Bill Would Mandate New Parking Lots Use ‘Dynamic’ Handicap Sign
Sponsor: ‘We don’t have to use the stick figures anymore’
State Rep. Beau LaFave says he has a $70,000 prosthetic leg that is considered by the state to be a motor vehicle. The leg has a computer, battery and a hydraulic system. The Republican from Iron Mountain said that technically, he needs a driver’s license to operate it on the street.
LaFave, whose left leg is missing from the knee and below, cites his status when explaining why he’s interested in changing the image shown on handicap parking signs in this state. The state of New York did something similar in 2014.
The first-term legislator has introduced two bills to replace the traditional stick-figure handicap symbol with a what they describe as a more dynamic image. The first bill would require the state Civil Rights Commission to adopt a logo depicting “a dynamic character leaning forward in a wheelchair with a sense of movement.” The proposal would specifically prohibit the sign from having the word “handicapped,” or any other words.
The second bill would require all new parking lots in the state to use the design on signs for handicapped-accessible parking spots, and existing lots to use them when current signs are replaced.
The handicap symbol with a wheelchair currently used in most places – now called the International Symbol of Access – was created in 1968. LaFave said it was intended to allow signs to be made with just a stencil and spray paint.
“We don’t have to use the stick figures anymore and we can make it look like a human being that is doing something,” LaFave said. “As it looks right now, it’s just like someone is just sitting there doing nothing.”
LaFave said there would be no additional costs to making the transition. “If you are going to redo your parking lot, you have to get new signs anyway,” LaFave said. “The colors aren’t changing. It’s a different logo.”
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
Follow us on social media!
Push back on big government “solutions” by becoming
City Denies Alcohol License to Restaurant it Doesn’t Like
Royal Oak officials discriminate against fast food restaurant
A city in Michigan is denying an alcohol license to a restaurant, apparently because government officials don’t like the style of service and type of food offered there.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Royal Oak city officials voted to deny an alcohol license to a Taco Bell Cantina “after police expressed opposition.”
But the Taco Bell Cantina is locally owned — it’s just a franchise of Taco Bell. The “cantina” brand is an intentional effort to give the restaurant more of a local feel, and it has been rolled out in large cities throughout the U.S.
The attorney for the owners of the Taco Bell Cantina in Royal Oak said they had planned to serve craft beer and liquor from local brewers and distillers. The location had been vacant for nearly four years, but the restaurant invested $750,000 to develop it and hired 20 employees. If the license had been approved, they planned to hire 20 more.
When city officials decide who gets a liquor license, they should not discriminate based on their personal opinions about the food or atmosphere of the restaurant. If a legal business or individual follows the proper procedures, government rules should be fair to everyone. And if city officials feel they need to protect local residents from substandard food, they should rest assured that market competition has been providing that service very well for centuries.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
Love CapCon?
The best way you can help support our work is to become a donor. Give monthly or one-time. What do you say — buy our reporters a cup of coffee?
Have a coffee on me! Already a supporter
More From CapCon