There's a new proposal coming from Boston City Hall that would extend handicap parking placards to a new group -- pregnant women.
City Councilor John Fitzgerald, a father of three, issued the proposal.
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“When pregnant and having debilitating physical tendencies due to pregnancy, then you too should be afforded those same responsibilities and rights to park in a handicap spot,” he said.
Fitzgerald says he was inspired by his wife.
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“She had some debilitating physical characteristics that came from the pregnancy, and she always felt that she should have a right to park closer to the store.”
Getting around can be tough for new moms like Mariah Moran.
“With children like they’re gonna get fussy and if you’re pregnant trying to take care of a fussy child it’s definitely important to have like accessibility," she said.
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Dr. Ankur Patel issues handicap placards for a variety of physical limitations, including back, hip and nerve pain.
Patel's wife, Dr. Tina Jumani, works with premature babies in the neo-natal intensive care unit and thinks the proposal is a good idea.
“Pregnancy is definitely a disability and it should be considered one," she said. "It’s really difficult to even sometimes walk when you’re in your third trimester and your feet are swollen.”
“The nice thing about the handicap placard is you can put a timeline on it and it can be renewed,” Patel added.
“If you’re in Back Bay or Beacon Hill, it can be really hard to get around so I think for anybody who has any type of limitation or needs any type of mobility support device, the placard makes a difference,” one woman told NBC10 Boston on Wednesday night.
Fitzgerald says adding handicap spaces in not included in the proposal but if competing for a limited amount of spaces became problematic, they could "look at increasing them." Next, the proposal will be discussed in-depth at a council hearing.
