DISABLED people, more often than not, find the parking bays designated for them taken by able-bodied people, or people with other disabilities and suffer verbal abuse when they protest.
This is a huge problem for them as the parking bays for people needing wheelchairs are much wider to allow space to unpack and pack up a wheelchair.
Shopping centres and Metro police need to monitor these parking bays and stricter measures need to be taken to prevent those not needing wheelchairs using these bays.
Graham’s Gardener’s story
Graham Gardener’s wife has been wheelchair-bound for the past two years and he is so tired of the daily conflict as a result of confrontations with people not needing wheelchairs using the designated parking bays.
“The designated parking bay signs should read “Wheelchairs Only” as the extra space in a wheelchair parking bay is needed for the wheelchair to be set up along-side a car.
“So even people with other problems should not use these bays. They could park somewhere else but wheelchair-bound folk can only park where there is space for the wheelchair.” Gardener said.
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“Shopping centres are the few places a wheelchair can easily manoeuvre, but because people park in the designated bays, I battle to give my wife this small pleasure without a huge fight and abuse from people who park in the bays, but do not need wheelchairs.
“Although the security guards try to assist, they are also sworn at. And it’s getting worse. You know, you don’t find this selfish behaviour overseas where there is more respect show for people in wheelchairs.”
Gardener said shopping centres need to monitor the parking bays to prevent the wheelchair-bound people from having to fight for what has been set-aside for them. “Clamping and fines after the fact does little to stop them.”
The QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) comments
Wheelchair parking facilities traditionally are seen by the public as facilities for people with disabilities.
“This is not the view of the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA),” said CEO QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) Ari Seirlis.
“Wheelchair parking facilities are designed to be 3 500mm in width and this is to provide for a wheelchair on other side of the vehicle for a wheelchair user to exit or enter the vehicle.
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“Wheelchair users are far too often denied these facilities by people who have light duty mobility impairment, people who are frail and people who feel that any impairment allows them to park in these facilities.”
Seirlis said there are far too few wheelchair demarcated parking bays to cater for everybody and their ailment.
Wheelchair users have never seen these facilities as a privilege to save distance but rather as an essential needing the space.
“Most people abuse the wheelchair parking facilities as they are close to the entrance of a building or shopping centre and this is where the abuse of the bays originates from.
“QASA calls on the public to enjoy walking that extra distance while you can and leave the wheelchair parking facilities for wheelchair users. Wheelchair users have no other options and cannot adequately use the standard parking bays, he said.”
Multiple Sclerosis South Africa KZN comments:
“Let’s get it right! There is a difference between parking for the disabled, the elderly, moms and Joe Soap,” said chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis South Africa KZN, Dee Munks.
“Shopping centres are obliged to demarcate approximately 20 per cent of their parking spaces to disabled parking or elderly or moms and tots.
“A normal parking space of 2.5m is inadequate for wheelchair access.
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Oh yes – the rudeness and abuse we put up with from the Joe Soaps when they feel entitled to park in a disabled parking or visit the disabled toilet. Then we hear: ‘Why do disabled people expect special treatment?” Walk a mile in their shoes and you will have your answer.
“Moms and tots with prams and wheelchair dependent people need width to be able to open the door wide to allow prams, wheelchairs next to the car without hindering access.
“Elderly folk or injured folk need parking to be close to an entrance – they don’t necessarily need the space of a wheelchair parking.”
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