CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago resident is experiencing frustration while attempting to secure a disabled parking spot in front of her residence. She emphasizes that the spot is crucial for her husband, who has a disability and requires convenient access to their home.
Bridget Vann recounted that she completed the application process in December. However, she was informed by the city of Chicago that there could be a waiting period of up to a year before a disabled parking spot can be allocated in front of her residence.
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For Vann, parking in front of her Brainerd neighborhood home is not just a convenience.
Vann said it will be a necessity for her husband, when he returns from the hospital after being in a tragic car crash.
“Right now, he’s not able to walk. But hopefully, you know, that issue will be resolved with, you know, surgeries, therapy,” Vann said.
Although the property includes a detached garage, Vann explained that it is too distant, and her husband’s vehicle is unable to fit inside it. Therefore, the necessity for a designated parking space closer to their home’s entrance is evident.
“I filled the application out at the beginning of December, and sent in the money order they asked for: $70. And I called to get an update, to find out, and they weren’t even able to tell me if they had received it yet because it takes four to six weeks to process the application,” Vann said.
Then, she said a city representative told her the entire approval and installation process through the Department of Finance and the Chicago Department of Transportation could take even longer: up to a year.
“Six months to a year: I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe it,” Vann said.
The city of Chicago says it installs more than 1,300 disabled parking locations each year, but says the process involves multiple steps, including site evaluations and City Council approval.
The city also told the I-Team, “The City of Chicago is committed to processing applications for Residential Disabled Parking as quickly as possible,” but “The full process of obtaining a Residential Disabled Parking Sign may take up to six months or more due to the multiple steps and approvals required by City code.”
“That’s ridiculous. I mean, that’s for two signs to be, you know, installed in front of a home,” Vann said.
The city also blames the delays on administrative processing and high demand.
After the I-Team got involved, Vann says a surveyor came out to inspect, but she was initially denied the spot because of that detached garage. So, she’s appealing.
“I feel kind of let down. It hurts,” Vann said.
Vann says her mother had a city-approved disabled spot in front of the same home decades ago. So, she still has hope that she’ll get approved.
The city encourages anyone who has been denied to request a review through the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.
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