Fines double in crackdown on selfish parking thieves
Queensland motorists who “steal” disabled carparks will be slugged with massive fines, as penalties increase to some of the highest seen nationwide.
Logan
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Selfish drivers “stealing” disabled carparks will be up for massive fines of more than $500 when many local councils clamp down on the cheats this month.
PENSIONER’S WAR TO SAVE DISABLED PARKING
Logan City Council will jack up the fines for the offences from $266 to $533 in line with state government regulations, the third harshest in the country.
Only ACT, where the fines are $600, and New South Wales where the fine is $572, have higher penalties.
Logan is one of seven councils asked to increase the fines after receiving a letter from Transport Minister Mark Bailey last month alerting the council the penalties would increase statewide on August 31.
The state also expanded the criteria for disabled permits, paving the way for up to 18,000 additional parking applications including those who are legally blind to access the spaces.
Mr Bailey said it was difficult to increase the number of disabled parking bays but the higher fines would help and he hoped the council would follow the state’s lead.
“People who illegally park in a disability parking bay may think they are only going to be a few minutes, however, a consequence of their action effectively means that a person who truly needs access to the wider parking bay may be forced to abandon their outing,” he said.
“It is not expected that this expansion will have a substantial impact on the availability of disability parking bays.
“The significant fine increase will act as a strong deterrent and help to ensure that disability parking bays are available for those who genuinely need them.”
Holmview resident Robert Anderson started a community campaign to safeguard disabled car spots in Beenleigh last year and called for those parking illegally to lose demerit points.
The community campaign focused on the lack of disabled parks in Beenleigh and parks being in the wrong place.
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Both council parking officers and police can issue infringement notices but in Queensland that does not include demerit points for illegally parking in a disabled bay.
Logan also has written agreements with 18 shopping centres to allow council parking officers to monitor disability parking bays.
Despite the council endorsing the hefty set of guidelines to improve parking for disabled drivers, paid parking remained off the agenda in Logan.
South Australia has the country’s fourth highest penalties for illegally parking in a disabled carpark with a maximum fine of $450, which consists of a $390 fine with a possible $60 victims of crime levy.
In Tasmania, the fine is $168 with a separate $84 penalty for cyclists. Victoria hits offenders with $165 and in Western Australia it’s $300.
In the Northern Territory the fine is out $135.