Changwon City Council Faces Backlash Over Proposal to Reduce Designated Parking Spaces for People with Disabilities

Some members of the Changwon Special City Council in South Gyeongsang Province have proposed an ordinance to reduce the proportion of parking spaces designated for people with disabilities in public parking lots, aiming to alleviate chronic parking shortages. However, disability advocacy groups have voiced strong opposition.

According to Changwon City and the city council on January 15, ten council members from the People Power Party, including lead sponsor Kim Youngrok, recently proposed the 'Partial Amendment to the Ordinance on the Installation and Management of Parking Lots in Changwon City.'

The main point of the ordinance is to adjust the required proportion of parking spaces for people with disabilities in city-operated parking lots from the current "4%" to "at least 3%."

This proposal was made with the intention of addressing Changwon's chronic parking shortage by adjusting the proportion of parking spaces designated for people with disabilities in public parking facilities.

The Changwon Disability Rights Assurance Group is holding a press conference urging the proposal of the "Partial Amendment to the Changwon City Parking Lot Installation and Management Ordinance." Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

The Changwon Disability Rights Assurance Group, a coalition of five disability organizations in the Masan and Changwon areas, held a press conference at the city hall press center on January 15, condemning the proposed amendment.

The group stated, "Parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities are a basic right to guarantee mobility," adding, "For those who use wheelchairs, these dedicated spaces are essential facilities."

They continued, "Lowering the proportion of parking spaces for people with disabilities is an intentional reduction of physical accessibility," and argued, "This constitutes a discriminatory measure by Changwon City that restricts the right to access and mobility for people with disabilities."

The group also pointed out, "Even if 1% of the spaces reserved for people with disabilities are converted to general parking, the actual increase in available spaces will be negligible," and added, "Even if the stated goal is to address general parking shortages, the result will simply be a reduction in parking spaces for people with disabilities, making it even harder for them to participate in society."

They emphasized, "Parking spaces for people with disabilities are not a privilege but a legitimate right, and guaranteeing mobility is a minimum condition that people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups should rightfully enjoy as members of society," urging, "The Changwon City Council should immediately withdraw the proposed amendment."

After the press conference, they submitted a written opinion to the city council, calling for the withdrawal of the ordinance.

Changwon City has a disability rate of 5.05%, which is the highest among special cities with a population of over one million, compared to Goyang City at 3.95%, Suwon City at 3.55%, Yongin City at 3.45%, and Hwaseong City at 3.15%.

Accordingly, the city stated that reducing the proportion of parking spaces for people with disabilities could undermine policies supporting people with disabilities, and expressed its opposition to the proposed amendment.