ABUSE of disabled parking bays could become a thing of the past, thanks to new technology that can catch able-bodied drivers who hog the spaces.
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New Zealand company Car Parking Technologies has created a product that uses sensors and electronic tags to locate and fine motorists who are illegally parked.
The kit could also signal the end of residential permits on dashboards and parking meters, company managing director Paul Collins said.
''If everyone has a chip in their vehicle, we know who they are,'' he said. ''If that chip is aligned to some form of credit card or phone service, you just top up your tag.''
While such residential developments are still a year away, the disabled parking technology is now being tested in Britain by the City of Edinburgh and supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
And the company, whose chairman is the Computershare founder Chris Morris, will soon start talks with Australian airports, hospitals, shopping centres and councils.
Instead of carrying disabled parking permits, drivers carry electronic tags that are read by sensors in parking bays.
If the sensors cannot detect a tag, they send a message to parking officers, who issue fines.
The technology would change people's behaviour, Mr Collins said. ''There has always been an issue with disabled parking,'' he added. ''People will look at these disabled parks and say, 'I am going to get caught, I'm not going to park there'.
''When we put sensors in, the abuse goes down immediately.''
The technology would also eliminate the need for parking inspectors to constantly patrol the streets, Mr Collins said.
Sandi Havekotte, whose 13-year-old son Aidan has cerebral palsy, said she often struggled to find a disabled parking space.
''A few years ago we arrived at a shopping centre and a lovely shiny red convertible pulled next to us in a disabled spot,'' she said.
''He was young and athletic and had just ducked into the bank. My younger son, Ryan, who was eight at the time, told him off. There was no apology.''
Disability organisation Scope said a growing number of people were misusing disabled parking bays.
''It is always a cause of frustration for people we support,'' Scope business enterprise general manager Tom Baxter said.
