Pedestrian using guide dog shares infuriating experience with outrageous parking trend: 'The arrogance … blows my mind'

Someone just trying to go about their day was thwarted by unsafe conditions on a sidewalk.

During a walk with their guide dog, Elwin, they came across five vehicles and two trailers parked on a sidewalk.

The arrogance to use the sidewalk like this blows my mind.
byu/Anforas infuckcars

"This is frustrating to me as someone who's visually impaired because, as you'll see here, they have space in their construction site to park, but they chose to park on the sidewalk," the person said in a 54-second video they shared on r/f***cars.

Above the video, they wrote, "The arrogance to use the sidewalk like this blows my mind."

Already pushed onto a strip of grass — which, with a curb, provided the only protection from a roadway with fast-moving cars — the poster noted the worst part was an open trailer door that forced them even closer to oncoming traffic.

"Because my guide dog and I are a great team, we get to navigate this obstacle and go about the rest of our day, but the next person who comes along might not be able to," they concluded.

Commenters were infuriated, and some suggested taking revenge. Others offered more practical solutions, including to call law enforcement. Many users said that wouldn't help, but the responses were clear: Become a squeaky wheel.

One sharp Redditor wrote that it was worth it to contact every agency up the chain of command until the problem was solved, from city to county to state to federal officials. Their next steps advised contacting the media and forming a one-person picket line. "Make a f****** scene," they said.

The thoughtless or uncaring people who parked on the sidewalk were also violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, which enshrines the right of those with disabilities to participate in society equally and without discrimination, as a number of commenters pointed out. That could help any argument needed to fix the situation, though the illegal parking would also have endangered anyone who was unstable on their feet, pushing a stroller, or walking with small children.

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While it shouldn't come to this, the threat of a lawsuit — or an actual legal filing — feels like a trump card. It may also be necessary information, as cities across America feature poorly planned or crumbling infrastructure for pedestrians. Unnavigable or ridiculously small sidewalks are a common issue, as people in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Houston, and beyond can attest.

This not only makes walking, cycling, and other methods of transportation unsafe, but it also encourages people to drive — and unnecessarily add pollution to the atmosphere, which is already so full of toxic heat-trapping gases that Earth's 10 hottest temperatures on record have all been recorded in the last decade.

To address infrastructure problems, you can take action by talking to family and friends, voting for politicians who espouse healthy habits, and using your voice to support others.

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