‘This is so selfish’: Drivers are left FURIOUS after a mobility scooter is parked in a Bunnings disabled parking bay
- A mobility scooter user has been branded ‘selfish’ after parking in disabled spot
- The blue scooter was snapped blocking the designated parking bay at Bunnings
- Pictures were then shared with Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame
A mobility scooter user has been branded ‘selfish’ after parking in a disabled spot at Bunnings.
The blue scooter was snapped blocking the designated parking bay at the hardware store in Bayswater, in Melbourne’s north east.
The pictures were then shared with Facebook group Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame on Thursday, who condemn road users for parking in disabled bays without valid permits.
‘Find this needless! Taking up a whole space could’ve easily park up on the footpath,’ one viewer said.
The blue scooter was snapped blocking the designated parking bay at the hardware store in Bayswater, in Melbourne’s north-east
‘Funny, but probably not appropriate… Surely one could park the scooter somewhere else,’ wrote another.
‘It is so selfish to take up a car park like that. If you can walk, leave your scooter outside the shop you are going into.’
One mobility scooter user said they would never leave their vehicle parked in the same circumstance but admitted it was hard to get around while shopping.
‘Mind you, a lot of shops don’t cater for scooters, I’ve been in a couple that are way too small,’ one person said.
Another suggested the pictures were proof it’s ‘time for specific mobility scooter parks’.
The pictures also sparked debate about the regulations of parking mobility scooters in a disabled parking bay.
The pictures were then shared with Facebook group Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame on Thursday, who condemn road users for parking in disabled bays without valid permits
According to Vic Roads, the Road Safety Act and Road Safety Rules say mobility scooters are not defined as motor vehicles and cannot be registered.
They only reach a maximum speed of 10km/h on level ground and can only be used by people with an injury, disability or illness which inhibits their ability to walk.
‘People using these devices are or manual wheelchairs are considered pedestrians, and therefore must obey the same road rules as other pedestrians,’ Vic Roads says.
Mobility scooters are typically treated as pedestrians across Australia and shouldn’t be parked on the road – even if the user carries a valid permit for a disability parking spot.
As mobility scooters are designed for the footpath, users are not required to hold a license for the device in Victoria.