The misuse and abuse of accessible parking spaces has gotten worse in recent years and is "obstructing" peoples' lives, a Co Offaly wheelchair user has said.
John McFarlane was a disabled driver for 60 years and is now a passenger, driven by his wife Mary.
The accessible spots "are there for a reason", he said.
"They are there to enable people to live their lives with dignity and independence. As far as I'm concerned, anybody who parks in them without the right permission is actually obstructing their daily lives.
"People want to be able to blend in and get on with their lives but you do have to go to the bank, you do have to go shopping, you do have to go and buy shoes. You have to be able to do that, even on a very wet day and it's important that you’re able to park as close as possible."
The Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland has launched a new awareness campaign aimed at tackling what it described as the ongoing misuse of accessible parking bays.
"I've had a situation where I have been stopped from parking at a hotel and we found the car that was blocking us actually belonged to the hotel manager," he said.
"There are other circumstances where I've been told to 'go and something myself, we’re parking here', and it’s a delivery vehicle. A lot of firms also have a tendency, when they're doing renovations, to dump the skip in the disabled spot."
People with hidden or non-visual disabilities have the same right to park in the spaces as wheelchair users, Mr McFarlane said, adding that judgement cannot be passed on possible abuse or misuse if the person can walk away from the car.
"It's never OK to park in these spaces. Not for a minute, not for 30 seconds."
"They are just as entitled to park in them, so there is no point in, if somebody gets out of a car, you going: 'You're not disabled'. They could be far more disabled and have a life-shortening illness, which I don’t have."
DDAI Communications and Marketing Manager Richard Ryder said there are "no excuses" for misusing accessible parking bays.
"It’s never OK to park in these spaces. Not for a minute, not for 30 seconds. And we’ve launched this new awareness campaign to try and let people know not to park in these wheelchair-accessible parking bays," he said.
The association has also renewed an appeal for local authorities to use a text alert scheme that would allow people to report the abuse of the spaces.
A survey it carried out last year by the association found that the fear of verbal or physical abuse is the number one reason people avoid challenging those parked illegally.
The scheme is in operation in Gorey, Co Wexford and in Lucan and Rathfarnham in Dublin.
Local authorities, including Fingal, Sligo and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, said they had similar reporting systems already in place.
Longford County Council and Wicklow County Council said they were currently exploring the introduction of a text alert system, while Waterford City and County Council and Cavan County Council both said they would favorably consider such a scheme if approached.
Others said the misuse of accessible parking was monitored by on-street traffic wardens.
Clare County Council was installing sensors in 68 of the accessible parking spaces in Ennis town centre, which will provide real-time information via the DDAI Spacefinder App, a local authority spokesperson said.
The app, which was designed to help disabled drivers find vacant parking spaces, already provides information in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Limerick City and County.
There is also a call for more enforcement of existing laws on parking, to deter the misuse of accessible spaces.
Operation Enable is a multi-agency initiative between An Garda Síochána, the DDAI, the Irish Wheelchair Association and local authorities to remind motorists of the need to respect disabled parking bays.
The misuse of spaces "comes and goes in phases", said Inspector Peter Woods from the Dublin Metropolitan Regional Roads Policing Division.
"For a while it is good, then when things get busier in towns and city centres it can get bad again. But it is something we're keeping an eye on constantly," he said.
Inspector Woods helped establish Operation Enable in 2017 and said that it also helped to stop the wrongful use of disabled parking permits.
Since the introduction of Operation Enable, laws have been enacted to make it a specific offence to fraudulently use, or apply for, a disabled parking permit.
The fine for parking in a disabled bay without a permit is €150, increasing to €300 if not paid within 28 days.
