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Unfortunately, we've all seen it. Someone nipping into a disabled parking space for "just a minute" while they run an errand, completely oblivious to the person with mobility issues circling the car park desperately looking for a legitimate space. It's selfish, it's thoughtless, and from now on it's going to hit offenders much harder in the wallet.

 

Congress agreed this Tuesday October 28 to process a bill registered by the PSOE that proposes making stopping or parking in spaces reserved for people with disabilities a very serious offence. The penalty would jump to €500, reduced to €250 if paid within 20 days.

 

At the moment, the Traffic Law classifies this infraction as serious rather than very serious, a slight distinction which means it currently carries a €200 fine that drops to €100 for prompt payment. The PSOE wants to change the law to encourage drivers to make "proper use" of parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities.

 

The motion to consider the initiative received 169 votes in favour, one against and 177 abstentions, meaning it will now move forward.

 

People with disabilities who have reduced mobility face "serious problems in their journeys due to the difficulties they encounter when parking near their destinations," the initiative points out.

 

The text adds that this "is due to the scarcity of reserved parking spaces, but it is also influenced by the misuse of them by other users, who occupy them without being authorised to do so, engaging in particularly uncooperative and reprehensible behaviour."

 

Local police can currently report these infractions as serious offences, carrying that €200 fine, but supporters of the change point out that "experience has shown that this penalty is not at all a deterrent."

 

The text emphasises that there are "many" requests from individuals and organisations, including Cermi, the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities, who "are calling for the aggravation of this specific infraction and, consequently, for an increase in the penalty that it entails."

 

However, not everyone believes higher fines are the complete answer. Daniel Pérez from the PP commented that the proposal "although necessary, is insufficient" because "it focuses on sanctions and not solutions."

 

He stressed that "what truly changes everyone's lives are measures that prevent, facilitate and eliminate obstacles. Strengthening the law has an initial deterrent effect, but without enforcement, without real accessibility, and without effective monitoring, everything will remain the same. The underlying problem is the lack of awareness, the scarcity of parking spaces and the poor design of many of them."

 

It's a fair point. While more than doubling the fines might make some drivers think twice, the fundamental issue remains that Spain simply doesn't have enough properly designed disabled parking spaces to meet demand.

 

Until that changes, people with mobility issues will continue to struggle, regardless of how much we fine those who park illegally.

 

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