The Rhode Island General Assembly has passed a bill to create special parking spots for parents with young children in strollers. The spaces will be open to drivers with children up to three years old that are being carried in a stroller.
The legislation will require large parking lots with 101 to 500 spots to add two spots that will operate similarly to accessible parking spaces for vehicles with disabled occupants. Bigger lots will have to add more stroller-friendly spots, which means this bill will primarily affect larger retailers and properties. Certain residential and industrial buildings are exempt, as are lots with fewer than 100 spots.
“Parking lots are often hectic places, creating dangerous environments and situations for young children and their parents and guardians,” Rep. Joshua Giraldo, one of the bill’s sponsors, told WJAR News. “This bill will ease the stress parents and guardians face when bringing their children to the store in a stroller, but most importantly, it will help protect our kids from the terrible possible tragedies that can occur in a busy parking lot.”
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The bill was inspired in part by Senator Jonathan Acosta, who grew up in Florida, where stroller parking permits are available. It was also inspired by the fact that both he and bill sponsor Rep. Giraldo are fathers with young children.
“Large parking lots where you have hundreds of vehicles moving around is one of [the concerns], especially when you have young children,” said Giraldo. “We think it’s a common sense approach to making our parking lots safer.”
Not everyone was in favor of the bill, though. Senator Gordon Rogers told WJAR earlier this month that he would not be voting in favor of the bill, saying that businesses should be in charge of deciding whether or not to install these spots. He argued that once groups start getting designated parking spots, “it’s a Pandora’s box that never ends.”
The bill will now be considered by Governor Dan McKee. If signed into law, the spots will be painted green and designated with signage that looks like a baby stroller. Lot owners will have two years to update their lots to make the spaces available and will have to make the changes themselves.
