More than 3600 drivers have been caught out illegally parking in disabled parking spots across Brimbank in the past five years.
Brimbank’s development director, Stuart Menzies, said the council last year fined 540 people for wrongly parking in disabled parking bays, while 3076 offences were detected between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2013. The penalty for parking in a disabled spot is $148.
Mr Menzies said council officers regularly patrolled shopping centres in Deer Park, Keilor, St Albans, Sunshine, Watergardens and elsewhere.
Officers can issue an infringement notice fine only if an offence is witnessed first-hand – not if it’s reported or photographed by a member of the public.
Sunshine North resident Peter Thomson, who was left crippled after attempting to help the victim of a drink-driving accident 19 years ago, said the “real” figures were much higher.
Mr Thomson, a member of the Brimbank Disability Network, said the problem was greater at private carparks, which council officers had no power to patrol.
“The only people who can book them are the police, and they’re busy [tackling other crime],” he said.
“It’s a problem everywhere. One of the best things to deter them would be to take New South Wales’ lead and put the fines up to $500 or $600.
“These small fines don’t deter them.”
St Albans resident Renee Biewer, who has been wheelchair-bound for 19 years and uses a modified car to drive, said police should set up a hotline similar to the dob-in-a-hoon line.
Ms Biewer is the founder of the “You take my car park … have my disability as well” Facebook page, which displays photos of cars parked in disabled spots without permits.
She said the problem was particularly rife at the Keilor shopping centre and St Albans Safeway carparks.
