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Driver blasted over 'infuriating' act in disabled car park

A disabled woman was unable to access her vehicle after another driver parked illegally beside her at a Westfield shopping centre in Perth.

"This is why no one should impede the shared access bay next to disability parking spaces," the woman wrote on the Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame Facebook group.

"It gets very frustrating, especially when you have frozen food and you are forced to wait for an extended period of time for the driver to be found!"

In the images shared to the group, a red car is seen parked on the yellow-striped zone painted on the ground to indicate it is a shared space.

The woman said the incident happened on Thursday at Westfield Carousel in Western Australia.

A driver parked in a shared space, prevent access to those who need the disabled parking spaces. Source: Facebook/Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame
A driver parked in a shared space, prevent access to those who need the disabled parking spaces. Source: Facebook/Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame

She explained at the time that she had just asked another person to move their car after they had parked in another accessible parking spot.

"I am just here for a few minutes - my mate is on crutches at the moment," the young person said to the woman when she asked them to move.

People were infuriated by the actions of the red car's driver, with one person branding the parking as "disgraceful".

"People are so uncaring," one person said in the comments.

"If it happens again go to or ring centre management. And have the driver be made to move the car. Embarrass them. This is not your fault it’s theirs. Make them own it."

Why you need to respect disabled parking spaces

In one of the photos shared by the woman, there isn't enough room for her to access the wheelchair ramp to get into her car.

The woman also included a visual PSA in the post, which clarifies why you should not park on the yellow stripes, known as the shared space.

"The shared space between disability parking bays are designed to be used by people parked on either side to get in and out of their vehicles safely," the PSA says.

"This provides access to people using mobility aids and for side loading wheelchair vans."

The red car parking in the shared zone angered people on social media. Source: Facebook/Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame
The red car parking in the shared zone angered people on social media. Source: Facebook/Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame

In other words, if you are parking in the shared space, which are you never allowed to do, you could be preventing someone from getting in or out of their vehicle.

Sadly, this is not the first time Yahoo News Australia has covered someone not respecting the rules.

Previously, People with Disability Australia CEO Sebastian Zagarella spoke to Yahoo News about the importance of disabled parking bays.

“Disabled parking bays are an important accessibility feature to ensure people with disability can access the community just like everyone else," Mr Zagarella said.

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