DRIVERS parking illegally in disabled bays have pushed an elderly Woodlands couple to the brink after they were forced to walk in soaring temperatures to see a movie on Australia Day.
A pleasant outing to escape the 41C heat at Innaloo Event Cinemas turned to outrage for Ron and Pat Seares, disgusted by what the couple labelled as the “inconsiderate” behaviour of motorists parking in bays designated for ACROD sticker holders.
Mr Seares (89), an arthritis sufferer recovering from recent major surgery, and his wife (83), who has used a walking frame for four years, were left with no other choice than to walk the distance of the Liege Street car park on January 26 when all the disabled bays were full of people not displaying a valid user pass.
“We’re annoyed at what seems to be a growing trend of people illegally using these bays,” Mr Seares said.
“If we continue to tolerate this behaviour, it’ll get worse.”
Stirling parking officers can hit drivers with a $120 fine if they do not display an ACROD permit in a designated bay, but the council says they cannot monitor the Innaloo entertainment spot as it was privately-owned.
“The City will write to Event Cinemas advising them that the City is available to patrol the carpark for them to enforce parking regulations at their request,” City community services manager Laurie Crouch said.
“Generally, the community respect allocated disabled parking bays and comply with these restrictions. Rangers take a tough stance on unauthorised parking in disabled spots and will infringe vehicles (that) fail to display a valid ACROD permit.”
When the Seares emailed the cinema to report the issue, spokesman Stephen Lamb said Event Cinemas was a tenant of the Innaloo Centre, not the owner, and the query had been passed to managing agents CB Richard Ellis.
“I do hope this issue is able to be resolved and would not deter you from visiting Event Cinemas Innaloo in the future,” Mr Lamb said in his response.
The Times attempted to contact the managing agents several times, but was unsuccessful.
National Disability Services ACROD Parking Program manager Helen Granville said the misuse of disabled parking bays by some members of the community was a clear sign they lacked respect for other peoples’ needs.
“We receive many complaints about the misuse of ACROD parking bays,” Ms Granville said.
“If you are not a permit holder, it is never ok to park in a designated bay.
“Anyone suspecting the misuse of a bay should notify their local council or shopping centre management at the time.”