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Ramp up against misuse of mobility parks

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The CCC worked with CCS Disability Action Group to tackle the abuse of mobility spaces.  WikimediaCommons

The Christchurch City Council are using a smartphone app and special sensors to stop people abusing mobility parks in Christchurch.

Amy Hartnel from the Earthquake Disability Leadership Group said while the two initiatives were a step in the right direction for a more accessible Christchurch, more signage and disability awareness is needed.

 "People only park in [mobility spaces] for five minutes so it's really hard to catch them," Hartnell said.

"Getting people to understand why mobility parks are so important would be a big help.

"Best practice internationally, and we're hoping it will catch on here, is when you paint the entire park blue and you have a great big sign next to it so it's really obvious that you're parking in a mobility park."

Since it launched in October, 141 reports have been made via the Access Aware smartphone app about members of the public using mobility spaces without a valid need.

The app was designed to make it easier for Cantabrians to find mobility parking spaces and aimed to put a stop to the abuse of mobility parks around Canterbury.

The latest initiative was a trial of ten smart sensors fixed to centre city mobility spaces that registers when vehicles do not hold micro-chipped mobility cards.

If a sensor did not pick up a Bluetooth signal on a mobility card within the vehicle, an alert would be sent to enforcement staff and a ticket could be issued.

The fine for using a mobility car park without a permit is $150.

HAVE YOU EVER USED A MOBILITY SPACE WITHOUT A PERMIT?
YES
NO
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