Page 928 - Week 03 - Thursday, 30 March 2006

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(5) Will the ACT Government be reviewing the disability parking system in the ACT; if so, when will the review be undertaken and when will the findings be available; if not, why not.

Mr Hargreaves: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) As of 31 January 2006 there were 14,947 mobility parking scheme (MPS) permits on issue in the ACT.

(2) To be eligible for a MPS permit a person must:

• be unable to walk or have pain or difficulty in walking 100 metres;

• require the use of crutches, a walking frame, callipers, a scooter, a wheelchair or other mobility aid; or

• be permanently blind.

The application form must be completed by the applicant and certified by a medical practitioner or, in the case of the applicant being blind by a specialist eye doctor. A MPS permit may also be issued to organisations that provide transport for people with a mobility disability.

(3) The ACT Road Transport legislation provides offence provisions for the misuse of MPS parking spaces (wide bays) and the misuse of MPS permits. The penalty amount for both these offences is $155.00.

(4) The below table shows the number of parking infringement notices issued to motorists for parking in reserved MPS spaces (wide bays) without a current MPS permit:

Parking infringement notices are not issued for misusing a MPS permit as not all medical conditions are visibly detectable and misuse is very difficult to establish. Alleged cases of misuse of MSP permits are generally reported by the general public and parking inspectors to the Parking Review Office, where they are followed up and if necessary the permit holder is contacted and asked to show cause why the permit should not be revoked.

(5) Urban Services is investigating if there are similar problems identified in the ACT as recently found in NSW. This investigation will identify if a full review of the MPS is required within the ACT.

Graffiti
(Question No 865)

Mr Pratt asked the Minister for Urban Services, upon notice, on 14 February 2006:

(1) What are the costs, to the ACT Government, in relation to graffiti removal for (a) each month in 2005 and (b) January 2006;

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