Handicapped Parking At Ball Games

SO HOW MANY HANDICAPPED SPACES DOES ISOTOPES PARK HAVE? That’s what Mary Booker wanted to know after attending a Saturday night game.

She emails that on May 5, “my husband, (who is) handicapped, and I went to the Isotopes game. I was astounded to find out there are only six spaces each on the west and south lots adjacent to the park. I had to drop off my husband and then find a place to park on the lot across the street.”

She asks that the Isotopes management “please re-visit the need for more spaces. We can never see a complete game because traffic after the game would preclude a pick-up. Are 12 spaces reasonable for 13,000 fans? I don’t think so.”

Neither do the ‘Topes. That’s why they have 200 parking spaces reserved for handicapped parking.

John Traub, the team’s general manager, says Mary was given some incorrect information. “We are very sensitive to the needs and demands for handicapped parking and, in fact, have more spaces than are required by ADA.”

That would be “200 spots in Lots A, B, and C — the three lots on the stadium property itself.”

In addition, Traub says, “we have also added an additional 52 spots for handicapped parking in the University of New Mexico lot south of Isotopes Park.

“If all the handicapped spots are taken in our lots that are specially on site,” Traub says, “we certainly welcome fans to drop off their passengers at the stadium and then move their cars across the street (to one of the $5 paid lots). That’s been the procedure since we started, and it has worked very well.

“This was a situation in which, unfortunately, some information did not get relayed appropriately to the fan. Mrs. Booker seemed quite appreciative of our conversation and my explanation about the number of spots and how we try our best to accommodate fans needing handicapped parking.”

MAKE SURE YOUR SEAT IS ADJUSTED FOR YOUR AIRBAG: AAA, AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association are offering seniors a free, 20-minute evaluation of their vehicles Saturday.

The focus of this first New Mexico CarFit clinic is to ensure drivers are sitting where they should — prior clinics in 10 other cities have found drivers sit too close to the steering wheel, which can increase injury from a deployed airbag, and do not have a clear line of sight over the steering wheel, which can cause dangerous visibility issues.

Trained technicians will also check driver foot position in relation to gas and brake pedals to limit leg fatigue and slower reaction times, and mirror settings to minimize blind spots.

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot behind St. Stephens United Methodist Church, 4601 Juan Tabo NE, one block north of Montgomery. Call 830-3096 to reserve a slot.

TWENTY-FOUR ROAD DEATHS IN APRIL: Of those killed on New Mexico’s roads last month, 17 were in vehicles, five were on motorcycles, one was on a bike and one was on foot.

Alcohol was a factor in at least four of the deaths; from January through April, it has played a role in 44 percent of the state’s 122 road fatalities.

Just 30 of the 82 people killed in motor vehicles to date have been buckled in; only two of the 15 people killed on motorcycles this year were wearing a helmet.

Assistant editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays and West Siders and Rio Ranchoans on Thursdays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103; or go to ABQjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.
— This article appeared on page A4 of the Albuquerque Journal