Multiple attendees suggested the board or city government send a formal communication to the state motor-vehicle registry and that ordinance or parking-enforcement changes would require city-council or ordinance-committee action.
Enforcement options were discussed but participants flagged legal limits: parking-enforcement officers generally cannot challenge a displayed placard on its face, and local ticketing strategies have constraints. Speakers proposed discussing the issue with the city’s parking enforcement team and pursuing city-council review to address curb-space allocation on thickly settled streets.
Outcome: the board agreed to include discussion of parking and handicap-placard concerns on future agendas and to consider coordinating with the city’s enforcement and ordinance authorities for next steps.
