Police car in disabled parking space sparks furious debate
Why this photo of a police car parked on the road leads to outrage: ‘This is really disappointing’
- Reddit user sees police car in disabled parking lot
- They say the police voted in the NSW state election
- Expresses disappointment as ‘handicapped’
A police car spotted in a disabled parking space has sparked a furious debate among social media users.
The vehicle broke down in an area reserved for the disabled in Mascot, a southern Sydney suburb, with many beating the officer.
The photo was posted online by a Reddit user with the caption, “Police park in a handicapped spot so they can vote in Mascot.” Where should I complain?’
The user confirmed that they had seen the officers park in space to vote early for the upcoming NSW state election on Saturday.
“I have no problem with them voting the clock, I do have a problem with them having to park in a handicapped spot,” the user wrote.
A Reddit user has expressed frustration at seeing a police car parked in a handicapped spot so the officers could cast an early vote in the NSW state election
“They still have 5 days to vote, even if they can’t find time if they don’t work, at least they can wait until they don’t disadvantage a disabled person.
“As a disabled person, this is really disappointing.”
Another user defended the action.
“Undoubtedly, emergency services would probably be better off parking in easily accessible locations,” they wrote.
“I agree that a disabled spot sounds a little shy, but you wouldn’t want them to have to rush to floor 4 of a nearby multi-story parking garage to answer an urgent call, such as a domestic violence response.”
‘On the issue of voting – as a healthcare worker who often works 7 days in a row I get the need to just vote when you can as an election day over the weekend isn’t really suitable for shift workers.
“Even a full week of early voting won’t help if you work 12 hours a day for a week.”
However, not everyone was convinced by this reasoning.
‘There is open parking behind and in front of the disabled parking area lol. They just had to pull forward 5 meters,” another user commented.
Another was also less convinced.
“If that’s the case when their time is so precious that they can’t make a 30 second walk to the car and have no way of taking it off duty due to roster scheduling, they should have a letter vote,” they argued.
“They shouldn’t make their disorganization a problem for disabled citizens.
It is my understanding that unless they respond to an emergency, parking in handicapped parking spaces is not possible.’
NSW law states that restrictions on emergency vehicles, such as police cars, parking in disabled spaces do not apply where the driver is reasonably careful and it is ‘reasonable’ that the provision does not apply.
NSW police have been contacted for comment.