Kiwi Company Develops Tech To Stop Disabled Parking Abuse

Gizmodo AU

If you park in a handicapped parking space without having a legitimate permit to do so, you’re a douche. But you may just manage to avoid being caught, unless a patrolling parking inspector happens to be around. But that’s all going to change when Kiwi company CPT starts selling its new sensor, which immediately contacts parking inspectors when a non-permitted cars park in disabled spots.

Reportedly costing about the same as the current handicapped parking permit system, the sensors would replace the current permit, and automatically be detected when the car enters the disabled parking space. If no electronic tag is detected in the car parked in the spot, the system will notify traffic inspectors, who will come running to give you a ticket.

It sounds like a fairly simple technological solution to a fairly frustrating problem, although undoubtedly those who do take parking spots from less able people will cry that it’s little more than a money grabbing scheme. Gizmag reports that the program hasn’t been picked up by any clients yet, but is ready to go and could be in place as early this year.

[Gizmag]

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Discuss

(33 Comments)
  • [–]

    iMikeyMike

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 4:37 PM

    F*ckin’ yeah! About time.

  • [–]

    cayal

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 4:37 PM

    I’m not disabled but anyone that does this is a downright asshole.

  • [–]

    Grim

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    Money grabbing scheme? That’s even less credible than the same claim on speed cameras.

    I wonder how economic this would be compared to hiring a teenager with a baseball bat to watch the disabled bays.

    • [–]

      Mr Odd

      Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 5:00 PM

      Is baseball bat for the car or to make the driver legally allowed to park there? ;)

      • [–]

        Drew

        Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 5:21 PM

        Initially for the car, as a consequence the driver.

    • [–]

      Max

      Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:06 PM

      To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if the main motivation here *was* money.

      The fact that this particular money-making scheme helps disabled people, and punishes douches is just sort of a bonus ;)

      • [–]

        Andrew

        Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 5:21 PM

        As an added advantage, after you cripple them with the bat, don’t give them a disabled permit, so they can experience the difficulty of not being able to use the spots when they need them!

  • [–]

    noone

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 5:26 PM

    The able bodied parking cheats I see have got the parking permits. So this wont change much. If anything they use the e permit and an inspector wont come near them.

  • [–]

    doubleDizz

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 5:58 PM

    This comment has been deemed inappropriate and has been deleted.

    • [–]

      braid

      Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:32 PM

      Would you hold a door open for a mother with a pram? Yes you say? Then why would you deny her the more convenient parking spot?

      • [–]

        cayal

        Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:15 PM

        There is no reason at all why they need their own parking bays.

        • [–]

          Greg

          Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:23 PM

          … in your ridiculously short-sighted, arrogant opinion.

          • [–]

            cayal

            Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 9:54 PM

            No, in my opinion and it’s more accurate than yours no doubt.
            It’s actually discriminatory. I can’t park in a free bay (I do it anyway) because I decide not to have kids. There is no reason why they need it, the purpose of a pram, aside from being in the way in isles because they have no regard for everyone else, is to push kids in.
            There is no extra weight for the parents, it is not a physical burden. So no, they don’t deserve one.

      • [–]

        Huddo

        Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:26 PM

        doubleDizz, next time I park next to you, ill ensure I scratch your car when im trying to get my baby capsule out of the car.

        Pram Parks are wider to accommodate this :)

    • [–]

      Greg

      Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:34 PM

      I think you’ll find it’s “parents with prams”, but thanks for the rampant sexism.

    • [–]

      Joe

      Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:39 PM

      Really…attacking Mums with kids now? It not easy to lugg kids around and i dont mind letting them a better spot. I guess if they had car parks for 40yo virgins, you would not be complaining about that! Yes?

    • [–]

      MDolley

      Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:50 PM

      I don’t have a problem with the parent spots – I have an issue with the location of the spots. In my personal experience people who park in those spots take much longer to get out of their car, spend longer in the shopping centre and then take much longer to get into their car.

      The good locations should be for disabled people and people that just want to get in, and get out as quick as possible. I suggest moving parent parking spots 10 spaces away from entrances and having 15 minute only spots.

      • [–]

        kristy

        Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 11:06 PM

        it may take longer for parents to get everyone in and out of the car but try and think of the safety of the kids. the closer to the centre the better. parking complexes are not the greatest thing to push a pram through, people tend to drive a little crazy when trying to snatch up a park.

        I never really understood the need for parents with pram parks until i had kids myself but now i get it. I will still park a couple of floors up if i dont have my kids with me just to leave the spot open for someone else.

        The amount of times i have seen cars without kids seat park in these spots is highly frustrating. Even worse multiple times i have seen motorbikes parked in them :(

  • [–]

    Puffinfresh

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 6:06 PM

    If only this was installed at the front of my last employer. A manager decided he would give one of his favourite staff members permission to park in the disabled bay so she could hear if her malfunctioning car alarm was going off. He didn’t care when I pointed out that it was illegal, although he did get a bit upset when I asked the shire ranger to pay a visit.

  • [–]

    Michael

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 6:30 PM

    I seen a disabled woman block a bogan in a disabled spot while he went into the supermarket for some smokes. He wasn’t happy that he got caught out.

  • [–]

    Sam Timmins

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:46 PM

    As a disabled guy, this is awesome!
    (And better than just going on looks. With my epilepsy, until I told you, I’d look 100% like an average citizen. That is unless it starts malfunctioning.)

  • [–]

    smurfydog

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:48 PM

    This sounds great, but I hope the new tags are easily transferable between cars like the current ones.

    I know a few older people with these tags. None of them drive, but rely on others to get them around.

    • [–]

      Daniel

      Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:16 PM

      Yea i see this being the biggest flaw here. And what would stop someone cloneing one of there and just sticking it to there car.

      • [–]

        Jack Frost

        Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:57 PM

        Maybe the system is very similar to the original permits that hook onto your rear view mirror and doesn’t need to be attached to the car? that way the parking inspector could have a visual check as well to stopping the fraudsters and easily transferable between vehicles.

    • [–]

      Sam Timmins

      Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 12:36 AM

      Not just the elderly. I’m 29 and epileptic, and I’ll be damned if I risk others’ lives just to drive myself around!
      (One seizure – or even partial – and out of control car!)

  • [–]

    dan

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:49 PM

    yeah!!! about time, saw one of those jackasses this morning, parked on the disabled carpark in front of the cafe, and chatting with his friends next to the car… what a tosser… felt like kicking both of his knees and saying now you can park there…

  • [–]

    Sowhatmeh

    Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 6:55 AM

    A simple key and scratch around the car would do just fine, besides, who they gonna tell? The police about the vandalism?
    Muahaha

    • [–]

      Mr Odd

      Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 9:52 PM

      Same idea gets used when cars park illegal in taxi ranks. Yellow paint looks great on some rich picks new black BMW. Mind you, this doesn’t cover the cabbies who just have bad aim or don’t care.

      When used drive a taxi I often had problems picking people in wheel chairs because someone had partly parked in the disabled spot. Most people don’t know some disabled parks get used a lot by taxis and other groups who pick up or drop off people in wheels chairs. They may only see them empty, because no parks in them for very long, but if watched all day you would see a very high turn over, a lot CBD spots are like that.

  • [–]

    Jeff

    Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 11:04 AM

    How about sounding an alarm when they park with out a permit, might make them move straight away and free the park for a legit person rather than still have them block the park and get a fine.

    • [–]

      Daniel

      Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 2:18 PM

      Or just have 24/7 Classical Music. Sure works at keeping the bogans away!

  • [–]

    Rezza

    Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:26 AM

    ANYTHING to stop people like this guy – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC1iowJYxeg – is a good thing! I’m from Sydney, and this Kunal Singh was caught just round the corner from my work! I pay to park in the same area. He drives BMW and yet steals parking from disabled people! How cheap and nasty can you get?!

  • [–]

    Andrew Quah

    Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 12:18 AM

    This comment has been deemed inappropriate and has been deleted.

    • [–]

      Majbour

      Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 2:31 PM

      I love how your talking to yourself andrew, get some class mate. If anybody would like to verifty andrew quahs credability type him name into google.

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