In the rush to blame parking woes on disability placard abuse, we risk blaming anyone who uses a disability placard. The Examiner’s Aug. 7 story (“Placard cheaters run ‘rampant’”) left out the facts that one in five San Francisco residents has a disability, and one in 20 has a disability placard.

While many people assume disability means a wheelchair or a white cane, actually the vast majority of physical disabilities are not visible — including heart or lung diseases, neurological problems, arthritis, HIV and a host of other chronic illnesses. Ask anyone who has a hidden disability and who uses a placard how frequently they have been publicly scolded or accosted while parking. You’ll get some good stories there.

While we need to find effective methods to reduce the illegitimate use of placards, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency staff has been looking for approaches that will not create a backlash against the disability community. By the way, MTA doubled the number of placards confiscated from 2006 to 2007.

Susan Mizner, Director, Mayor’s Office on Disability

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San Francisco

The Examiner undercut the impact of the Aug. 7 story about abuse of disability parking placards by printing a man-on-the-street quote from someone who focused on the cost to park and not on the rights of access. When there is a story about a problem for people with disabilities, you should get reader comment from a person with a disability. It’s also worth noting you made no mention of the civil grand jury report issued in June 2007 — specifically about problems with blue placard abuse. It’s been more than a year, with no action by MTA on this.

Bob Planthold

San Francisco

No crash penalties

Jeanette Molex, the Muni driver who rear-ended another streetcar after being warned by a supervisor that she was following too closely, knew that whatever actions she took would be defended by Transportation Workers Union 250-A. She would not be held responsible for any injuries her actions caused on the occupants of both streetcars, and she would not be held responsible for the damages she caused to both vehicles in the crash.

She should have been fired on the spot, especially after having ignored a command to keep her distance from any vehicles in front of her. Instead, she is receiving full salary, will probably retain her position and perhaps will get a raise.

William Cozby

San Francisco

Transit benefits help us all

Mandates in general are onerous for businesses, but even the Chamber of Commerce agreed this one was a winner for everybody. I’m referring to the new mandate that city employers of 20 or more must assist their workers in obtaining transit or vanpool benefits. The least costly of the three options is the commute check program, which many Bay Area employers already subscribe to.

Everyone wins with this one: The employer saves on payroll taxes, the worker gets reduced transit costs, and Bay Area transit agencies will likely see more revenue from increased ridership.

However, the biggest winner is all of us. More people riding public transit will mean less global warming, less air pollution, less traffic congestion and even lowered energy prices from reduced demand as commuters trade their cars for the bus.

Irvin Dawid

Palo Alto

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