You nailed that. Especially the small size Coles ones.
1 Like
I am sure that the Westfield Whitford City Shopping Centre in Perth had signs regarding fines for wrongly parking in their disabled parking bays when we were there in 2013 .
I tried to find some info without success but found this classic regarding grubs.
It is really difficult to know the exact circumstance without asking the driver.
My partner had a permit preceding replacements for both knees and for recovery. For most of that time she could still drive an auto. On occasion Iâd come to pick her up, park and go inside to assist. Thinking back there are multiple permutations of parking arrangements, timing and needs.
We are now the ferry service for our very elderly mum. She needs at least one to assist her for safety and mobility. Add some shopping and it becomes a two person task.
There are others who have lung conditions that limit mobility (walking range) but not physical appearance. My father had a heart condition, pacemaker, recovered from a stroke, and had a deserved permit. You would not know until he pulled up 50m inside the shopping centre doorway. He still drove too!
Yes, there are some really dubious circumstances observed around the disability reserved parking spots. At times we have wondered why there are often none spare at certain locations.
When there is on able bodied driver accompanying or even picking up there is enough double handling without having to park three times for the one often small visit to the bank (short), or hairdresser (long).
5 Likes
Those are exactly the ones I was thinking of. They are the only reason I shop in Coles. I find them much easier to manage than the deep ones
2 Likes
Another article regarding disability parking.
High time we had a national system to enforce disability parking misuse with a $1,000 fine and wheel clamping.
Hopefully the selfish grubs would soon wake up.
3 Likes
Unlikely. There are no consequences for their selfish behaviour. Thats why its more prevalent in shopping centres. Private carparks have no will to enforce any laws.
3 Likes
That might be deserved but it would cause the carpark to be unavailable for an extended period. Being towed and impounded would be a much better response. The caveat is there would never ever be an improperly towed/clamped car owned by a disabled person who had absent mindedly not put up their permit. Right?
3 Likes
It is worth noting that in the article, 21% of permit holders had never seen an a car without a permit illegally parking in a disability carpark.
This seems to suggest that the problem may not be as bad as initially thought. These parks have been around for many years and one would expect disability permitted drivers to drive around the same frequency as able bodied drivers. For 21% not to have any issue means the probability of there been a significant problem/car illegally parked being very low. If one compares this to say speeding or cars parked illegally in other ways (on foot paths, no standing/loading zones, with expired meters etc,), the problem may be overemphasize.
Any illegal parking, including those in a disability spot, is inconsiderate and offenders should be fined, it appears other illegal forms parking
/driving behavior may be a bigger problem though.
2 Likes
It depends on the âinconvenienceâ caused. Compare a vehicle overhanging a foot path where people and even scooters can get around it, to trying to get a wheelchair-bound individual in/out of a specially equipped van because of an inconsiderate driver parking in an illegal manner.
My partner has a long time friend in the USA with a severely disabled now-adult child and the first time I visited them it was beyond educational in how their family lives are different and the problems of just going to the grocery or anywhere else.
4 Likes
Or the other way of seeing the problem is more than 3/4s (79%) of respondents had seen the bays used without permits being displayed, ie a very large proportion had seen illegal parking in disabled bays. I would hazard that like my wife and I, most had seen multiple breaches not just one breach each. I think the problem is worse than initially thought. There is not a day where I donât see at least 1 bay being used without a permit, and often multiple times in a day.
Complaints to management of private car parks go largely unheeded, public spaces are very infrequently monitored. Most disabled people expect to find spaces used by non permit holders, thatâs how bad the issue is.
6 Likes
It could also be a localised problem, rather than widespread. If it is localised and repeat offenders, it makes enforcement very easy. It just need someone to take action.
Also better defining responsibilities may also be required as in many areas Councils are responsible for parking infringementsâŠand police are reluctant to get involved unless it impacts on road movements or the parked vehicle is a safety hazard. Maybe police need to be provided with the mandate to enforce disability parkingâŠrather than leaving it up to Councils to administer. In Brisbane if you ring up the local police station about a parking matter, then will direct your call to council. I expect the same applies elsewhere.
And the issue if not displaying permits by accident needs to be addressed. Maybe a vehicle is registered and only registered vehicles can be parked in designated spots. If a vehicle is parked, enforcement agencies to check regos before issuing infringement notices. There will be arguments that what happens if someone with a disability goes out with another able bodied personâŠthis is not an issue as the able bodied person and do a drop off and then park away from entrance. The same can apply when leaving as the able bodied person can collect those with disabilities at the entrance on the way out.
2 Likes
When you say about people double park isnât not common to see it regularly amongst normal driverâs. They put blinkers on etc. Totally understand someone who is like jn this story but people who just double park for the sake of it are annoying. Anyway this year seems to have been quieter than prior yearâs. Maybe every shopping centre is different. Disabled people still have it hard
3 Likes
I see the problem all over Cairns including both public and private car parks.
I also see many persons displaying permits which either are not theirs or they have falsely obtained them.
I recently saw a female in her 20âs or 30âs pull up in a disability bay in the underground carpark at our local shopping centre, quickly walk to the entrance, and then walk all the way up the travelator.
I walked over to the vehicle on my way in and noted that it was displaying a permit.
If I do not find a small Coles trolley in the carpark to support myself, then I have to hold the handrail on the travelator to ensure I keep my balance, and there is no way I could walk up the travelator.
Selfish, inconsiderate grubs.
2 Likes
Unlikely, but they could hsve children, partners or have a job (e.g. NDIS support officer) that requires permits.
Maybe the laws should be changed that a disability carpark can only be used when a disable person (as defined by the permit requirements) is within the vehicle and is alighting the vehicle from where it is parked. Maybe also if you forget your permit or a permit isnât displayed, even if you are disabled, you canât use the disabled carpark and the vehicle is deemed to be parking illegally.
2 Likes
Wherever we have been and talking to the local disabled people the feedback is that it is a big problem and that the problem is widespread. With nearly 80% of those respondents in the survey having seen and or been affected by the problem you can guess the problem is not localised. In WA there are many small population centres where this may not be so great an issue as everyone knows everyone and the bays are left free for those with permits. Larger centres of population and the courtesy goes âout the windowâ.
Repeated reports to Councils (multiple as we have travelled), repeated reports to Police (who for public spaces do have mandates to take action), repeated reports to Shopping Centres (and their security staff where available) almost invariably lead to no action.
Then the drivers who have all the excuses under the Sun for parking in the bays, or who get physically and/or verbally abusive when asked to move as they are not displaying a permit. Having been punched I know the risks, you just go park elsewhere and struggle to the shops etc and just donât bother reporting anymore as it is an exercise in futility.
4 Likes
Qld Disability Parking Permits.
Permit conditions of use
- Your permit must:
- be used to park only in the parking spaces stated
- be clearly displayed so the permit number and expiry date are visible from the outside of the vehicle
- be displayed when you (or the eligible person for organisations) are getting in or out of the vehicle
- be displayed in a vehicle up to and including 4.5t gross vehicle mass
- not be damaged, altered or copied.
- The permit holder must be in the vehicle when the permit is being used, and must enter or exit the vehicle.
- Where the permit holder is the passenger in the vehicle and the driver drops the permit holder at the entrance to a building (e.g. shopping centre, doctors surgery) the driver is not eligible to then park the vehicle in a disability parking bay.
- You must follow your permit conditions or you may be fined.
Changes to the eligibility criteria for a Disability Parking Permit
In Queensland, from 31 August 2020 the eligibility criteria for the Australian permit includes people with a vision impairment who are diagnosed as âlegally blindâ. This includes on a temporary (for 6 months or more) or permanent basis. Find out if you are eligible.
The expansion to the number of permit holders is not expected to have a substantial impact on the availability of disability parking bays. However, what can impact availability is misuse of disability parking bays by people without a disability parking permit. From the 31 August 2020, the police-issued infringement notice penalty for illegally parking in a disability parking bay is $533.
At least something has been done regarding vision impaired persons.
4 Likes
They can be printed off if you are travelling with a handicap person and it is allowed but I guess not if someone is not in need of it
1 Like
Not in Qld.
â* not be damaged, altered or copied.â
3 Likes
That is the current way it is treated or more properly put is supposedly to be treated.
3 Likes
The disability parking space grubs are not the only species of parking grubs, and I witnessed 2 other varieties today.
The Parents With Prams Parking Space Grubs.
When I parked in the underground carpark at our local shopping centre this afternoon, a long haired character pulled into a parents with prams park in a clapped out clunker and proceeded to keep slamming the boot lid in an attempt to get it to lock shut, following which he just sat in the driverâs seat.
When I returned, 2 young females had arrived and they proceeded to slam the boot, following which tey got into the vehicle.
This grub had deliberately parked in this spot so the 2 females would have easy access to the clunker despite ample normal parking spots being available.
The Tradie & Tralier Bay Parking Grubs.
Our local Bunnings have assigned a number of back-to-back parking bays to allow tradies with trailers to easily park and to simply drive off without reversing.
The have a yellow line around the perimeter of each double bay and have âTradie & Trailer Bayâ painted on them in large yellow letters so even the village idiot could clearly see it.
Today as usual, there was a grub in a vehicle without a trailer parked in one bay, and I often see grubs in small passenger sedans parked in the bays.
Tradies with heavy duty bull bars on their 4WD vehicles should just bulldoze these grubsâ vehicles out of the bays.
