Municipal Guard has already registered more than six thousand fines for illegal parking in special spaces in the city

Inspection aims to ensure the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities and also takes place in shopping malls and commercial establishments Photo Disclosure / Municipal Guard

The Rio City Hall, through the Municipal Guard, has already registered 6.792 traffic violations for improper use of special parking spaces designated for the elderly and people with disabilities in the city in 2020. Inspections are carried out daily at various points in Rio and also take place in private parking lots for collective use, such as shopping malls and supermarkets. Of the total number of violations registered, 4.704 were applied to vehicles parked illegally in spaces for the elderly and 2.058 in spaces designated for people with disabilities.

Of the total fines, 527 were issued in shopping malls and special establishments, 414 of which were in spaces reserved for the elderly and 113 in spaces reserved for people with disabilities, in 205 visits made to establishments between January and September. Since May 2017, private parking lots for collective use, such as shopping malls and supermarkets, have been subject to inspection by the Municipal Guard in compliance with the provisions of the Statute for Persons with Disabilities (Law 13.146 of 2015), which establishes that 2% of spaces must be reserved for people with physical disabilities, and 5% for the elderly, as provided for in the Statute for the Elderly (Law 10.741 of 2003).

Furthermore, parking spaces must be marked and positioned in such a way as to ensure the best possible convenience for the elderly or disabled person, which is why they are located near the entrance of the establishments. To park, the driver must leave the authorization credential in a visible place in the vehicle so that the guard, at the time of inspection, can check and prove that the space is being used by an elderly person or disabled person.

September 21st is marked as the National Day of Struggle for People with Disabilities. To ensure the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities, municipal guards from the Special Traffic Group (GET) monitor the correct use of special parking spaces on a daily basis.

– These spaces were created and regulated to bring more comfort to people who already suffer daily from the lack of accessibility. Therefore, we work daily to ensure that special spaces are used by those who really need them and are entitled to them. Respecting these spaces is an exercise in citizenship and should be practiced by all drivers – said the deputy technical director of traffic at the Municipal Guard, inspector Marcelo Furtado.

Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic, inspections of commercial establishments were halted in April, May and June due to the closure of shopping malls and some shopping centers in the city. During this period, municipal guards were reassigned to actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including blocking off central areas of neighborhoods in the city to prevent crowds, such as Madureira, Santa Cruz, Méier, Bangu, Campo Grande and Taquara. Inspection visits to commercial establishments resumed in July, after the Rio City Hall initiated the plan to resume activities in the city, which allowed the reopening of shopping malls.

According to article 181, section XVII of the Brazilian Traffic Code (Law 9.503 of 1997), parking in spaces reserved for people with disabilities or the elderly without a credential is considered a very serious offense, with a fine of R$293,47, loss of seven points on the driver's license and the vehicle is subject to towing.