08 May 2014| last updated at 07:32PM

Special stickers for disabled motorists, motorcyclists

By A. Azim Idris 

PUTRAJAYA: Motorists and motorcyclists categorised as disabled person (OKU) will be given special vehicle sticker that lawfully entitles them parking and other traffic benefits.

Women, Family, and Community Development minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said some 20,000 of the stickers were handed over to the Road and Transport Department (RTD) to be distributed to the physically disabled throughout the first phase of the pilot project.

 

She said the sticker would allow City Hall and other district councils to distinguish genuine disabled drivers from those who abused facilities such as parking bays that were allotted for those with special needs.

 

The sticker carries the universal sign of the disabled that is printed in blue and is different for car drivers and motorcyclists as the latter had reflective attributes. However, both stickers carried holographic decals similar to those on normal road tax stickers.  

 

The move, she said, followed calls from associations to mete out heavier enforcement on inconsiderate drivers who violated by-laws by taking advantage of the amenities meant for the OKU.

 

She said the ministry had requested the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya town councils to impose the law on drivers who did not have the stickers but parked in the special parking bays.  

 

Rohani said the ministry had distributed the stickers to all RTD state headquarters and those with OKU status card issued by the department can claim them at RTD offices for free.

 

"The first phase will involve the handing over of stickers to the physically disabled, which involved those who have made modifications to their vehicles," she told a press conference after holding a meeting with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities.

 

She said the first phase, which was mostly carried out in the Klang Valley, would last about four months before the sticker would be made available to those with other disabilities nationwide. 

 

This was to allow the ministry and the RTD to iron out issues that may arise from the project before it can be fully implemented across the board.  

 

Rohani said currently, only 987 OKU road users were registered with the RTD. She urged the others to come forward to claim the stickers.

 

"The sticker functions as identification for OKUs that would allow them to use the parking bays for the disabled and they are entitled to this because they face hardships in their movements, especially when they are using wheelchairs," she said.

 

Rohani also reminded the public to be considerate and respect the needs of the OKU who had been given facilities due to their disadvantages.