Cars with a Class 1 label can now be parked for free for the first hour in car parks run by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). This is unfair.

Drivers with disabilities already enjoy reserved lots; free parking should not be an added privilege.

If they are car owners, they should pay the same charges, as they add to the car population and congestion as other motorists do.

Also, the new Class 2 label, which comes with a time disc, still raises the question of possible abuse (Access to parking lots for the disabled will be tightened from Nov; July 28).

The time limit is one hour for drivers who ferry passengers with disabilities. But how can the actual time be quantified?

For example, people can set a time on the disc, but return to the car to rotate the disc to a fresh hour and continue doing so until they leave the car park.

A closed-circuit television camera is the only way to track their arrival time, but would that be cost-effective?

In car parks with electronic parking, a driver with a Class 2 label can park at a reserved lot for over an hour and exit the car park just like a regular motorist.

The system deducts the charges from the in-vehicle unit, regardless of the parking duration.

At shopping centres, security staff monitor parking spots meant for the disabled to make sure that reserved lots are not abused. It is not possible for the HDB and the URA to do likewise owing to manpower constraints.

Perhaps one solution is to have a separate in-vehicle unit for cars with Class 2 label. If the one-hour limit is exceeded, the parking charge should be thrice the standard rate as a deterrent.

In car parks without electronic parking, the solution is increased public vigilance and more checks by the wardens.