"I would also like to have any and all comments, offers of help, suggestions, etc. sent to me at debra.bennett@snet.net."

Here are the survey results, followed by a selection of reader comments:

Q: Handicapped Parking -- What do you think?

• There's too much - 651 (13.5%)
• There's not enough - 733 (15.2%)
• It's fine as it is - 1,425 (29.5%)
• It's an abused privilege - 2,012 (41.7%)

"I am a user of the Handicapped Parking Permit -- and if you were to look at me you would think there is nothing wrong with me. But there is and I have a rare autoimmune disorder and my problem is one you do not physically see. That is why I think the (number of people saying handicapped parking is an abused privilege) is so high. We must remember not all problems are physically seen but they are still there and the need is also. We should not judge as we do not know all that goes on in someone's body." E.G.

"At first I was going to respond with there isn't enough. But the reason there isn't enough is because it's abused. I am 30 years old and have had a hadicapped parking privilege sign for 2 years. I have it because I have severe osteo-arthritis (degenerative arthritis) in my right ankle. There is no cartilage left so when I walk, bone rubs on bone and it is extremely painful. I rarely use the handicapped parking because I usually get nasty looks or even comments about it because I am so young. Not everyone abuses it, but the ones who do ruin it for the rest of us." K.B., Brooklyn

"Firstly, I think your catogory of 'most abused' is too generic. It should be have said something like 'most abused by non-permitted drivers'. Responders to this survey may have associated "not enough" with "abused."

"I myself checked "not enough" because there are not enough. I have found that (in many cases) handicapped parking is off to the side or to the rear and not up front as it should be. I also have found that numerous businesses either have illegal handicapped parking or I am certain nowhere near the legal proportion they should have. By the way, a legal handicapped parking place must have both the space marked on the pavement as well as a sign either in front of the space or a sign with arrows at either end of a row (if you can find a row) designating that series of spaces as handicapped parking.

"Did you ever come across the kind of person who gets aggressive when he or she is confronted and told about them parking without a permit. Or the ones who say, "for just a minute," or "I'll be right out!" or "Who cares!" or "I'm waiting for someone!" But the best is when they get caught and ticketed ... "I left my permit home" or "My Mother's got it in the store!" What a crock!

"Don't people care anymore about anything? And by the way, not just "old people" have these permits -- many young people do, too, and for good reasons. Disabled people are not usually lazy as one of the responders abusively stated; they try very hard to just meet every day's needs and have more drive and ambition than many of today's discourteous and self-centered narcissists. Remember, one day too soon you could very easily become disabled and need a parking permit and space and not due to illness or age or laziness but rather today's hectic and uncaring pace toward all living, caring things." D.M., Stratford

"Everyone over the age of 70 has a handicapped parking permit. These are not what I call handicapped people. They should be ashamed of taking a space that was intended for people with disabilities. Then again, should either of these two groups of people be driving anyway?" A.C.

"I think that there are too few handicapped parking spaces, especially at Trumbull Mall, and also that this privilege is being abused by many who have people in the family that need it but don't need it themselves. Some people think that just because they have the permit they can use the parking spaces at their whim. The system needs to check on the people who they issue the permits to to see if they really need that permit more often than every four years." C.Y.

"I think it is great to have these spaces but I have seen people who are not handicapped park in them. An example: I brought a woman in a wheel chair to the mall and had to park a long ways away because others without handicapped stickers had parked in them ... so those who needed them were out of luck." L.G.

"I disagree with those who say that Handicapped Parking is an abused privilege. Not everyone who has the right to use these spaces appears to be handicapped. My best friend appears to be a healthy 24-year-old ... however she has a severe case of juvenile arthritis which has been present since she was 8 years old. She has a handicapped parking permit because she is often unable to make it more than a few feet into the grocery store before she is able to use the motorized cart that they provide. It is very difficult to obtain these spaces because able-bodied people park in them with little regard for the handicapped person. I have been unable, on several occasions, to take another wheelchair-bound friend shopping because handicapped spaces were not available. It is impossible to maneuver a person out of a car and into a wheelchair in a regular parking space. There is not enough room. Please leave these spaces for those who need them. It won't hurt the rest of us to walk a few extra feet to the entrance of a store. We should be grateful that we are able to walk those few feet when so many are not." R.R.

"I was upset to see the majority vote for "abused privilege" on your handicapped parking survey. Some handicaps are visible to the viewer. However, many are not apparent to the eye and (people who have them) still need to have parking closer to their destination. For example, someone with a muscular disease may have difficulty walking more than 200 feet without having to stop and rest; asthmatics who have difficulty breathing when they have to walk a great distance may need to be closer. Please don't assume that someone without a wheelchair, cane or oxygen tank is not handicapped. The handicapped parking permit must be signed for by a licensed physician and given to the DMV. The abusers are the people who use these designated spaces without a permit and are not caught. D.D.

"The problem with handicapped parking is that everyone in the family of the handicap person feels they can use the permit in any car. What does this accomplish? All it does is give the appearance that the car is allowed to be in the handicap spot. The non-handicapped person doesn't have to walk as far to go to the store. Then when a really handicap person shows up there are no spaces for them. The fines should be severe for people who use handicapped spots and don't have a permit. The fines should be even more severe for people who use handicapped permits fraudulently." Wayne

"I think it is an abused privilege. Sometimes when you go shopping to the supermarket or the mall or anywhere -- it doesn't matter where -- you see the spouse sitting in the car in the handicapped parking space waiting for them to come out of the place. Why can't they park somewhere else if they are waiting for someone and then come around and pick the person up? Why do you have handicapped parking at the mall when you know that all they are going to do is walk around at the mall when shopping, but yet they need to park that close to mall? Please give me a break. If you can't walk then get a wheelchair. I'm pretty sure you're not going to take your 70-year-old grandma who can't walk to the mall or the market with a walker. Also the majority of them are overweight because they do not get enough exercise and they need a handicapped parking space so they don't have to walk that far. No wonder they look like that. Do you think the majority of these people who claim that they are handicapped need to be driving around? Half of them who have the handicapped stickers are not handicapped, they are old people. Does that mean that once you reach a certain age you automatically get a handicapped sticker? They should give handicapped stickers to those who really need that sticker and have an expiration date (limited time only) and then do a re-evaluation to see if the person really needs the sticker. You won't see a lot of people with handicapped stickers if they will raise the fee on the sticker like the way they do when you park on the handicapped space." N.G.

"I am stunned that people think this is an abused privilege. I wonder what they base that assumption on? My mother has osteoporosis and her husband is disabled. She has been given a sticker because her strength is limited and moving a large physically and now mentally disabled man at 71 is not the easiest accomplishment. If anything, there is not enough parking. The public in general should keep in mind that some people may not have an outward sign of disability, however, it may still be a hardship for them to walk a great distance to their automobiles. I am healthy and gladly can walk a few extra feet to make room for someone who needs to be a bit closer. Judging by the "weight" of this country as a whole, I would have to say this entire country could use to walk a few extra feet!" Heidi Mowell

"My, my, my ... aren't we JUDGMENTAL! Just happened upon this survey, and unfortunately read some of the comments that were submitted. Aren't we forgetting whose responsibility it is to make a diagnosis and, if medically necessary, recommend a parking permit. Sometimes permits are issued on a very temporary basis, while other times a longer term may be PRESCRIBED. But, in any case, shouldn't we let the physician make that judgment? We trust our doctors with our lives and the lives of those we love, yet we don't trust them to make an appropriate referral for a medically necessary parking permit? Just doesn't make sense to me. I for one, trust that when a doctor puts his signature on the dotted line of his patient's DMV form, he is making a educated and ethical decision. Who are we to judge?????!!!!!" D.U.

"There are a few that abuse the system. A member of the family may have the handicapped plate, and if a non-handicapped family member drives the car, then parks in the handicapped area -- he/she is an abuser. I'd like to stick a BOZO sticker when I see such a culprit." N.D., Hartford

"If you don't have a sticker or license plate indicating disabled ... photograph the vehicle, ticket, boot or tow, no exceptions. This is a privilege for the disabled, not for the lazy." Willi Lintelmann, Old Saybrook

"What really annoys me is when people without permits think that they're immune to the rules and park in handicapped spots. And have you ever counted how many empty handicapped spots there are? They don't need that many -- not that many people use the spots." M.M.

"I think we all know people who have handicapped placards only because they wanted one. Most of the people I see using the designated spots should probably be walking from the parking area farthest from their destinations. It would most likely be the only exercise they get. I bet if you asked their doctors for a candid opinion, the doctors would say that most of their patients (with the placards) would benefit immensely from the exercise. State statutes allow the Handicapped Parking placards to be issued to those whose ability to walk is "seriously" impaired. The statutes don't mention lazy." J.H., Waterbury

"The handicapped parking permit displays a wheel chair. That's got to be the biggest fraud in the state. There are more seniors parking in handicap parking than disabled vets. The difference is that the disabled vets aren't parking in these special places to go trotting through all levels and corridors of the local mall on two perfectly healthy feet. I can't even remember the last time I saw a handicapped parking space left over for a real handicapped person. The privilege is so abused that it's an insult to anyone trying to overcome the tragedy of a REAL handicap. I even heard of a person getting a sticker for a heart condition. Sounds to me like that individual shouldn't even be behind the wheel! How would you like to meet a heart attack victim head-on? I'd love to see a crackdown on the people who use a permit assigned to someone else. If we cleaned up that act and got rid of the fakers, we probably wouldn't need half the current reserved spaces. Or am I looking at this all wrong: Perhaps Connecticut just has the highest population of disabled persons in the world. Let's redefine the term "handicapped" and slap the wrist of those so-called doctors and politicians who have allowed things to get this far out of hand. Better yet, why don't all of the hypocrites take a good look in the mirror and see if their pride allows a reflection. Fat chance." W.H., Oxford

"You say that this is not a scientific survey ... that's good because it's probably more honest. I am disabled with Multiple Sclerosis and need a walker or electric scooter. I see many people who park in handicapped spots who don't appear to need them. Many have and use relative's permits and if you say anything, you're almost risking bodily injury. I also blame doctors, who under pressure, probably issue the proper paperwork so as not to alienate their patients. Also, there are not enough parking areas or legally marked spots in many areas of my town and the state. It really boils down to people not caring. Thanks for listening." Len, Bloomfield

"The availability of spaces for people with disabilities is not a privilege. It is an accomodation that allows all people to take advantage of our community." Bill Pierce, Southington