Parking wardens aim to target private land

Wardens may get the power to fine mobility parking cheats in private car parks. Picture / Bradley Ambrose

Not content with striking fear into the hearts of those using roads, parking wardens are looking to exercise their powers on private property.

Parking Association chairman Colin Waite will today call for big changes in parking enforcement, which would include allowing wardens to target mobility parking cheats on privately owned car parks such as shopping malls.

As many as 50 per cent of those parking in disabled spaces did so illegally, but no change would be possible without legislation being passed, he said.

Of that 50 per cent, "a reasonably large percentage" were mobility card holders "not displaying it properly".

Mr Waite said he would also recommend 10-fold increases in fines issued to those parking illegally in mobility spaces.

The present fine was around $40 but that could be raised to anywhere from $200 to $450, he said.

Mobility Card corruption was rife because many people used cards belonging to dead relatives, or printed fraudulent cards themselves.

A black-market mobility pass could be bought in a pub for $10 to $15, he said.

Mr Waite will make his points in a discussion paper at the association's 23rd annual conference in Invercargill.

The conference agenda includes talks by media commentator Brian Edwards and Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws, and dissections of general parking issues.

Cultural awareness and how it relates to parking wardens will also be discussed at the conference.

"New Zealand is getting pretty diverse ... some of their [immigrants'] driving practices, as you are probably aware, are slightly different," Mr Waite said.

He said he knew his recommendations would need legislation, particularly to allow wardens on private land.

However, his ideas were "a stimulation to stir the creative juices".

The association yesterday named car parking as "one of the issues of the 21st century", but Mr Waite played down that claim, calling it the work of an enthusiastic media company.

"Where would you rather be fighting - a car-parking space [with a warden], or fighting in Baghdad?"

For many, the jury might still be out on that question.