Ref: LCO1-081

Proposed Parking for Disabled People Legislative Competence Order

Chris Franks

Pre-ballot Information: Outline Proposed Legislative Competence Order

Outline of proposed Order

Field 10 Highways and Transport of Part 1 Schedule 5 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 is to be amended as follows: Provision relating to parking for disabled people.

Pre-ballot Information: Explanatory Memorandum

Background

In 2007, the Baywatch Campaign, an organisation that seeks to end abuse of parking spaces across the UK published research showing that 1 in 5 Disabled Parking Bays were occupied by people who were not disabled.

In urban areas such as Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, It is often difficult for motorists to park conveniently to shopping centres or to important civil amenities.  To assist disable motorists, successive councils have installed a small number of disabled parking bas for people with a Blue Badge. Unfortunately, these spaces have not been enforced. It is very common to find people without a Blue Badge using disabled parking spaces simply because the spaces are closer to a shopping centre.

The responsibility for the enforcement of on street parking is with the Police in the majority of Local Authorities.  Only a small number of councils have decriminalised their parking enforcement, thereby allowing parking attendants to be employed to enforce illegal parking in disabled parking bays.  The enforcement of Disabled parking bays is not a priority for any of the four Police Authorities and therefore there has been little investment in the recruitment of Traffic Wardens.  

Disabled Parking bays in off street car parks tend to be advisory and even less enforceable than on street parking.

The Traffic Management Act 2004 sets out the current regulation of disabled parking bays.   

Policy Objectives of the Order

- Confer legislative competence over disabled parking to the National Assembly for Wales.

- Clarify and codify the law in relation to disabled parking spaces in one piece of legislation.   

- Enable a Measure to be brought forward to provide greater power to enforce disabled parking spaces.

- Increased opportunities for disabled people to used local shopping centres and other services.

Support Received from MS Society Cymru