Wellington City Council gets tough on people parking illegally in disabled spaces

Illegal parkers will find it harder to abuse disability spaces with the launch of a new app. Photo / File

People illegally parking in disability spaces in Wellington are about to find it a lot harder to get away with.

An app allowing the public to report illegal parking in mobility parking spaces is being introduced to make it easier for people with access issues to find a park.

The Wellington City Council is joining forces with CCS Disability Action to provide Access Aware, designed to stop mobility parking spaces being abused by those without a valid need for them.

People with mobility issues are becoming "completely isolated" because of a lack of available parking, CCS Disability Action Access Aware project manager Raewyn Hailes said.

"A lot of people just drive around, they can't find a park they can use, so they go home, they don't shop," she said.

"In a lot of cases it causes complete isolation because people get to the stage where they just don't bother to try to go out."

Councillor Chris Calvi-Freeman said the pilot project would hopefully make it easier for people with disabilities to find parks.

"Misuse of mobility parks in New Zealand is a big issue and a concern for those with disabilities who have a genuine need for these parking spaces," he said.

"It's an issue of common courtesy and being thoughtful of the needs of others. The parks are there to enable people with disabilities to take a full part in life in Wellington."

Access Aware was developed for CCS Disability Action by ThunderMaps which allows users to send alerts if they spot a car they believe is illegally parked in a mobility park and to share information about the location of mobility parks.

If the reported misuse relates to a public car park it will be shared in real time with the council's parking enforcement team so it can take action.

Using the app could make a real difference to the disabled community by "actively creating social change", CCS Disability Action chief executive David Matthews said.

"Access Aware has the potential to be very useful for all disabled people, their families and whanau. We plan to significantly improve everyday access issues that prevent many people from fully participating in their communities. It's free, it's easy to use, and it could help change the accessibility landscape in New Zealand."

The app can be downloaded from the Google play or Apple store.