Residents Claim UCLA Students Illegally Using Disabled Parking Placards
WESTWOOD (CBS) — The illegal use of disabled parking placards is at the center of controversy in a Westwood neighborhood near the UCLA campus.
Residents on Hilgard Avenue have been complaining that able-bodied students are using the handicapped placards to park where they're not supposed to and many say they can't even park in front of their homes.
"There are times where there's 20 to 30 cars parked in a row with disabled placards," said one man who wished to remain anonymous. "I've been threatened several times."
He recently posted a YouTube video showing police having a car towed away for what he says was illegal use of a disabled parking placard.
Louisa Hodge, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, says that UCLA has confirmed that at least one vehicle was towed for this reason.
One area resident, a 94-year-old woman, tells Hodge, that some students have even asked her to get them the disabled parking placards.
Since July, UCLA issued 62 placard-related citations on campus and the Department of Transportation says it's a statewide problem that just continues to grow.
The LAPD has been notified of the potential abuses and may set up a sting operation to catch drivers.
