Porirua City Council is giving the public the opportunity to blow the whistle on people who park in mobility spaces without a permit.

In a scheme run by CCS Disability Action, frustrated motorists can easily download a free app and report a car parked illegally in a mobility parking spot in real time.

Porirua City and Waitaki District councils have joined the scheme in the past week, joining Hutt, Wellington and Christchurch City councils as early adopters of this technology.

It will be ready to use in Porirua from 1 September.

Porirua has 29 mobility parking spaces that the Council enforce.

When parking violations are reported on the app, the location of the car park is identified on a map and a message is sent to the Council’s parking services team, who can take appropriate action. This can include an infringement notice or, in some instances, towing.

The fine for parking in a disability or mobility parking space without a permit is $150.

“We have mobility parking spaces for a reason, and these can be abused in our city,” says Monitoring and Compliance Manager Leonie McPhail.

“This technology is in real time, so we get an email immediately and can forward the information to parking officers who are out and about.”

“We want these parking spaces to be used by people who actually need them.”

Ms McPhail says the reporting technology can also serve to help Council collect data on hot spots where parking enforcement officers should be at certain times.

People can also use the app to locate mobility parks and map any that have not yet been added.

Council is unable to issue infringement notices in private carparks. However, Countdown is soon to trial the app in Dunedin with a view to rolling it out nationwide.

You can download the free app from Google Play or the Apple store by searching for Access Aware. There is also a helpline available during work hours for questions and technical issues – 0508 227 322.

© Scoop Media