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SAWHORSE
Many Oak Ridge businesses violating ADA laws
http://www.oakridger.com/letter/x1260498046/Many-Oak-Ridge-businesses-violating-ADA-laws
Posted May 08, 2012 @ 04:43 PM
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. —
To the Editor:
Recently, I was driving around Administration Road. I randomly chose a business just to see if they had addressed the packet mailed to many of the Oak Ridge businesses dealing with civil rights laws dealing with handicap parking for just wheelchair users in Oak Ridge. The Community Planning Development Department (did the first part of their job). They mailed the packet to the owner, who lives in Houston, Texas. All over Oak Ridge, you see businesses in operation that are violating handicap parking laws passed by the state to correct inadequacies in federal laws.
You would think that there would be follow up.
Several questions arise:
1. Why should someone who does not live in Oak Ridge give a hoot about this city and its laws.
2. The county collects taxes but does enforce ADA Civil Rights laws pertaining to handicap parking laws at businesses.
3. The city of Oak Ridge collects property taxes but are not enforcing ADA civil rights laws, pertaining to handicap parking laws at businesses.
4. The state is collecting taxes via a business license but are not enforcing ADA laws pertaining to handicap parking laws.
5. The federal government collects taxes that created these laws but they are even manipulating the present laws to weaken the enforcement.
The state passed a wheelchair law in 2010 dealing with adding a loading zone for unloading wheelchairs and in 2008, it added wording to be placed on signs so that a disabled person can easily spot parking spaces for wheelchair users, and wording to help prosecute violators, provided someone enforces these laws correctly.
And this was to occur when signage and restriping and poles were replaced. The hospital did this but it reverted back to the old federal government signage.
All businesses are required to provide a wheelchair accessible parking space, properly stripped, signed with a 7-foot pole visible over any vehicle parked in the space and a 96-inch loading zone.
Now, I feel that I should add a disclaimer -- I was not personally involved in making or writing any of these laws. I just try to park in these spaces, and I pay for the right.
Lee Roy Gilliam
Oak Ridge
http://www.oakridger.com/letter/x1260498046/Many-Oak-Ridge-businesses-violating-ADA-laws
Posted May 08, 2012 @ 04:43 PM
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. —
To the Editor:
Recently, I was driving around Administration Road. I randomly chose a business just to see if they had addressed the packet mailed to many of the Oak Ridge businesses dealing with civil rights laws dealing with handicap parking for just wheelchair users in Oak Ridge. The Community Planning Development Department (did the first part of their job). They mailed the packet to the owner, who lives in Houston, Texas. All over Oak Ridge, you see businesses in operation that are violating handicap parking laws passed by the state to correct inadequacies in federal laws.
You would think that there would be follow up.
Several questions arise:
1. Why should someone who does not live in Oak Ridge give a hoot about this city and its laws.
2. The county collects taxes but does enforce ADA Civil Rights laws pertaining to handicap parking laws at businesses.
3. The city of Oak Ridge collects property taxes but are not enforcing ADA civil rights laws, pertaining to handicap parking laws at businesses.
4. The state is collecting taxes via a business license but are not enforcing ADA laws pertaining to handicap parking laws.
5. The federal government collects taxes that created these laws but they are even manipulating the present laws to weaken the enforcement.
The state passed a wheelchair law in 2010 dealing with adding a loading zone for unloading wheelchairs and in 2008, it added wording to be placed on signs so that a disabled person can easily spot parking spaces for wheelchair users, and wording to help prosecute violators, provided someone enforces these laws correctly.
And this was to occur when signage and restriping and poles were replaced. The hospital did this but it reverted back to the old federal government signage.
All businesses are required to provide a wheelchair accessible parking space, properly stripped, signed with a 7-foot pole visible over any vehicle parked in the space and a 96-inch loading zone.
Now, I feel that I should add a disclaimer -- I was not personally involved in making or writing any of these laws. I just try to park in these spaces, and I pay for the right.
Lee Roy Gilliam
Oak Ridge
