Questioning social solidarity through the perspective of parking violations in spaces reserved for disabled people

Abstract

Unjustified parking in parking spaces reserved for disabled people is a social phenomenon that reflects characteristics and attitudes concerning solidarity, morality, social norms and values. Disabled people’s entitlement to specific parking spaces stems from the general right to mobility, independence, self-realisation and autonomy. In research conducted in the capital city of Slovenia, observers monitored 72 parking spaces reserved for disabled people (on-street spaces, in shopping and health centres). Among all uses of these spaces 63.1% were violations, although in some locations this share exceeded 90%, and 29.3% of violations occurred while at least one unoccupied non-reserved space was available in the near vicinity. The violators parked their vehicles for a short time, with half remaining in or close to the car. Formal social control is closely connected with the domination of an organic type of solidarity. Yet, this research shows it has clear limitations. In just 12 hours of observing reserved parking spaces, the researchers managed to note down the equivalent of 38.5% of the total violations processed annually by municipal wardens. Although the research focuses on one specific issue of solidarity, its implications resound beyond this particular case and suggest broader societal reasons for changes in solidarity.