Fair Go accolades for our mobility car parks

Painting our mobility car parks a very noticeable vivid blue has proved a deterrent to able-bodied motorists. The initiative is receiving national accolades.

The number of infringement fines issued to people parking in mobility car parks is nearly 40% down on the 6 months before the parks were painted.  Parking wardens are reporting less abuse of the parks and this is resulting in less tickets being issued.

An item on television programme Fair Go earlier this month highlighted the extent of mobility car park abuse. Peter Wilson from CCS Disability Action says their research shows New Zealanders are the worst in the world at poaching the disability parks. The story prompted a lot of feedback and photos from viewers complaining about the problem. The only exception was the proactive approach in Gisborne. "Gisborne District Council has painted its spaces a spectacular blue colour. So far it's the only council in the country to have done so, and it's had a dramatic effect. We think that's brilliant, and we challenge all other councils in the country to do the same, and go blue" Fair Go's Gordon Harcourt reported.

Council worked with a Disability Reference group in Gisborne to assist in the drafting their Disability Strategy. Feedback from users highlighted the need to stem the abuse of mobility car parks. Consequently a programme to paint all mobility car parks blue was completed in 2008.  This initiative was recognised late last year by CCS Disability Action. They presented council with an award for their 'outstanding commitment to making mobility parking spaces highly visible across the city'. Since then other council's have expressed an interest in 'painting their town blue' and the colour is now recognised as a New Zealand standard colour for mobility car parks.