By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
A CASEY councillor will call on authorities to double fines for illegally parking in disabled spaces after a huge rise in the number of infringements in the municipality.
Cr Rosalie Crestani will recommend at next month’s council meeting that the base ‘on the spot’ penalty for illegally parking in a disabled space in Casey be increased from $144 to $288.
Cr Crestani, in accordance with advice from the council’s Local Laws department, will also suggest the maximum penalty be increased from $288 to $432 and is considering a loss of demerit points to tackle the rise in illegal parking since 2011.
“We need to make people stop and think. Something’s not working,” Cr Crestani said this week.
“I caught a fella not that long ago. A young P-plater pulled up to disabled parking section and I said ‘you’re not disabled, you move right now’.
“It is tempting because people have busy lives and they know they can get away with it.
“We need a fine that’s going to hit them hard and take a decent part of their wage every week.”
For the 2013-14 period to date there have been 713 disabled parking infringements – totalling $102,672 in fines – compared to 253 infringements in 2010-11, according to statistics gathered by the City of Casey’s Local Laws department.
In 2012-2013 there were 1016 infringements recorded, totalling $143,256 in fines.
There are currently two disabled parking offences that can be enforced on motorists – one for not having a disabled permit and one for not complying with the conditions of the permit.
Council Local Laws Team Leader Rod Bezanovic said the increase in disabled parking infringements in Casey over the past three years was due to an increase in enforcement methods and not an increase in misuse.
In March Cr Crestani called on the council to write to the Minister for Roads Terry Mulder advocating for an increase in penalties associated with parking trucks in residential streets.
“I’m not out to just fine everyone, I’m part of the community and just as liable to get fines if I do the wrong thing, and I have in the past,” Cr Crestani said.
“I’m out to create a better environment, especially for those who really need it.
“As soon as you hit the hip pocket, people are more than likely to respond.”
Access Solutions Director and wheelchair user Dale Sheppard said increasing fines for disabled car park infringers was only the “tip of the iceberg” and greater scrutiny needed to be observed by medical practitioners who are “over issuing” permits.
“I’ve spoken about this issue numerous times and would advise that the best solution is to have two types of permit bays,” he said.
“Firstly a bay for ambulant conditions – people who need a bay close to the entrance of a building rather than the extra sized bay. Secondly a larger bay for mobility device permit holders.
“For example I don’t actually need the bay to be closest to the entry just wide enough to get my wheelchair out.”
Mr Sheppard also called for medical practices in the city to be better informed about disabled permits.
