2024 Volume 80 Issue 10 Article ID: 24-00072
In Japan, there are two types of parking permit systems to ensure a smooth mobility environment for persons with disabilities. One is a system administered by the Prefectural Public Safety Commission and is applied on-street, and the other is a voluntary system without penalties and administered by local governments and is applied to off-street. In this paper, these systems are collectively referred to as the parking permit system, and through comparisons with systems in other countries, we clarified issues and suggested improvements to the systems. In particular, regarding off-street parking, we found that at least in the United Kingdom(England) and Germany(State of North Rhine-Westphalia), there is no applicable system and no penalties for inappropriate use of accessible parking spaces. At least in the U.S.(State of California, etc.) and France, there are systems that apply to public facilities such as commercial facilities, and there are penalties, but this does not necessarily mean that the facilities are managed properly, and the penalties are not always effective. The above findings indicate that inappropriate use of accessible parking spaces is a common issue in all countries. On the other hand, we found the possibility that penalties and other measures may be applicable to off-street parking in Japan despite legal and practical problems.
