Disabled parking blitz costs demerits

Hundreds of motorists were hit with demerit points in the first fortnight of a crackdown on "imbeciles" who rort the disabled parking system.

From December 1, anyone caught parking in a disabled spot without the proper permit received a whopping $519 fine - the highest in the country for that offence - and one demerit point. Roads and Maritime Services data shows that 307 demerit points were issued in the first fortnight of the regime, which an outraged Roads Minister Duncan Gay introduced in response to the high number of people who "steal disabled car parks just to make their life easier".

"People who reduce themselves to this level of shamefulness need to take a long, hard look at their values," Mr Gay said. The Daily Telegraph caught drivers from Bondi to Kirribilli brazenly parking in clearly-marked disabled bays without displaying permits and in the CBD alone, 958 drivers were fined for breaking the rules in 2014 - down from 1641 in 2010.

The picture is repeated across the state, with 14,854 fines issued for disabled parking space offences so far in 2014 - down from 18,789 in 2011. In Campbelltown, 209 fines for disabled parking offences have been issued in the six months to July 1. And in Manly, 423 people have been fined since 2009. More go uncaught. Others cheat the system by using stolen, borrowed, forged or expired disabled parking permits.

Campbelltown Mayor Paul Lake added: "They're just imbeciles who want to twist the system and put other people at a disadvantage." In one case, we caught a large coach parked in a disabled bay near the Harbour Bridge to allow a group of children to disembark. It had no disabled permit.

A series of drivers were spotted parking in Bondi disabled spaces without certification. One clearly infuriated member of the public wrote a note to one motorist's Alfa Romeo, giving them a ticking off. President of People with Disability Australia Craig Wallace said being able to use disabled parking spots and having close access to shops and other amenities is crucial for most disabled people.

"I use a wheelchair and if I had a fall or broke a leg it would probably be the end of me or I'd certainly be off work for months," he said.

"We hear many, many reports of the abuse of disabled parking spots." Lachlan Hazelton, from the Physical Disability Council of NSW, added: "A lot of motorists just don't think - they see parking in a disabled spot as victimless when it actually affects many people very deeply." 

City of Sydney rangers began using iPads with access to a permits database in 2012 and since then they have confiscated 78 disability parking permits that were being used fraudulently. "Our rangers tell us that stiffer fines and greater awareness of the penalties in media reports appear to be serving as a deterrent," a council spokesman said.