Save Our Space Campaign Reminds Public to Respect Restricted Parking

Respect Restricted Parking During the Holidays or Face Heavy Fines

Phoenix, AZ – Do you park in spaces reserved for people with disabilities? Using handicapped parking spaces means more than an inconvenience to someone who needs it. People with disabilities circle parking lots and often cancel their trip because they cannot find a parking space.

The Phoenix Mayor’s Commission on Disability Issues and city of Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department created the “Save Our Space” campaign to remind the public about the importance of saving accessible parking spaces for people who really need them. Through cooperation with the Phoenix Police Department, the campaign calls for a stronger community commitment to following the existing parking ordinances.

“The MCDI once again is excited about the awareness and attention that Detective Walter Olsen, the ACE volunteers and the Phoenix Police Department are bringing to the issues surrounding parking for people with disabilities,” said Chad Blake, chairman of the Mayor’s Commission on Disability Issues. “We look forward to the results that this year’s Save Our Space campaign will bring.”

Several years ago, the city passed an ordinance raising the fines for illegal use of designated disabled parking spaces from $140 to a minimum fine of $250 to as high as $500. The ordinance also makes it illegal for parked vehicles to block accessible curb cuts and ramps and to park in the yellow striped access aisle adjacent to accessible parking spaces, even on private property. 

The Police Department has recruited, trained and equipped a corps of ACE (Accessibility Compliance Enforcement) volunteers to issue citations for accessible parking violations. The department also has set up a hotline number, 602-534-SPACE (7722), for the public to report violations.

For more information about the “Save Our Space” campaign, visit
phoenix.gov/mcdi/dispark.html or to become an ACE volunteer, call 602-534-SPACE.

Source: City of Phoenix

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