Auditor: Denver’s private parking lots are failing disabled users

The Denver auditor’s office recently inspected 20 parking lots around Denver, finding that only seven of them met federal standards meant to protect people with disabilities.

The audit says these are parts of the problem:

• The city “does not proactively monitor” whether privately owned lots meet the law
• The city doesn’t know where all the disability parking spaces are
• A group of volunteers is the main enforcer for the rules about disability parking

“There are many times when I consider going to a place and just think about the parking and just decide not to go at all,” said Chris Hinds, an advocate for people with disabilities, in an interview with ABC7.

Here are some of the violations the review found:

• 25 percent of lots didn’t have the required number of accessible spots
• 35 percent didn’t have enough space around the spots
• Two of the parking lots didn’t have any accessible spaces at all
• 65 percent didn’t have good signage and markings

The city agencies named in the report all have agreed with the recommendations. A series of changes will be implemented now through August 2018.