Willoughby: Disabled parking cheats targeted in council crackdown

A compliance blitz has uncovered a soaring number of people misusing disability parking permits including two motorists found using their dead family member’s permits.

The battle for prized parking spaces is sinking to new lows on Sydney’s north shore as new figures reveal hundreds of selfish motorists are being fined each year for illegally parking in disabled spaces.

A compliance blitz by Willoughby Council has uncovered a soaring number of people misusing disability parking permits and zones, including two motorists found using their dead family member’s permits.

In the last month alone, the council said 10 motorists were fined $706 for fraudulently using a mobility parking scheme permit contrary to the conditions of use in suburbs including Chatswood, Naremburn and St Leonards.

A photo of a Willoughby Council ranger booking a driver in a disability zone.

In one brazen case, a female motorist was fined for using the permit of her deceased 93-year-old mother to justify parking in a disability zone.

Another motorist was fined for using the permit of a deceased person on May 17 in Artarmon. Both permits were taken from the offenders.

In other cases, spaces were being used in instances where a permit had been allocated to another person or organisation.

The council said 99 motorists also copped $587 fines during the month of May for illegally parking in spaces set aside for people with a mobility parking scheme permit.

Mark Tonga said the spaces should only be used by people who need them.

Chatswood resident and prominent disability advocate Mark Tonga said taking a space away from a disabled person can restrict their access to the community and jobs and force them to abandon their plans.

“It’s incredibly frustrating for people like myself who plan days in advance and when you pull up to the shops and can’t find a spot you have to circle around to find other spaces and often you end up coming back home,” he said.

“The spaces are close to shops for a reason - if you have to park far away you don't want to buy too much because you have to carry it back and it’s too heavy.

“People try to take shortcuts and see an opportunity but people need to be aware that little decision can have other consequences.

“We see a similar thing with accessible bathrooms – they are purpose built for people who need them and it’s very frustrating when you see them being used incorrectly.”

Fines have been issued in suburbs including Artarmon.

The latest compliance blitz comes as figures show Willoughby Council rangers issued 942 fines to people parking in mobility parking spaces during 2021.

This is more than three times higher than the 298 fines issued in the neighbouring North Sydney Council.

In the City of Sydney, rangers have issued 572 penalty notices to vehicles for parking in disabled parking spaces without a valid permit so far this year.

Willoughby Mayor Tanya Taylor urged motorists to obey parking laws and to allow people with a genuine disability to be able to access the parking areas they needed.

“The mobility parking scheme has been designed to assist more vulnerable members of our community and it’s disappointing to see these offenders attempt to fraudulently take advantage of the system,” she said.

“Unfortunately, we are starting to see more inconsiderate motorists flouting disability parking laws, as they return to physical workplaces following Covid-19.”

Hayley Stone, acting chief executive of the Physical Disability Council of NSW, said many motorists didn’t think about the implications of parking in a mobility parking space.

“One in six Australians are living with a disability and I think people underestimate how many people need those parking spaces,” she said.

“There’s a thought ‘I won’t be long, I’ll only be 15 minutes’ but for someone who doesn’t have the option of other spaces it can be incredibly inconvenient.

“I also don’t think people really contemplate the whole infrastructure around a mobility parking space that are specifically designed for people who need them.”

The crackdown comes as Willoughby Council pushed ahead with a new draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022-2026 which aims to remove barriers to employment, providing equitable access to services and develop more positive community attitudes towards people with disability.