Another verse.

Location: Nora Cafe/State Farm Insurance Parking slots 12333 Strickland Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

Today 9/22/2022 at about 0830 hr a male drive parked in one of the two the Handicap parking spaces. reserved for wheelchair access. His vehicle was a grey SUV. He displayed no Handicap parking placard. He displayed no physical impairment while walking and negotiating the steps prior to entering the Nora Cafe. As I left Nora's exterior seating the male was still sitting at the table he had been occupying with an apparent associate. I failed to obtain his vehicle's license tag number.

Nora's Handicap population has decrease by two customers. So these observations are not as critical at the moment. I will continue to monitor as I sip coffee.

I think the biggest factor is that I have been arriving and leaving 30-45 minutes earlier the over the last week. Of course Ian may have had a bit to do with the reduced incidents as well. It was real slow overall at Nora's for four days.

Well we had a winner today, 10/06 starting around 0800 hr. We had two separate vehicles that were parked in one of the Nora-State Farm handicap parking slots. No placards were ever displayed. One was there for about thirty minutes before leaving. The second was there for at least thirty minutes. I left prior to this vehicle departing. Neither of the drivers exhibited any difficulty negotiating the steps leading to Nora's main entrance. Neither used the handicap ramp. One of these individuals has been previously observed occupying a table with an associate.

Cell photos were taken only of the front end of both vehicles.

After having made some progress it was observed that a black BMW sedan pulled into one of the two Nora - State Farm handicap parking slots at the address of the original. This observation began at roughly Tuesday 0930 hr November 29, 2022. The driver exited the vehicle entered Nora's cafe exited, engaged in a long celluar call, reentered Nora's. The driver returned to his vehicle and left at approximately 1000 hr. No handicap parking placard was displayed.

The vehicle and drive reappeared Wednesday at approximately the same time. Because both handicap parking slots were already occupied, the driver parked in a regular slot some distance away.

This morning, 12/01/2022, at roughly 0845 hr a gray Nissan small SUV pulled into one of the two handicap parking slots at Nora-State Farm (same location as the original report). A couple exited the vehicle and entered Nora's Cafe. No handicap parking placard was displayed. The vehicle had a standard NC license plate. Subsequently the second handicap parking slot was filled with a vehicle displaying a handicap parking placard.

The couple was still socializing at Nora's at just past 1000 hr. During that interval at least one known handicap person had to locate standard parking and negotiate the parking lot.

This rainy-day morning, Wednesday Dec 06, 2022, while enjoying a coffee session from 0830 to 1000 AM it was observed that three vehicles utilized the Handicap Parking spaces previously without displaying a Handicap Parking placard/ license. All three drivers did not exhibit any infirmity and elected to navigation the steps while avoiding the slopped ramp to Nora's main entrance.

Photographs are available to document the date time stamp.

Date-Time Feb 3 0859 hours
Location Handicap Parking Spaces as reported previously

The driver of the vehicle shown in the attached photograph parked in the marked wheel chair access region between the two handicap spaces (already occupied by vehicles displaying handicap placards).

The original thought regarding this particular observation was "a fellow disabled Veteran needed help". The various coffee groups which gather in Nora's Studio have a history of welcoming fragile vets and individuals in a friendly non-judgemental peer group manner. The "veteran in need of gentle assistance" observation was strengthened by a decal from one of the Service Academies.

As such a welcoming greeting was extended the driver. The driver had been engaged in a cellular call for some period of time. The driver explained that the car+decal previously belonged a family relation who had given the car to driver. The driver had no service connection. "Have a nice day" farewells were exchanged.

Coffee drinking resumed with an "old well".

Note the license plate number of the vehicle involved is available upon request.

Date: Mar 3 2023
Location Handicap Parking Spaces as reported previously

Friday a vehicle was parked in the handicap parking at about 9:15 AM. The parking slot occupied by this vehicle was the only one available at the time in the immediate vicinity. The driver placed what appeared to be a Handicap Placard under the rearview mirror.

The driver exiting the vehicle did not use the handicap walkway. Instead that individual walk along the sidewalk engaged in a cellular call and did not need assistance or the railing to negotiated the steps leading to that individual's destination within Nora's Cafe.

At about 9:20 AM another individual with a valid NC Handicap Placard was forced to search for a standard parking space and negotiate a walk from that space.

The vehicle remained parked there until at least 10:30 AM when the individual documenting the observation, IDO, departed the Nora parking area. As the IDO departed it was observed that the vehicle being reported displayed a non-standard Handicap Placard. The Handicap Placard did not appear to be sanctioned by the state associated with the license on the vehicle. It definitely was not a NC sanctioned Handicap Placard.

Note that on 3/04/2023 the same vehicle was parked in a standard parking slot nearer the Nora Cafe entrance. The time of the observation was about 9:00 AM when the parking and coffee shop was no as busy as the previous day. There was one Handicap Parking space available as well at that time.

An enlarged view of the Handicap Placard that was displayed on 3/03/02023 will be posted as well shortly.

The attached image is an enlarged view of the cell phone photo taken on 3/03/2023.

Let's keep it open for a bit longer. Due to personal issues there has been no opportunity to casual observe the parking habits of the general customer population for most of March.

No Fooling: April 1, 2023 at 9:32AM

It seems that Tesla drivers may be except from having to observe NC Handicap Parking regulations. If so then it is another benefit of owning an EV.

Otherwise it is the same song as usual.

FAZ is back visiting Noras again (8:56 AM Apr 7, 2023). Once again the handicap placard display does not seem to be a standard placard. See the enlarged cell phone photo taken Mar 3 given above for that date. The driver and passenger exited the vehicle without apparently any assistance or obvious impairment.

FAZ still displays the "racing" style handicap placard.

Here is an example of the "racing" style that FAZ displays.

Seems like a good idea to keep it open for a bit longer.

Once again the waters are not safe. Please continue to keep this issue open.

This morning, Friday 05/05/2023, at about 0830 hr at the Nora Cafe-State Farm handicap parking there was a black Denali SUV parked in the "lined" wheelchair space between the two handicap parking spaces. That vehicle made it impossible to use the handicap ramp. Because of the manner in which it was parked it made one of the two handicap spaces unavailable for usage. An attempt to capture a cellphone photo was aborted due to issues booting-up the phone.

A little after 0915 at the BJ Retail Store in Brier Creek it was observed that three of the handicap space were being filled by vehicles which did not display appropriate NC Handicap Parking placards or handicap licenses plates. So Nora's -State Farm is not the hotbed of disregard of posted handicap parking regulations.

The city/state should consider setting-up an administrative system similar to the intersection cameras, such that someone like the the parking meter patrol documents infractions and a bill is sent against the vehicle's owner shortly after the documented event occurs. Then link that documented incident to the license plate history at renewal time.

Still active issue.

This morning June 10 at about 0915 hr, a white Ford Flex vehicle pulled into an unoccupied handicap parking slot at the Nora-State Farm previously described above. The second handicap slot was already occupied. The driver exited and purchased a couple of items from Nora Cafe. Driver then remained in that handicap parking slot apparently consuming a part of her purchase while apparently conduction some type of cell phone transaction. This behavior last approximately a half hour. Near the end of that time that the Flex driver occupied the space, a severely handicap individual cruised the parking lot looking for a parking with access to the handicap ramp. As the Flex driver eventually pulled-out, the severely handicap driver pulled into the vacated space.

My cellphone was left at home this morning for charging. Otherwise the observation would have been visually documented.

Nice Morning at Nora's Cafe. At about 0949 the vehicle shown in the attached photograph entered the handicap parking slot. At no time that the vehicle was parked there (about an hour) was a handicap placard displayed. There was no handicap license plate displayed.

Let's keep it alive for now.

With school about to begin the "Moms" will return to their normal routines.

Here is a photo take at about 0830 July 30. It was a busy morning at Nora's today. There was no handicap placard displayed or handicap license observed when the driver final departed at about 0900.

Let's keep it open until at least the end of SEP 2023

Let's keep this one alive through the end of the year. The mis-usage of the handicap parking slots continues unabated.

Date: 11/15/2023
Location: Harris Teeter 8345 Creedmoor Rd Raleigh, NC 27613

Here is a slightly different observation of disregarding handicap parking regulations. This time it was the handicap access slot between two valid handicap parking slots. The driver left the vehicle running. The driver exited the vehicle. The driver dashed to the store just after my wife entered. That driver then returned to at about the same time that my wife did ($35 plus in groceries carrying six items).

The drive of the vehicle parked in handicap access slot displayed no placard or license indicating any handicap documentation. The driver may have had a mental, emotion, or blindness that was not obvious from the dash-in and the dash-out of the Harris Teeter. The driver was dressed in a workout/exercising mode so the drive might have been late for an exercise session.

The City of Raleigh is missing-out on a revenue generating opportunity. Between the handicap parking disregard at Nora's and the Harris Teeter the City has an apparent gold mine.

Attached you shall find an instance of disregard for handicap parking regulations that was observed Nov 20 at North Hill Mall (slots near the Quail Ridge Bookstore). In this instance a small group of women were "loading" an SUV from the access slot between two Handicap Parking slots. This vehicle essential consumed both parking space.

Attached you shall find an instance of disregard for handicap parking regulations that was observed Nov 21 at the Nora Cafe-State Farm handicap parking slots. This appears to be a rather bothersome instance since an elderly couple one one of whom was in a wheel chair was required to negotiate in the rain to the "ramp" between the offender and a valid handicap parked vehicle. The challenge was in avoiding the "heavy" cafe customer traffic that played-out during the ordeal.

The driver of the white pickup did not display any handicap parking placard. She did use the stairs immediately in front of Nora Cafe during her journey and wait to "purchase two cups of coffee and a pastry".

It is understood that in will never be possible cite each instance of disregard for handicap parking regulations, but the City of Raleigh is overlooking a valid source of revenue. Alternately, should consider the business site parking requirements hogwash and of no value to the general public. That would allow Mayor MA Baldwin to put more money into the "highly successful (not)" bike lanes program.

Here is a photo of a red pickup whose driver disregarded handicap parking regulations Nov 24, 2023 at the Nora Cafe - State Farm parking lot. Just another wasted revenue generating event for the City of Raleigh.

Let's keep this open into 2024.

Oh well.