Dear Mahatma: I am sending this as I have become aware of people using Grandma's handicap placard when she's not with them. I recently had to get one of these hangers myself and know that the handicapped person must be in the vehicle. There are never enough handicap places, so this is very hard on people who really need them. -- Sheila
Dear Sheila: We continue to beat this topic like a rented mule. Because it's important.
State law condensed: If a doctor certifies that a person is handicapped, the state will give that person the proper plate or placard. The handicapped person must be on the trip in the vehicle for it to be legally parked in a place reserved for the handicapped.
What part of must be don't some people understand?
Take the placard off the rear-view mirror while the vehicle is being driven. It obstructs the view.
Hey, Grandma, if you find someone using your placard illegally, write the knucklehead out of your will.
Almighty Mahatma: I was traveling from Little Rock to Memphis recently on Interstate 40 and noticed there were several areas in which the cable median barrier was down, I assume due to accidents. What does the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department say about repair and cost of these barriers? -- Mr. Observant
Dear Mister: The Highway Department, via spokesman Danny Straessle, said there is no minimum time for repairs to be made outside of ASAP.
When notified of a breach or break in a cable median barrier, he said, district maintenance offices plan to make the thing serviceable the next day. Materials are kept on hand to do the repairs expeditiously, which is a very nice word.
Straessle said the cost of maintenance is approximately $1,850 per mile of barrier per year.
We add this from Straessle: "It's a real eye-opener regarding the number of roadway departures into the median. Who knows how many of those would have crossed into oncoming traffic."
Dear Mahatma: Are contractors supposed to take down signs when construction is not taking place? I've seen lane closure signs still up when lanes are open. Those are especially troublesome. Drivers who don't know the sign is not valid rush to obey it, mixing with local travelers who know better. -- Tom
Dear Tom: We asked the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department about this puzzle. It said contractors are required to take down lane-closure signs when work isn't being done. Indeed, contractors are charged for the use of the lane each day it's closed. This creates a financial incentive to make sure lane closures are accurate.
Many of the answers we get from the Highway Department include the suggestion that drivers who see whatever problem is at issue go to the iDriveArkansas website. Find the "Report a Problem" feature. Make sure to know the specific highway and the approximate location of any perceived weirdness.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 04/18/2015