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Fire lane parkers should be ticketed
I do a lot of driving around town and have noticed a couple of problem areas. One particularly bad place is at the Jackson Plaza. I photographed several vehicles parked in the fire lane there to run with last week's story in which Chief Charles Burge stated that violators would be given warnings then eventually ticketed. I am glad to see this action being taken, but obviously some people missed last week's article or are just ignoring the warning. I don't really care which is the case, parking in the fire lanes needs to stop, period. The safety issues are the main reason for the law that requires that all buildings 150 feet or more from the street have fire lanes. This allows fire trucks and firefighters easier access to the building should it catch fire. I talked with Fire Chief Neal Bradley last week and a couple of firefighters who stated that there was an incident some years ago when firefighters had trouble gaining access to Pic N Sav when a fire was reported in one of the restrooms. The fire lanes are there for a reason. If it were my business, I would be highly upset about illegal parking in the fire lane. The police department would tire of me calling until people learned that such actions would not be tolerated. I have actually seen those illegally parking in front of some of these businesses block the handicap access ramp leading onto the sidewalks. That in itself is an altogether different violation. What if there were a fire and someone who was disabled was denied access to that ramp? Bet those who are guilty of parking in front of it never thought of it that way. Often people don't think about their actions prior to something bad happening. As long as they think they aren't hurting anyone, why should it matter? It matters because it could cause someone else harm. That's why. Safety should be the concern of all citizens, as well as adhering to the laws. I cannot stress enough the need for all motorists to stop parking in the fire lanes and avoid being ticketed. It doesn't matter whether or not you are parked there, sitting inside the vehicle with the motor running. You are still violating the law. Dropping someone out at the front door does not constitute parking, as long as when they exit the vehicle the driver finds a designated parking spot in which to park. There are a number of situations that constitute this, mainly concerning disabled or physically challenged people. But, you still can't park there.
I will be on the lookout for violators of this law during the next few weeks, so don't be surprised if a photo of your illegally parked vehicle ends up in The South Alabamian. Keep in mind we all have a responsibility to be safe and law-abiding citizens.
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