Parking

Map: The Disabled Parking Spots

Moelle épinière et Motricité Québec (before the Association des Paraplégiques du Québec)made a map identifying, in Montreal, the locations of the handicapped parking spaces for people with a disabled parking permit. Click here.

Also, Stationnement de Montrealhas a similar map on their website and a browser where you can select a borough to view the list of on-street parking spaces reserved for handicapped people. Click here.

What Is It?

In Québec, a permit allows access to parking spaces reserved for disabled persons who have limited walking ability or cannot move about independently without risk to their health or safety. The permit allows a disabled person, whether a vehicle driver or passenger, to use a handicapped parking space.

Since 1998, it is the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) which issues this mobile parking permit for the exclusive use of vehicle drivers or passengers who are disabled. The cost is approximately $15.

The permit must be displayed on the vehicle’s rearview mirror inside the vehicle.The permit is issued with an accompanying certificate, which must be carried by the permit holder at all times, as proof of authorization to use the permit. The parking privileges that come with the permit are linked to the person to whom the permit was issued, not to a motor vehicle. The permit must be used only for your needs and must not be lent or transferred to anyone else.

Advantages

As said previously, the permit authorizes a disabled person to use a handicapped parking space, whether this person is the vehicle’s driver or passenger.

There is more. The permit also has others advantages, that can vary between areas and districts.

• For example, in Quebec (on the old Quebec city territory), if you have a disabled parking permit delivered by the SAAQ, you can park, free of charge, in front of a parking meter for 3 hours (or more, if the maximal duration of the parking meter is more than 3 hours). Information is available on the Quebec City website by clicking here (in french). You can also park in a parking space with restricted hours, without taking care of those hours restrictions. For example, you can park, with your permit, at a place where you normally cannot do it between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, and that.

   If ever, in one of these two situations, a police officer emits by error a parking ticket while your permit was displayed on your vehicle’s rearview mirror inside the vehicle, do not hesitate to contest the ticket by following the instructions given on the backside of the ticket.

  This measure never allows parking when the prohibition is related to the street cleaning.

  The application of this measure varies from one borough to another. (For example, in the Ville Marie borough, the agent estimates, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not a contravention is required, so in NDG and Côte-des-Neiges, the measure applies).

You can find by-law C-4.1 by clicking here. You can also search for it on Google by typing “C-4.1 RRVM” or call 311.

If a Montreal parking official issues a parking ticket because he failed to check if a Disabled Parking Permit was hanging from your rear-view mirror, we recommend you follow the procedure we explain in our pamphlet on Transport and Home Support.(Click here (in french))

More Information

• Visit the website of the Société de l’Assurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ)

• Download the leaflet “Disabled Parking Permit – Spaces Reserved for You Disabled Parking Permit – Spaces Reserved for You” – click here

• Or call : 418 643-7620 (Quebec), 514 873-7620 (Montreal) ou 1-800-361-7620 (Toll-Free Number).

  Note : This parking permit is the one used in Quebec. Other provinces don’t use the same. For example, in Ontario, they use the Accessible Parking Permit (APP). However, in some provinces, having the quebec disbled parking permit can help you getting a temporary parking permit, for the duration of your trip in that province.

Article : « Parcomètres : Les autocollants s’envolent, les écrits restent »

2011, january 14^th. Published in “Le Nouvelliste”. Written by Martin Francoeur.

In the town of Trois-Rivières, there were stikers on parking meters which were indicating that people with a disabled parking permit could park there freely. As it seems that those blue stickers with a wheelchair were confusing for drivers who thought that the parking was reserved to people in wheechair, the town decided to make the stickers disappear. However, people with disabilities who have their parking permit still can park freely, even where there are parking meters.

If you want to read that french article, click here.

Reserved parking or unloading dock for adapted transport in front of your residence

If you are a person with a reduced mobility and that the parking in front of your residence is always occupied or if it is often impossible for the paratransit service to take you in front of your residence, you may need an indication of unloading dock reserved for people with disabilities. Look for more information with your district.

In Montreal, you can contact your district by dialing “311”. An agent will take care of your request.

A Short Timing – Just 2 Minutes

In the frame of their annual sensitizing concerning parking spaces for those who are handicapped, or with spinal cord injuries, Quebec has realized a short program whose purpose is to bring understanding to the population in general of  the problems caused by misusing the reserved spaces. It  was well put together. We invite you to let it be known in your community, contributing thereby the change of people’s way of thinking.

You can  watch this short footage on youtube (in french) : click here.

Citizen Patrols

Since 2009, Moelle épinière et motricité Québec (MEMO-QC) has lead a sensitizing campaign for respect of parking spaces reserved for the handicapped. From this campaign evolved the citizen patrol initiative.

The idea of this patrol is to charge those who illegally used reserved parking spaces and to put on their windshield some campaign leaflets sensitizing  them to these civil disallowances (available free on demand). In this way, people can in group or alone, make individuals aware if they  fail to respect reserved places.

This year, over the period of many months as well as regions in Quebec, MEMO-QC and its partners formed patrols and realized shock operations in order to sensitize motorists who occupy illegally places reserved for the handicapped and to put them in civic contravention.

You are invited to participate in this sensitizing campaign.

Partners wishing to join us will receive a patrollers research kit containing information to explain there being places reserved, the civil wrongs in parking  in a wrong place, badges to identify patrollers, and car drivers’ sensitizing.

To receive more information about the on-going  or to receive sensitivity information, contact them by telephone at 514-341-7272 or at 1-800-341-7272.

To read an article by Jean-Francois Néron written for Le Soleil February 15, 2010, click on:Patrouille citoyenne des stationnements pour handicapés.