Occupy spaces for people with disabilities: get fined

In Mykolaiv patrol officers, together with representatives of the Department for Veterans Affairs of the City Council and veteran public organizations, checked how drivers comply with parking rules in spaces designated for people with disabilities. During the raid, law enforcement officers not only held preventive conversations but also drew up administrative materials against those who deliberately ignored the rules.

The check involved inspectors from the Road Safety Department, the Department for Veterans Affairs of the Mykolaiv City Council and representatives of the NGO “Defenders UA”. The City Council reported that the initiative was supported by the head of the veterans’ department, Serhii Zaitsev.

During the operation, law enforcement checked specially equipped parking spaces and spoke with drivers. According to the results published by the City Council, 3 drivers were issued warnings, and administrative materials were drawn up for another 4.

The patrol police emphasized: spaces marked with the appropriate road sign and markings are intended for vehicles driven by people with disabilities or used to transport such persons.

In particular, the police urged drivers to give up the common excuse of parking “just for a few minutes”. For a person who has difficulty moving, a free designated parking space near a store, hospital, institution or other facility may be the only way to safely reach it.

Drivers are also asked not to block access to such spaces and not to leave vehicles nearby in a way that would create obstacles for people with disabilities.

Under the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, stopping or parking without the appropriate right in a space designated for drivers with disabilities or those transporting them, as well as creating obstacles for them, carries a fine from 60 to 100 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens – that is from 1020 to 1700 hryvnias. The same liability is provided for the improper use of the sign “Driver with a disability”.

The City Council notes that accessibility is especially important for veterans returning from the war with injuries and acquired health impairments. Designated spaces near buildings are not a privilege but one of the basic elements that make it possible to move around the city independently.

For Mykolaiv the issue remains relevant also because of the state of the infrastructure itself. Earlier, during inspections in the Korabelnyi District, specialists from the Ombudsman’s Office recorded, in particular, the absence of designated parking spaces for people with disabilities near certain social institutions and the new CNAP.

The patrol police urged residents to remember that accessibility begins with simple everyday decisions – including where a driver leaves their car.

Earlier we wrote:

• In Mykolaiv, fines will be issued for parking on lawns in courtyards, – Senkevych
• “At a reduced rate”? Senkevych promises to also address the issue of parking near residential buildings
• 5 thousand for parking every month? In Mykolaiv the “comfortable city” turned into a paid hell
• Inclusion Mykolaiv-style: in the social services of the Korabelnyi District there is neither access nor respect
• 5100 UAH for incorrect parking: the new fine will hit violators’ wallets