Bright spaces for disabled

Whangarei Leader 22nd December 2009 – Story by Denise Piper

Bright blue accessible carparks are making waves in Whangarei, leaving drivers with no doubt the parking places are reserved for people with disabilities.

The swimming pool-blue non-skid paint has been applied at Bream Bay Medical Centre and Whangarei Pak’ n Save.

Disabled support organisation Tiaho Trust now hopes to paint the town blue to help stop abuse of the accessible carparks. 

Spokeswoman Gail Stacey says the blue carparks are popular in Australia and are emerging in parts of New Zealand.

Bream Bay Medical Centre was the first place in Whangarei to have the carparks, after an assessment through Tiaho’s improving responsiveness to disability programme found the parks needed repainting.

Tiaho encouraged the centre to go blue by paying half the cost, she says.
The work was done by Coastline Roadmarkers who picked up the initiative, encouraging Pak’n Save to also adopt the blue parks.

Tiaho Trust chief executive Jonny Wilkinson says going blue is an easy way for businesses to encourage proper use of the parks.

“For private carpark owners it’s their responsibility to look at the non-compliance but it’s not their core business. This is a relatively easy way for them to provide greater access to their business.”

Jonny says an international study found New Zealand had the highest incidence of carpark abuse.

Surveys have found the blue carparks are abused less and used more by people with a mobility parking permit.