Handicapped Spots on Residential Streets?

"Cheryl Short's knee problems started in the fourth grade and, now at 40 years old, the problems have only grown worse through the decades.

Short is disabled by a degenerative cartilage disease. In both knees, she said the cartilage is almost totally gone, forcing her to have two surgeries in as many years."

"Now, the High Street resident is looking for City Council approval to create a handicap parking spot in front of her home to make everyday chores such as grocery shopping and laundry - tasks that can be problematic - easier endeavors.

"There are times I don't go out because I know I'm not going to get a parking space (when I return)," she said, adding that a handicap spot "would mean more freedom to be able to live."

The proposal is now before the council's Public Safety Committee, where it is sponsored by Councilor Greg Earls, the councilor for Ward 2, where Short lives. The committee will meet about and could vote on the matter July 30, said Steve Hutcheson, chairman of the committee.

But what may seem like an easy decision to help a Newburyport resident is complicated by city regulations."