The Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston says misusing car parks for disabled people is the “epitome of arrogance” and the penalty will rise from $150 to $750.
The Government wants to “get tough” on the “selfish behaviour” of people who misuse car parks reserved for disabled people by hiking the fine by 400%.
Towage and impoundment fees and parking infringement fees are also going up. Some haven’t been updated since 2004 and the minister said it can now be cheaper to pay a parking ticket rather than paying for parking in Auckland.
Louise Upston, the Minister for Disability Issues, today said misusing car parks for disabled people was the “epitome of arrogance” and the financial penalty will increase from $150 to $750.
“The penalty for abusing mobility parking in New Zealand is far too low compared to other countries, like Australia,” she said.
“Increasing this will send a very clear message that this behaviour is not okay, and our Government is serious about addressing accessibility issues.”
Peter Reynolds, chief executive of the New Zealand Disability Support Network, said the parks should be used “for the purposes for which they were established”.
“It’s too easy in a busy world to take advantage of an available space just because it’s there. We support the enhanced disincentive.”
CCS Disability Action, which administers the mobility parking scheme, welcomed the announcement and said it would make a “real difference” for its 170,000 users.
“Mobility parking abuse is rife in New Zealand,” access and infrastructure national manager BJ Clark said.
“Research we commissioned showed that nearly one-third of users of mobility parking spaces do not have a permit to do so legally. This widespread abuse highlights a severe lack of understanding and respect for the importance of mobility parking.”
The AA is also onboard, principal policy adviser Terry Collins saying it is “outrageous that able-bodied people park in disabled parks and prevent those people who need the park from having it”.
He said the AA had “no sympathy” for those who misuse the parks.
People were “very highly emotive around this idea that you are taking a car park for someone who is in much greater need of it than you”, Collins said.
Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Government also said regulated fees for towage and impoundment have not been updated since at least 2004 and are no longer covering operators’ costs.
In response, there will be an inflation-based increase to the fees coming into effect from October.
“Ensuring we have a parking and towing system that promotes greater compliance and enables towing operators to cover their costs will create a more efficient transport system that enables Kiwis to visit the places they want to go,” Transport Minister Simeon Brown said.
“Towage fees have been too low for too long. This has meant that tow-truck operators are often left out of pocket for the service they provide. That’s not acceptable and is why we’re updating fees.”
Collins said it was appropriate for the Government to be looking at these fees and the AA supported the changes as well.
Brown said parking infringement fees had not been updated in two decades, which he said made councils’ roles in managing public parking “increasingly difficult”. He said in Auckland this could mean paying a parking ticket is sometimes cheaper than paying for parking.
The Government will adjust the infringement fees for inflation, resulting in a roughly 70% increase.
“The changes the Government is announcing today will ensure that the value of penalty infringements is inflation adjusted to support local councils with enforcement, something councils have been calling for,” the minister said.
The Ministry of Transport will support local government and the towage and storage sector to implement the fee increases by October 1.
The Government previously highlighted it did not believe some transport infringement fees were high enough. The Government Policy Statement on Land Transport said some penalties were “too low to deter unsafe behaviour” and were “significantly lower than the equivalent fees in overseas jurisdictions”.
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.
