10/27/2005 The Asahi Shimbun
Under revisions to the Road Traffic Law, cracking down on parking violations
will be
partially delegated to the private sector from June 2006.
As a member of the National Police Agency's advisory panel on illegal
parking, I took
part in those deliberations.
To my regret, a proposal I made to punish drivers who park in spaces
reserved for
people with disabilities was rejected.
According to the National Policy Agency, in 2004 there were 206,000
licensed
drivers with cars that had been modified to accommodate people with disabilities.
The figure, which is up from about 194,000 in 2000, has been rising steadily
each year.
As the concept of a barrier-free society takes root, more facilities
are setting up
special parking spaces for people with disabilities. The spaces are marked
with a
wheelchair symbol. I imagine this initiative will make it easier for people
with
disabilities to embark on errands or go to social activities in the future.
However, it is not uncommon to see handicapped parking occupied by thoughtless
able-bodied drivers or delivery trucks. Meaning, of course, that disabled
drivers who
need the handy spaces cannot park there. And, ironically, in some cases,
a
handicapped space will be full of signs and cones that are put there to prevent
illegal
parking.
In 2001, together with a group of researchers, including Katsumi Tokuda,
a graduate
school professor at the University of Tsukuba, I studied how handicapped
parking was
being used and abused.
This was part of a research project initiated by the International Association
of Traffic
and Safety Sciences. The survey covered 2,340 people.
In the survey, 212 people said they had parked their cars in handicapped spaces.
Asked why, the most common answers were: "No other space was available,"
"Because it was only for a short time" and "It was close to the entrance."
People who
gave such answers far outnumbered those who said they parked there because
they
were carrying wheelchair users or elderly people.
The survey also asked respondents how they viewed handicapped parking.
Sixty-
eight people said they felt free to use it if no one else was using it.
Clearly, some drivers simply don't care about others.
Also, there appears to be considerable confusion about who can rightfully
use these
special parking spaces.
Some people say only wheelchair users should use parking spaces for
people with
disabilities. Others say old people and pregnant women are also entitled
to use them.
Another problem is that some disabilities are hard to recognize by appearance alone.
In the absence of a clear standard on who can use these parking spaces,
it would be
wrong to jump to conclusions and simply chastise seemingly able-bodied people
who
park their cars in those spots.
Spinal Injuries Japan has proposed changing the name of parking spaces
for people
with disabilities in service areas of toll roads to "parking exclusively
for wheelchair
users." It also has called for additional parking spaces to assist other
handicapped
people. We need clear standards for usage and signs that can be readily
understood
by everyone.
As part of the 2001 survey, we also looked into parking problems in
Europe and
discovered that many countries deal with violators by imposing fines and
other
punishments.
Britain, for example, issues "Blue Badge" parking permits to people
with disabilities.
If people who do not have the permit park in handicapped parking, their
cars are
towed or clamped with a "boot." To get the boot removed, the owner must
pay a
fee of £40 (about 8,000 yen).
Germany, France and the Netherlands have similar systems. Under a law
enacted in
South Korea in 1998 drivers who park their cars in handicapped parking without
a
permit must pay a fine of up to 200,000 won (about 22,000 yen). The above-
mentioned countries also have penalties for people who wrongfully use handicapped
parking permits.
These countries run educational programs for drivers. But deterrence
comes mainly
in the form of laws to punish violators. That's because education alone
is not
sufficient to solve the problem.
Japan needs to advance driver education. At the same time, we should
consider laws
to punish violators.
* * * The author is a city planner.(IHT/Asahi: October 27,2005)