App to report disability parking cheats launches at Auckland Countdown supermarkets
Wednesday, 13 November 2019
People who misuse supermarket disability parks can be dobbed in by other shoppers, using a new app launched by Countdown.
The app is being trialled from Wednesday at five Countdown stores in Auckland, including the Māngere East store, which has high rates of people using the parks when they do not need to.
People using CCS Disability Action's Access Aware app can report those using the parks without permits in real time.
Once a notification is received through the app, Countdown staff will make an announcement over the loud speaker to ask the owner of the car to move it.
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The trial has been underway for the past three months at four Dunedin stores. It is now being extended to a further seven – including Māngere East, Mt Eden, Greenlane, Point Chevalier and Papakura.
Countdown general manager Kiri Hannifin said the supermarket chain was committed to providing its customers with safe and convenient mobility car parks.
'Having mobility car parks as close to our store entrance as possible is incredibly important for any of our customers with mobility needs,' Hannifin said.
'While the cast majority of New Zealanders are respectful of ensuring mobility parks are available for customers with the right permits, introducing the Access Aware app is an opportunity to reiterate that these car parks are there for a purpose, to help someone get in and out of our stores more easily.'
CCS Disability chief executive David Matthews said Countdown was the first supermarket chain to test the app.
'Feedback from our 150,000 mobility parking permit holders would indicate that supermarkets and other retailers are some of the most misused mobility car parks in the country causing immense frustration and stopping people going about their daily lives,' Matthews said.
'We regularly hear that people without permits park in a mobility car park because they're just going to be a 'couple of minutes' or 'they didn't see the sign'.
'The reality is that there are only a small number of designated mobility car parks available at any one time, and they have been designed to be close to the entrance for a reason.'
Hannifin said Countdown stores across the country would be repainting mobility car parks blue as well as adding additional space between car parks to accommodate wheelchair and mobility van access.
THOUSANDS FINED FOR MISUSE OF MOBILITY PARKS
At total of 9820 fines were issued to people misusing disability parks between 2015 and 2017, figures released to Stuff under the Official Information Act show.
There were 3557 fines issued in 2015, 3066 in 2016 and 3197 in 2017.
This was an average of about nine people being fined for parking illegally in disabled spots every day.