Disabled parking spots at a premium

IT is not surprising it is hard to find a disabled parking space in Orange, with more than 2200 people potentially vying for somewhere to park.

The latest statistics  from Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) show 1584 people in Orange use disability stickers as part of a mobility scheme allowing them to park in one of 43 disabled car spaces in Orange.

Twenty-five of these spaces are in car parks and 18 are in streets. 

There are a further 625 disabled people in Cabonne.

The number of Orange people using the mobility scheme has increased by 271 in the past five years, while the number of Cabonne residents has increased by 142.

Orange City Council traffic management committee chair councillor Russell Turner does not believe more disabled parking spaces  should be provided in Orange, instead he would like a campaign to discourage people from parking for long periods of time in disabled car spaces.

“I think people who park in disabled car spaces all day can create some problems,” he said.

“I think half a day is alright, but any longer than that means they are tying up the space for someone else.”

Orange Community Training and Education Centre (OCTEC) deputy chief executive officer Stephen Nugent said although the organisation dealt with people with a disability, lack of parking spaces has not been raised as an area of concern.

“Of course people with a disability are able to access timed car spaces for long periods, particularly if it means they are accessing training or working,” he said.

However, Donna Swiatkiwsky of Astley Mobility said more disabled people were coming to Orange to access services.

“We hear all the time from people who are using mobility aids that they just can’t get a parking space and these are people that don’t just come from Orange, they come from places around like Grenfell, Parkes, and Forbes,” she said.

janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au