Review of label for ferrying disabled

CEL responds to complaints of drivers misusing parking privilege

By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 9 Jun 2012

DRIVERS ferrying disabled family members could be banned from using designated parking spaces for the handicapped, if a suggestion aimed at easing the parking crunch is taken up.

The Centre for Enabled Living (CEL) is reviewing the situation in the wake of complaints of a shortage of such parking spaces from disabled drivers.

The CEL issues two types of labels. Class 1 is for disabled people who drive and the Class 2 label is given to disabled people who are being ferried by caregivers.

Vehicles with Class 2 labels can park in the allotted spaces for up to 60 minutes.

There is no time limit for handicapped drivers, who have expressed unhappiness that motorists using Class 2 labels are exceeding their permitted time.

The other common complaint, according to welfare groups that deal with the disabled, is that Class 2 drivers might use the spaces even though their vehicles are not carrying a disabled passenger.

The CEL is holding consultations with stakeholders to determine if the one-hour parking allowance ought to be shortened or done away with.

It will also look into redesigning the labels so that they are tamper-proof, in a bid to deter drivers who use counterfeit or expired ones.

However, the CEL said such incidents are few, and the situation is not 'rampant or uncontrolled'.

The CEL is a Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports agency that coordinates social care for people who need it.

Handicapped drivers say their woes are further compounded by a surge in disabled people and their caregivers applying for parking labels.

The CEL said it gave out 1,363 labels last year - a 33 per cent increase from 1,028 in 2010.

The bulk of the labels issued last year - 1,049 - were Class 2 labels. This is a 38 per cent hike from 757 in 2010.

The CEL said the greater demand for labels could be due to the ageing population and wider public awareness of their availability.

Mr Seah Hong Tiang, 64, who has a Class 2 label to ferry his disabled son around, hopes that the one-hour concession will not be cut back or taken away.

'One hour is already too short for me to park, get my son out and tend to him before heading back to shift the car to an ordinary space to avoid busting the limit,' he said.

But he admitted that many people abuse the privilege and 'it is inconsiderate'.

Mr Edmund Wan, president of the Handicaps Welfare Association, is in favour of cancelling the one-hour parking allowance.

'There is no point reducing the limit to 15 or 30 minutes when that is hard to enforce in the first place,' he said.

In doing away with the allowance, and hence the need for the Class 2 labels, he feels that opportunities for abuse will be eliminated. 'Having disembarking bays to allow the disabled to take their time to alight will suffice,' he added.

Mr Patrick Ang, a driver with a Class 1 label, agreed.

'They can drop off their parents at the driveways or lobbies. These are able-bodied people, but they're taking up the parking spaces for disabled drivers like us, who really need the space more.'

Retiree Tan Tuan Khoon is another disgruntled driver with a Class 1 label. 'Some Class 2 drivers even have the cheek to chase me out of my parking space,' said the 66-year-old.

However, Ms Ang Bee Lian, chief executive of the National Council of Social Service, does not think a tweak to the current system is necessary.

'One hour is reasonable, and if there are people who dwell longer without any genuine reasons or who do not even ferry disabled passengers, let's leave it to their social conscience rather than police it,' she said.