Update on disability parking
Posted by Dave Bath on 2009-06-02
For those who saw my earlier post on the inquiry into harmonization of parking permits for people with disabilities, I’d recommend you visit Hoyden About Town and read a series of posts (initially by Lauredhel) that analyzes a number of flaws in the proposed scheme, especially the following posts:
- "Call to activism – many people with disabilities to be excluded from accessible parking under proposed scheme" (2009-05-30)
- "Harmonisation of disabled parking schemes – what are the current state and territory criteria?" (2009-06-01)
- "Open Letter to Disability Orgs re Proposed Accessible Parking Rules – Please Co-Sign" (2009-06-02)
- and perhaps most usefully, "Form Letter Protesting Harmonisation of Disability Parking Permit Schemes" (2009-06-02)
When I flicked the URL inquiry across (departmental inquiries are far too hard to find unless you trawl through a heap of newsfeeds or stumble on them by accident, although Lauredhel may have stumbled on the inquiry by herself), I didn’t expect there were so many problems in the fine print… so well exposed by the Hoydens.
Yes, harmonization is good. Moves to have minimal standards for parking for those with significant difficulties are good. The criteria, however, seem to be very restrictive, and unless this is merely a first move by government, with intentions to keep "lifting the bar" once gaining control of this issue (perhaps state governments, like councils, are too close to retailers and the like, so would be less likely to push for change than a federal government) most of the new regs could be counterproductive.
Let’s hope the inquiry was a real attempt by the government to get feedback, rather than something seen as a mere formality.
