StrategicPlan-24-26 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 17
2024-2026 STRATEGY
The SpaceFinder system will
enable local authorities, for the
first time ever, to collect real
time information on accessible
bay usage and turnover.
DDAI SpaceFinder App
for Disabled Drivers
No longer will disabled drivers need to
search for accessible parking bays only
to find them occupied. The revolutionary
new SpaceFinder app, available on
Apple and Android, can now pinpoint
vacant accessible spaces and for those
with Apple CarPlay, provide real-time
navigation to the nearest available space.
Limerick City and County Council, having
completed extensive trials in the pilot phase,
is the first local authority in Ireland to begin
using the SpaceFinder service, which has been
developed by Limerick firm ParkMagic and now
supported by the Disabled Drivers Association of
Ireland (DDAI).
The SpaceFinder system will enable local
authorities, for the first time ever, to collect real
time information on accessible bay usage and
turnover. Such data would be key in planning the
provision and location of accessible spaces in
the future.
Richard Ryder, communications manager,
Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland said:
“For many of our members and others in the
disabled driver community, finding an available
accessible parking bay can be an incredibly
difficult, time-consuming and frustrating
experience. Often, it can mean a lot of searching
and in some cases, a wasted journey as the
driver is forced to return home and try again
later.
A service like SpaceFinder that gives real-time
information on accessible parking bays in cities
and towns across Ireland would be a huge
boost, and we would ask local authorities to give
serious consideration to this excellent initiative”.
The DDAI Spacefinder app is available in
Limerick City and County Council, Dún Laoghaire
Rathdown County Council, with other local
authorities to be announced in 2024.
17