Police can get away with things they’d never tolerate from the public, like parking for months at a time in a disabled zone.

One of the ironclad rules of the road is to stay out of disabled parking areas, unless you qualify. Anyone caught parking in a disabled space in Toronto without a permit is subject to a minimum $300 fine.

It’s not just the law but a matter of respect. If a disabled space is hogged by someone or something that shouldn’t be there, someone else is robbed of a concession granted to make their travel easier.

But when the violator is the police, who will write up the ticket?

Norm Guilfoyle emailed to say a Toronto police trailer loaded with crowd control barriers has occupied a lay-by in front of the Royal Ontario Museum, on Bloor St., west of Avenue Rd., since September.

The trailer is in front of the artistic Crystal addition to the ROM, and gets in the way of a good angle to photograph the five interlocking structures that cover the museum’s north façade, he said.

“There’s no other word,” said Guilfoyle. “It is an ugly picture.”

We found a trailer occupying half the lay-by, but not impeding traffic. Then we spotted a sign at the lay-by entrance, designating it a loading zone for vehicles with disabled permits, which makes the offence more serious than merely spoiling a photo.

While we were there, a taxi van with a disability permit and wheelchair lift pulled in, but could barely fit into the space behind the trailer. It parked at an angle, with part of its rear end in the traffic lane.

Maybe the police need to keep the barriers handy, in case a crowd erupts and must be controlled. But there must be a better place than a disabled loading zone outside a prime downtown tourist attraction.

Chapter 903 of the Toronto Municipal Code says: “No person shall park or stand a vehicle at a place marked by an official sign designating a loading zone for persons with a disability . . . unless actively engaged in boarding or discharging disabled persons and a current valid permit has been issued.”

As for penalties, it says: “Every person who contravenes any provision of this chapter is guilty of an offence, and upon conviction, is liable to a fine of not less than $300 for each offence.”

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STATUS: Victor Kwong, who deals with media for Toronto Police, says the barricades were needed close by last summer, when tensions were high between two groups demonstrating in the area. After complaints about the trailer blocking a cycling lane, it was moved to the lay-by, the only nearby spot where it wouldn’t impede traffic, he said. Police know it’s an inconvenience, but public safety overrides traffic issues, said Kwong, adding there’s still enough room in the lay-by for one vehicle. If police think the barricades are no longer needed, the trailer will be moved, but if they believe there will be further protests, it will remain, he said.