There was a 20 per cent increase in the number of ACT drivers caught disobeying disabled parking signs last year, following a crackdown on illegal parking by the ACT government.
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Parking inspectors caught 1595 drivers without disabled parking permits last year, an increase of 245 on the number of drivers caught illegally parked in disabled spaces in 2010.
The highest number of offences was in September, when 178 drivers were caught using a disabled parking space without a permit, followed by 172 in July, 162 in May, and 146 in November.
The lowest number of fines issued was in January, when inspectors caught 72 drivers misusing disabled parking spaces.
Last year's figure is also higher than the number of fines issued in 2009, when 1370 drivers were caught disobeying disabled parking signs.
Advocacy group People with Disabilities ACT, which has lobbied the ACT government for better disabled parking access across the city, said illegal parking had become ''a tremendous problem'' for Canberra residents with a disability.
Executive Officer Robert Altamore said the issue was a general problem in Canberra and not isolated to certain suburbs. ''We are aware of many situations where people with disabilities have missed medical appointments or could not do their shopping because a person was illegally parked in a disabled parking space,'' Mr Altamore said.
He said although parking officers were ''doing their best'', the organisation was calling for even stronger patrols and enforcement of disabled parking spaces.
''We continually raise this issue with the ACT government in every forum we can,'' Mr Altamore said.
''We are also asking people in the broader community to consider the impact of parking in a disabled space without a permit.
''Their actions might mean that a person with a disability can't keep a medical appointment, can't do their shopping, or can't meet a business appointment.''
A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Simon Corbell said there had been ''a slight increase'' in the number of fines issued last year compared to 2010 and that patrols of disabled parking spaces were conducted as part of the ''normal duties of parking inspectors''.
In response to a question from Liberal MLA Vicki Dunne in a Justice and Community Safety standing committee hearing in November last year, Mr Corbell said parking inspectors had ''closely monitored the use of disabled parking spaces in government car parks'' in 2011.
