"RESPECT THE SPACE?" MONTGOMERY COUNTY FILLS BETHESDA GARAGE HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACE WITH JUNK (PHOTOS)

Montgomery County Government should consider practicing what it preaches.

Just 30 days after county politicians staged a PR event to condemn improper use of disabled parking permits, the county has placed construction-related materials in a handicapped parking space, inside a county-owned Bethesda garage.

"Respect the Space?"  Mmm... not quite.

The space in question is just inside an entrance of the Cordell-St. Elmo Ave. public parking garage.   Renovations have been underway there for several months. It is also the most convenient spot for a disabled person who has difficulty walking.

Given that parking is the tightest it's ever been in downtown Bethesda, and this being the biggest shopping week of the year, why isn't this space available to those with disabilities?

The sign on the space warns of a $250 fine. You can be sure that you or I would have to pay the fine if we blocked the space.  So why shouldn't government live under the same rules it imposes upon citizens?

How about one set of rules for everybody, for a change? Stop the self-serving PR about disabled parking, if you're not going to "Respect the Space" yourself.