Reply to why are cars allowed in the National Arbortetum? Why? Why? WHYYYY?

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Reply to "why are cars allowed in the National Arbortetum? Why? Why? WHYYYY?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I can't wait for OP to walk into The Gap and bemoan that cheeseburgers aren't served.[/quote]

It’s more like - walking into the Gap and wondering why all the clothes are only size 12.

It’s an open green space, not a giant parking lot.[/quote]

No, you have it backwards.  OP has walked into Gap, loves the tops and is bemoaning the fact that they waste so much space on dresses, pants and shoes when they should be offering a wider selection of tops in her size and screw everyone else who wants dresses, pants and shoes.  They should be focusing on what she wants and ignoring what others want.

The point is that the arboretum is an agricultural research facility focusing on trees, shrubs, bushes and flowers.  They have opened up the facility for the public to come and view and they have made it as accessible as possible for the widest range of people.  OP is objecting that by making it more accessible to people, they have ruined the way that she wants to use the facilities for walking and enjoying nature.

She claims that if they restricted driving internally, that it would make the part more accessible by wheelchairs or scooters or strollers.  But she obviously does not use wheelchairs or scooters.  My father was in a wheelchair for most of the last 10 years of his life.  We traveled as a family frequently and we pushed his wheelchair around a lot.  Do you know how long it would take to travel around the arboretum with a scooter?   Unlike a walking person, a person in a scooter travels slower and cannot always walk in a straight line.  While an able bodied person can cut across the lawn of a roundabout, a person in a scooter is going to have to go around at a slower pace.  You can't cut corners, you can't take shortcuts.   And a wheelchair or scooter is going to travel slower.  So a two hour trip to the arboretum means that that person is going to see so much less of the arboretum if you restrict the access as OP wants.  I took my father there, we went to one garden, got him in his wheelchair and explored for a half hour.  Got him back in the car and went to another part of the facility and again explore a half hour.  In 2 hours we got to see 3 parts of the gardens and he was pleased.  With OP's changes, we'd part by the entrance, we'd make it out to one part of the park, see it for a half hour and have to start turning back to head back to the car.

Likewise families with young kids who can't walk as far or as fast or they have to use a stroller.  I took my kids when they were young.  We went and hung out around the architectural pillars for a while while they ran around.  Then we drove over to the vegetable garden so they could see the planted garden.

The arboretum currently works for the able-bodied and the mobility-restricted.  It works for the the old and the young.  But sorry to disappointed OP, the arboretum isn't only for the young able-bodied and shouldn't be focused purely for their pleasure.[/quote]

Thank you for writing this. I'm sorry you're getting obnoxious responses from ableist people.  I hope these people realize that it could be them with a mobility issue tomorrow, either temporary or permanent. My father also used a wheelchair for the last fifteen years of his life and I never could have imagined our struggles with accessibility until we were living them. I would hope people would be more respectful when others share their experiences. There are many stages to life and yes, it is perfectly valid to enjoy the azaleas, lilacs and other beauties from the window of a car.[/quote]

My father too -- he is disabled in the last years of his life due to Huntington's. I remember going on drives with my mom in the last months of her life with cancer. The drives meant so much to her. We weren't even sure if we could take it. Once we accidentally went to an area where no cars were allowed. the guard looked in the window, saw my dying mother, and said carry on. It's a season of life for some people and for others, it's their whole lives. Learn to share the space. [/quote]

You realize you can also look at pictures of flowers and trees in the comfort of your home , right? You don’t need to drive your dying oldster to a place where they can see them one last time, and in so doing, ruining everyone else’s experience and causing us to worry that you’re going to run us over. [/quote]

LOL. You remind me of the sad spinsters at work that try and equate aunthood with motherhood.[/quote]

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