By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis, Mo. – More people in St. Louis City could soon get handicapped parking signs outside their houses.
A bill going before St. Louis aldermen Friday would allow some people to get handicapped parking on the street in front of their house, even if they have a garage or other off-street parking.
Alderman Ken Ortmann (Ward 9) says people with garages currently are not eligible but that's a problem for some.
"In historic neighborhoods some of the garages are so small you can't get a car in, much less get out with a walker or wheelchair," Ortmann said, at a recent committee meeting. "So, we needed to put some guidelines or square footage on it to simplify that if your garage didn't meet certain criteria, you could have that parking in front."
Specifically, the bill makes homes with garages smaller than 15 feet by 9 feet eligible, though the city still must verify that someone living there does, in fact, need handicapped parking.