Yesterday, the capital marked another International Day of Persons with Disabilities (PWD), without enabling the fulfillment of the standard stipulated by law - five percent of the total number of parking spaces must be reserved for PWDs.
This was assessed by the Association of Disabled Youth of Montenegro (UMHCG), adding that parking spaces intended for PWDs in Podgorica do not meet accessibility standards.
"The dimensions are not appropriate and in accordance with the regulations, there are no angled curbs, but the horizontal and vertical signage is not adequately installed," they told "Vijesta".
Yesterday, the first session of the Parliament for PWDs was held, at which the President of the Human Rights Committee is present Jovan Jole Vučurović said that the report of the European Commission for 2024 states that PWDs still face numerous challenges and obstacles in exercising their rights.
"PWDs face multiple forms of discrimination, and there has been no progress in this area," Vučurović said, according to the EC report.
"Vijesti" announced that of the 13.694 fines issued for illegal parking in the capital this year, as many as 15 percent of them refer to illegal parking in a place intended for people with disabilities.
UMHCG assessed that the situation is at an unsatisfactory level.
"It is enough to walk around the capital, or any Montenegrin municipality, and see what the situation is with illegal parking in places reserved for people with disabilities. One of the biggest barriers is the illegal parking of cars in places designated for people with disabilities, as well as pedestrian crossings and sidewalks, which make everyday life even more difficult. "Irregular parking in the city is a special problem for citizens who use wheelchairs to get around," they assessed.
UMHCG: Drivers get away with impunity
Parking spaces in parking lots intended for people with disabilities are mostly occupied by other cars, said the UMHCG, and assessed that the situation is no better with the sidewalks.
"What is noticeable is that this problem is more visible and larger in parts of the city where the frequency of traffic is higher, such as the city center, Siti quarter and the like," said the association.
They said that no one controls the parking spaces intended for PWDs.
"Authorities react based on reports, and that is a slow and, certainly, insufficient reaction because the problem is not solved that way. The coordination with the inspection that writes the fines is not adequate, because they react in such a way that the person in charge of that part of the work goes out to the field to ascertain the correctness of the parking and accordingly reacts in such a way as to remove the vehicle with a 'spider', if it is feasible, and if it is not , the driver goes unpunished. The accessibility sign is a prerequisite for the vehicle to be parked in the designated parking space, and that sign is always visible, so when writing the fines, it would be very easy to determine whether the vehicle is adequately parked or not," said the UMHCG.
They assessed that even fines are not an effective solution, because there were situations when official state vehicles were parked in places intended for PWDs, and that the problem is in the awareness and responsibility of citizens.
"In addition to increasing fines, which could act as a short-term deterrent, it is crucial to introduce additional sanctions, such as the temporary revocation of a driver's license in case of repeated violations. Also, it is necessary to improve the technological support for monitoring these violations. Placing cameras in key locations and introducing a mobile application through which citizens can quickly report illegal parking, along with a photo and GPS location, would significantly facilitate the work of inspection services and speed up the response to reports," said the association.
They also said that the issuance and use of the accessibility sign is not sufficiently controlled, which opens up space for abuse.
"We proposed some potential solutions, but none of them were adopted. Finally, it is also necessary to educate municipal inspectors and traffic police about the importance of consistent enforcement of regulations, because any relaxation sends a negative message that the rights of people with disabilities can be ignored", the UMHCG assessed.
Inadequate infrastructure, inertness of institutions, lack of will...
All these problems, as assessed by that association, are the result of lack of awareness and responsibility, inadequate infrastructure, but inertness of institutions and lack of will to improve legislation.
"Irregular parking and inaccessible infrastructure have far-reaching consequences on the daily lives of people with disabilities, as they directly limit their freedom of movement and access to key services such as health, education and employment. Such obstacles not only hinder the independence of persons with disabilities, but also threaten their basic right to equal participation in society, which is a violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Montenegro has also ratified. In addition to physical obstacles, this behavior contributes to the feeling of marginalization and exclusion, because people with disabilities often have to count on the help of others in order to perform the most basic activities", said the association.
Although they sent a series of initiatives, they are still at the starting point, and the solutions that have been implemented are half-hearted, according to the association. They also said that they are actively dealing with the issue of monitoring the accessibility of parking spaces.
"According to data from media reports, in some municipalities of Montenegro the percentage of marked parking spaces for people with disabilities is about five percent, while in other municipalities that percentage is lower, which indicates uneven application of this standard. These data emphasize the need for more consistent application of legal provisions and better control by competent authorities in order to ensure adequate accessibility for PWDs in all municipalities," said the UMHCG.
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