CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/28/12 -- As part of its annual month-long Accessible Parking Awareness campaign, the Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) is asking motorists to leave designated parking spaces for people with disabilities. Starting November 29 and running through the month of December, the CPA will step up its patrols of accessible parking spaces. During this campaign, officers will check to make sure that vehicles display either a valid parking placard or designated license plate.

"This holiday season, we're asking Calgarians to please take the time to double-check that you are not parking in an accessible stall," said Troy McLeod CPA General Manager. "These spaces are vital for the disabled community to access our city."

Most parking infractions for unauthorized parking in a designated stall occur in the downtown core, the beltline, in LRT lots and mall parking lots. Streets such as the 600 block of 7 St SW and the 300 block of 23 Ave SW are among the top hotspots for this parking infraction.

"Parking without a valid permit in an accessible stall is against the law and disrespectful to the disabled community," said Jack Smart, member of the City of Calgary's Advisory Committee on Accessibility. "Accessible stalls are there for a reason. Please don't park there, even for a few minutes."

From January 1 to November 15, 2012, 6,095 tickets have been issued for unauthorized parking in a designated stall. Last year, a total of 6,079 tickets were issued, with 432 tickets issued in December alone.

The fine for parking illegally in an accessible stall is $200 if paid within 10 days, $250 if paid within 30 days and $300 after 30 days. The fines were raised in January 2010 and were previously $150.

Citizens are encouraged to report vehicles who have parked illegally in designated handicap stalls to Enforcement Services by calling 403-537-7100, option 2.

About Us

The Calgary Parking Authority fulfills the City of Calgary's parking mandates and implements the municipality's parking policies by managing on and off-street public parking facilities, enforcement programs and by providing parking advisory services.

Each year the CPA contributes a portion of its net revenue to the City. In 2011, CPA contributed $19.5M in revenue and $7.5M in municipal taxes to the City. In addition, the CPA spends $1M administering the residential parking permit program at no cost to taxpayers and operates parking enforcement services and the municipal impound lot on a break-even basis.

The CPA operates without using any municipal tax revenues.