1.26.2001 08:23
Panel: City must do more for disabled
The Governor's Commission on Disabilities says Providence lags in enforcement of handicapped-parking laws.
By EDWARD FITZPATRICK
Journal State House Bureau
The Governor's Commission on Disabilities yesterday continued pressuring Providence to enforce handicapped-parking laws.
The city has submitted a plan for improving enforcement, but commission members said Providence's one-page plan is incomplete, "minimalist" and more than eight months late.
The commission began focusing on Providence last month when the panel's executive secretary, Bob Cooper, toured downtown, finding 10 apparent handicapped-parking violations in little more than an hour. One apparent scofflaw was parked in front of the city police station and was boxed in by two double-parked police cars.
"They are the largest city in the state and have more handicapped spots than any other municipality, so they shouldn't just do what's adequate," said Scott A. Greco, chairman of the commission's Disability Parking Committee, which met yesterday morning in Cranston. "They should be a little more creative and take the forefront on handicapped-parking enforcement."
Providence police defend their performance, saying they issued 2,400 tickets for handicapped-parking violations and collected $179,000 in fines last year.
In a report submitted Monday, Patrolman Michael A. Matracia said the city is working on a "tip line" that people could call to report handicapped-parking violations. The city is creating a map identifying the number and location of handicapped-parking spots in Providence, and plans call for erecting signs and painting curbs blue to mark those spots, the report said.
Matracia is the liaison between the Police Department and Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. and provides "executive security for the mayor," according to his business card.
One commission member questioned why "the mayor's bodyguard" is handling the matter, but another said it will probably help to have Cianci's office involved.
"Providence has the potential to become a destination for tourists with disabilities," Cooper said yesterday. "But if those tourists and people running tours find all our disability spaces filled all the time, it'll have a reputation of not being that friendly."
In 1999, the General Assembly passed a law requiring municipalities and state agencies to come up with plans for improving handicapped-parking enforcement. The deadline for submitting the plans to the commission was April 1, 2000. Providence and Barrington were the last to submit their plans. Yesterday, the commission approved Barrington's plan, and sent Providence's plan back for revision.
While prodding Providence, the Disability Parking Committee praised East Providence for its efforts.
In East Providence, volunteers take photographs of cars parked illegally in handicapped spots and fill out affidavits that are presented to municipal court. The volunteers are graduates of the East Providence Citizens Police Academy, and the head of the alumni association, Barbara Pagano, said she wants to promote similar programs in other communities.
Most municipalities rely solely on police officers to enforce handicapped-parking laws, Pagano noted. "But if they are busy, they can't do it," she told the committee. "That's why a group like ours is invaluable. So I want to see this go beyond East Providence."
Greco, who represents the AFL-CIO on the disabilities commission, urged Pagano to touch base with police unions about the idea. But, he said, "We are extremely proud of the East Providence plans. We wish the city of Providence put that effort into it."
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The Governor's Commission on Disabilities says Providence lags in enforcement of handicapped-parking laws.