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From the
Chicago Tribune:
In the past year, Ryan Peters (pictured) has received almost $400 in parking tickets, money he begrudgingly paid.
While he admits he technically deserved the citations, Peters say he's stuck in an impossible situation.
The 24-year-old, who has spina bifida, teaches and attends classes at Loyola University Chicago's Lake Shore Campus on the city's North Side. Because there is no parking in the school's interior campus, the only school-sanctioned spots are in a parking garage on the south end of the grounds.
The garage is on the opposite side of campus from Peters' classes.
"I'm not trying to be lazy," said Peters, who walks with the aid of crutches. "It's just a really long walk."
So the Chicago resident parks his Toyota Corolla on nearby Loyola Avenue. While the street is just a few steps from Peters' building, it requires a Zone 56 parking sticker. The parking restriction kicks in at 4 p.m., well before Peters leaves many days.
Although he has a handicap license plate, the plate does not exempt him from zoned parking restrictions. Since he does not live in the neighborhood, he is not eligible to receive the Zone 56 permit.
Peters said he spoke to Loyola, which offered to let him park for free in handicap spaces in the garage. He said the gesture was nice but did not help. He said the walk can be laborious on his crutches, and impossible when carrying books.
Peters said he also spoke to his alderman, but the alderman could not help because he does not represent the Loyola area.
The doctoral student said he challenged all of the tickets he received, but his appeals were denied.
"I know the city budget is in the red," he said, but ticketing disabled motorists "just strikes me as exploitative and cruel."
He said he has no alternative but to park on Loyola Avenue.
"It seems unfair ... for the city to punish me for my disability by ticketing me for parking on a street that I must park on in order to go to work," he said in his e-mail to What's Your Problem? "I'm not looking to exploit anything, but just want to be able to attend work like anyone else."
The Problem Solver called the office of Ald. Joe Moore (49th), which oversees residential parking Zone 56, and the city clerk's office.
Within days, those two offices spoke to each other and worked out a solution.
Kristine Williams, spokeswoman for City Clerk Miguel Del Valle, said Peters must receive an exemption letter from Moore that will allow the clerk to issue daily guest passes.
Moore's office said it could issue the letter immediately. Peters plans to obtain the letter Wednesday.
He will then present the letter to the clerk's office. When he does, the clerk's office will sell him 15 zoned guest passes for $8. Williams said Peters can order future passes online.
With the passes, Peters can legally park along Loyola Avenue, even after 4 p.m.
"It's great," he said. And at less than 50 cents a pass, it will save him money.
"It's a lot cheaper than getting parking tickets," he said.
From the Chicago Tribune:
