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Tauranga resident Claire Dale is calling on the community to help support her petition to Parliament for making mobility parking enforceable.
'In my view, mobility parking spaces make life substantially easier for disabled people and misuse of mobility parking is rampant,” says Claire.
'I believe we need national enforcement, larger fines and legislation that covers both public parking and private-land parking.”
Private-land parking includes supermarkets, blocks of flats, schools and shopping malls. Claire says that public parking is currently only covered by by-laws, and that the 24 per cent of Kiwis who have a disability need support in making mobility parking enforceable.
'The shop owners, the mall owners and the supermarkets are not the bad guys. As usual it is the government, and they've got broader shoulders. Instead of shopping centre owners saying ‘please remove your car from my shopping centre', now it can be the law nationally.”
Claire managed to launch her petition an hour-and-a-half before the August lockdown, but found that the timing meant that people were unaware of it.
'That is why the word hasn't been heard as well as other voices. I have done everything I can think of to contact people. I wrote to news media, CCS Disability Action and a press release went out.”
She also enlisted the help of students from Otūmoetai College.
'I called the college and asked if they had a couple of students who could help with the webpage and the technical side of things, as I'm technologically handicapped.”
She's delighted with the support received from the students as well as help from Grey Power.
'I believe fines must be enforced equally across New Zealand. Help uphold the rights of the 150,000 mobility parking permit holders.”
Claire's petition states: 'That the House of Representatives change the law to substantially increase fines nationally for misusing any mobility parking spaces, including on privately owned land that is used publicly; and urge the government to run an education campaign to desist able-bodied people from misusing mobility parking spaces for public use.”
So far, 1760 have signed the petition which closes on February 14.
To support Claire's petition, go to:
3 comments
Constant problem
Posted on 05-02-2022 16:13 | By Kancho
Even told to F off by middled aged obese guy using disabled space .He was only disabled by being him , rude and arrogant Very often see people using them who think they have rights because of who they are . This country is going faster down the hole
Photo ID
Posted on 06-02-2022 07:32 | By bruce.b
These should have your photo ID on them as the use off them is totally abused.
It is sad...
Posted on 06-02-2022 13:50 | By morepork
...that we even need enforcement. But we do. I see violations frequently and I usually comment. Not in a truculent way. My favorite is: "Aren't you glad you have legs that work and can walk a little further? Imagine if you didn't..." It usually ends with a profusion of excuses and justifications, but, hopefully, they will think about it. There was a time when we cared about each other, and it was a matter of course to try and assist those less fortunate. Common courtesy required the strong to defend the weak, and I was brought up that way. But the last couple of years seem to have knocked the kindness out of most of us. I haven't encountered what Kancho did, but I can assure you that someone who spoke that way to me, would think again. Imagination and wit are powerful weapons... Don't use disabled spaces.
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