Every day, people with mobility issues find mobility parking spaces in NSW taken by people that don't have a permit or by people abusing the system. There is no way in NSW to report people for parking in these spaces and enforcement is rare. There are clear rules to follow for users of these permits and the spaces are for people who need them. 

In NSW people can report littering from a motor vehicle to the EPA. Anyone can report and it didn't always be this way. Technology has enabled people the ability to capture time, date, place and photos of the offence. This has resulted in far fewer people being seen littering from vehicles in the 20 plus years the offence has existed. 

I want the NSW Government to develop a similar App or way to report to Transport for NSW people parking illegally in these spaces. Currently, the only ability to report is for people abusing actual mobility permits. The worst offending locations are outside medical centres.  With current technology, people can capture the right information and if they are willing to go to court like the Report to EPA app for littering offences, then I don't see a difference. This will over time result in cultural changes. Currently relying on a Council Ranger to be in the right spot at the right time is not working.

I never knew how much of an issue it was, till I needed a temporary mobility permit. I ended up in a wheelchair after hip surgery complications and had a son who broke his leg and was in a full leg cast and also needed one at the same time. During this time, these parks were needed just to be able to wheel the wheelchair down the side of the vehicle so my son could get out of the car without hitting the car next to us. During this time, it was 50/50 at my local medical centre if the vehicle parked in the mobility spots had a permit. Many were parents with prams or parking there because all other spots were full. 

What prompted this petition was that a person parking in a disabled spot at a busy shopping centre displaying an expired temporary permit (by 9 months) to make it look like they had one. Unless it's checked, it looks legitimate. When asked, she said, oh no one checks and I don't care. 3 minutes after she left, the police walked by and were told about it and did not issue a fine. It was public road parking.

I also recall an ex in the late 1990s who had a disabled mum that rarely left the house. He used his mothers permit to avoid parking fees at the university and to park right next to the lecture halls in mobility parks. No morals and didn't care about legitimate people needing the spots. This unfortunately is more common.