Page 1863 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 2 May 2012
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MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (4.17): The issue of disabled parking spaces in the ACT is certainly a topic of much discussion in conversations with the veterans’ community and also the disabled community. One has only to listen to talkback radio or read local papers to know what a vexed issue it is in our community. Availability has always been an ongoing issue, but I know that of even more concern are the latest changes to configuration and layout and the number of people who illegally park in disabled car park spaces. Only a couple of weeks ago my colleagues—opposition leader, Mr Seselja, and member for Molonglo, Mr Hanson—hosted a seniors health forum and the issue of disabled car spaces was a very hot topic.
Over recent months constituents have written to me and my colleagues expressing a number of concerns in relation to this. They have raised their concern and perception that the upgrades have resulted in less spaces available. They have raised the difficulties of the bollards—their visibility and location—the difficulties around the yellow safety areas and the need for those who use wheelchairs to sometimes reverse into spaces in order to better access the yellow-lined space, and the frequency of patrols by parking officers to ensure illegal parkers are penalised.
I appreciate that the 2009 changes to the Australian standards for parking facilities, and specifically off-street parking for people with disabilities, have forced a reconfiguration of space layout and the introduction of shared zones. Whether this was sufficiently explained and publicised to the disabled community is open to debate. But it is possible that it was not, given the amount of angst this issue has caused, and is still causing, in our community.
I raised this matter with the Chief Minister in her role as TAMS minister in a recent question time. At the time she provided assurances that there had been some work around bollards, but most of the work being done was without any loss in numbers of accessible car parks. I think the disabled community need an assurance that any changes to configuration and layout do not reduce the number of car spaces.
This motion addresses the need for disabled parking spaces and suggests that the national standards do not meet the needs of Canberrans. I note that the motion refers to a TAMS-commissioned study in 2008 that found that Canberrans had an average need of three per cent of all parking spaces to be designated for disabled parking. I note this motion is seeking a ratio of four to five per cent.
I am not convinced that this would address the major concern of the disabled and veterans’ communities—if letters are an indication of the community concern. Their major concern is illegal parking. The way I see it, if there are more disabled car parks, and particularly if they are provided at the expense of general parking, the temptation and frequency of illegal parking will simply increase. The reality is that, whatever your philosophical or ideological views, Canberra is a city that needs car parks overall. The reality is we have a government that does not inherently believe it is a government responsibility to provide car parking.
My colleague Mr Coe has been at pains and at lengths to highlight the flaws and weaknesses in the government’s transport strategy. The government says it will
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