P.E.I. disabilities group to hold protest over parking space abuses

The P.E.I. Council of People with Disabilities will be holding a peaceful protest in the Sobeys parking lot in Stratford, to remind people to respect designated parking spaces.

On Sunday, demonstrators will place wheelchairs and walkers in non-designated parking spaces with signs depicting typical excuses like "I'll only be a minute" or "I'm just running in for coffee."

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"All those reasons that people use … they're not legitimate reasons," says Marcia Carroll, executive director of the council. "You use a designated spot because you need to use a designated spot."

'It's not a privilege, it's a right'

Carroll said the protest is designed to have people stop and think about how they would feel if their parking spots were taken and to build awareness around why these spots are reserved.

The council receives calls about people abusing designated parking spots daily and that the protest should be an eye-opener for people, she said.

"The abuse is multi-leveled and quite vast, but we try to deal with it the best we can," she said.

"People park in those spots because if they have to park farther away, they can cause significant damage to themselves. That's what people don't understand. It's not a privilege, it's a right."​

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