Taxis lose permits for disabled parking bays
Local taxi drivers will have to park illegally or ask passengers to source their own individual disabled parking permits.
West Gippsland Taxis manager Bruce Moss is disappointed Baw Baw Shire has decided not to re-issue disabled parking permits to the company, that allowed taxis to park in disabled car parking spaces for pick-up and drop-off for elderly passengers and people with disabilities.
West Gippsland Taxis has 10 vehicles and two vehicles purposefully fitted for wheelchair access.
Mr Moss said the company had previously been issued with permits allowing drivers to pull into disabled parking bays to allow people with disabilities, elderly people or people with restricted mobility easy access to central shopping areas and service facilities.
Mr Moss said drivers did not abuse the privilege of access to the bays. “We take up minimal time and parking in the central business district is dismal,” he said.
Mr Moss said permits were previously issued by the shire to enable taxis to pick up and drop off patrons in allocated disabled parking areas.
“It is our understanding that the shire can deem us as an organisation that is eligible for this permit.
“Many of our passengers are elderly who suffer with health issues or are unable to walk distances.
“Our two wheelchair vehicles need access so as to unload safely. This service is provided 24/7,” he said.
Mr Moss said hundreds of passengers a week would need access to disabled parking bays for easier access to key shopping points and facilities.
He said the legislation, that has been in place since 1995, stated: “An organisation will be eligible for a disabled person’s parking permit if it is recognised by a council as providing a transport service for people with significant ambulatory or intellectual disabilities.”
But, he said, the shire indicated passengers now had to get their own permits.
Instead of permits being issued to the company and its 12 taxis, Mr Moss said the shire suggested individual passengers, who met disabled parking criteria, would have to get their own permit, remember to take it with them and hand it to the driver to allow them to park legally.
Mr Moss said this meant passengers had to go through a process of attending the doctors to get a certificate and then apply for the permit themselves.
“They just won’t go through that process and a lot of them don’t understand.
“And will it be the same for local nursing homes and retirement facilities who have their own transport vehicles,” he said.
Taxi driver Allan Singline said many of his elderly passengers or people with a disability wanted to be dropped off close to where they needed to go.
He said they would be lucky to be parked in the bay for five to 10 minutes.
Without a permit, Mr Singline said drivers would be forced to park illegally or have to drop passengers, with limited mobility, further away from the main shopping areas.
Mr Moss said they needed to drop people with limited mobility close to where they need to go. “Quite often we have to double park and that’s more dangerous than using a disabled parking bay,” he said.
Baw Baw Shire was contacted for a response on Friday but no response was received by yesterday’s deadline.