MBSA moving forward for the disabled.

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How to get Private Disabled Parking

#PetpositiveNews!

DATELINE KUALA LUMPUR:

Someone just called up enquiring about getting a permanent disabled parking lot in KL.

She was asking for a friend who had a #stroke recently and fortunately able to get back to work again.

Here's what we told her according to what we know:

* Since the person was running a shop, it was best for the person to contact Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) for a private parking slot (the ones with the red lining markings) for personal use.

* Disabled parking slots are for public use and not for private use.

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PETPOSITIVE ABOUT TO GET A CENTRE IN PJ

PETPOSITIVE UPDATE:

Great news everybody!

The Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) is about to get our official centre.

This was decided in our Committee Meeting held yesterday evening at the Bangsar Village shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The Petpositive Centre will be located in Section 1 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. We have decided to rent a single floor semi-detached house for RM1,500.00 a month.

The Centre will be used primarily for AAT services. Disabled and elderly persons who visit our premises can look forward to many other services too, from cooking to computer classes which will all be available at no cost.

Stay tuned for more details soon.

Meanwhile, here is an interesting article in the front page of StarMetro yesterday:

Thursday July 24, 2008

Irresponsible motorists park as they please

Story and photos by ELAN PERUMAL

SOME local authorities in Selangor have ensured that developers provide designated parking lots for the disabled but irresponsible motorists have abused these lots and use them for their own benefit.

A random check by StarMetro at Klang, where there are ample parking lots for the disabled, revealed that most of these lots are taken up by normal people.

This is especially rampant at lots located at busy areas like banks and food outlets, where parking spaces are not easily available.

Irresponsible: This posh car has taken up a disabled lot and closer inspection reveals neither a handicapped sticker or a credential card.

However, the check also revealed that some of these motorists preferred to park at these lots even though there was ample parking space nearby.

There seemed to be no difference in the general mentality of these unscrupulous motorists whether they drove big or small vehicles.

It is believed that they park their vehicles at these lots for two reasons - they are readily available and parking is free.

The checks were conducted at various part of Klang including the town area, Bandar Baru Bukit Tinggi and Bayu Perdana.

Polio victim M. Paskaran, 45, from Kampung Raja Uda in Klang said finding parking was never easy even though there seemed to be a lot of parking bays for the disabled.

Stuck: Paskaran has been forced to park at regular bays on many occasions.

He said most of these lots were taken up by normal people at the expense of the disabled.

“Sometimes, I have to park my car far away and walk to the bank or shops since motorists do not want to leave these parking lots alone.

“The council has provided a lot of parking lots for the disabled. These parking lots are mostly painted blue or red and they have the wheelchair symbol on them,” he said

Paskaran said he often placed his card issued by the Welfare Department on his dashboard so that he would not be fined by the council's enforcement personnel.

However, he said there had been times when he had been issued with compound notices.

Shortcut: Able bodied drivers prefer to use the disabled lots as they are nearer the banks and other shops.

“I find it inconvenient to go to the council office to clear the fines and I believe this situation would not arise if I had parked my vehicle at the special lots allocated to us,” he said

Klang Municipal Council president Mislan Tugiu said the council viewed the offence as serious and the offenders would be slapped with a maximum fine of RM300.

He said the council would not compromise with those who abused the privilege offered to the disabled.

“I urge the enforcement officers to be strict and ensure that those who indiscriminately park their vehicles at these parking lots are issued with fines,” he said

Under its caring society policy, Mislan said, the council had made it compulsory for developers of new townships to allocate special parking bays for the disabled.

Meanwhile, checks at places like Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya and Kajang revealed that such parking bays were not available.

Due to lack of civic consciousness from the public, these councils feel that providing special parking lots for the disabled would not help the situation.

However, they allow disabled motorists to park their vehicles at normal parking bays for free.

“We will not fine them for not paying for parking as long they display their credential cards on the dashboard,” Subang Jaya Municipal Council public relations officer Azfarizal Abdul Rashid said.

End

Church More Concerned About Able-Bodied Drivers Parking Privileges Than The Disabled For Xmas Event

LATEST UPDATE ON WEEKEND CHURCH CHOIR EVENTS:

1. NO PARKING FOR THE DISABLED?

A problem emerged today when PETPOSITIVE was suddenly informed by a representative of St Andrew's Church who had invited us to their Sunday function that the Church could not guarantee that our Members would be provided with parking slots for drivers with disabilities.

The news came as a total shock to our Society and our disabled Members who, since several weeks ago, received an invitation via email.

We were told further that "an elder of the church was worried about blocking three parking slots for the disabled for fear that it will "upset" the able-bodied church members because their parking spaces would be taken up.

There is currently a disabled parking slot for the handicapped on the church grounds.

But PET+BLOGSPOT understands that it is not placed next to the entrance of the church but rather several metres away. We also understand that the car parking slots next to the entrance is reserved for the able-bodied elder/s of the church.

PETPOSITIVE immediately issued our protest to the Church insisting that they are morally obliged to provide disabled friendly facilities to the handicapped - and more so that we are invited guests to the function.

We even said that we would issue a formal complaint to the Church as well as to the Council of Churches in Malaysia (CCM) of which St Andrew's is a member of, over the issue.

We are shocked by the Elder's remark and that such discriminatory attitudes should come from a church which according to Jesus Christ in the Bible, should make the needs of the disabled a top priority.

Sadly, we had no choice but to immediately call off the event and informed our members about it.

One is a stroke survivor, and others with spinal injuries and condition. Another has a profound disability whilst all of the physically disabled (5) use wheelchairs.

However, we were pleased to receive a phone call from a representative from St Andrew's Church shortly after we made our protest that some members of their congregation were greatly disturbed by the treatment of the disabled by their church.

As a result, they have promised to turn up several hours before Sunday's event - with or without the elders approval - and stop their able-bodied members from parking their vehicles in at least three-handicapped parking which they will reserve for us.

Incidentally, our request has always been only for three disabled-friendly slots only.

PETPOSITIVE would like to say SYABAS to this wonderful St Andrew's Church members for their willingness in going the extra mile for us in showing us the true meaning of the Christmas season of Love Sent Down From Heaven.

Keep it right here bloggers, and we'll keep you informed about how this development will turn out.

2. RESERVED PARKING PROVIDED AT CCM EVENT FOR PETPOSITIVE!

Meanwhile, PETPOSITIVE is pleased to announce that reserved parking for four drivers with disabilities will be provided at tomorrow's Christmas Concert at the Sunway University College in Bandar Sunway. The coordination is being done by the CCM's Andrew Tan.

PET+BLOGSPOT NEWS