Claire Dale besides what she says is an often-abused mobility parking space along Main Rd, Katikati.
Claire Dale besides what she says is an often-abused mobility parking space along Main Rd, Katikati.
A Katikati woman is leading the charge for harsher fines for mobility parking abuse.
Claire Dale is a mobility parking permit holder and it makes her “blood boil” when she sees drivers taking advantage of the spaces that are clearly for use by those who particularly need them.
Disability parkingspaces are marked by yellow lines with a disability logo, or sometimes the whole space is painted blue. The fine for parking in a disability or mobility parking space without a permit is $150.
When mobility parks are taken, permit holders “will drive by”, Dale said.
“People will miss doctors’ appointments if they can’t park close or not do their weekly grocery shopping... if they don’t get a park they will just turn around and go home,” she said.
She presented a petition to Parliament in 2022 for mobility parking fines to be substantially increased, for private carparks (such as shopping centres and supermarkets) to have the same fine and enforcement standards as public roads, and for an educational campaign to commence.
Dale is a permit holder after having a number of operations on her spine throughout her life and she walks with a cane. On “good days” she can park elsewhere but sometimes needs the mobility parks.
• Undertake a public education campaign to improve public understanding of mobility parking
Last month a debate on the matter was held in Parliament.
“At the end of the debate, there was a motion to further the petition. It carried unanimously which means better enforcement and a substantially larger fines are on their way,” Dale said.
