By Norhidayyu Zainal
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 -- The actions of some irresponsible parties who seem to ‘enjoy’ using parking spaces reserved for persons with disabilities (PwD) at public areas, offices and shopping malls have spurred an architect to come up with a disabled-friendly parking system.
Physically impaired Mizral Abdul Manan, 50, took the initiative to develop the system known as EZ OKU PARKIN’ in August last year.
Mizral who suffered a stroke that paralysed the right side of his body nine years ago said the parking system that utilises the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology could prevent irresponsible parties from using special parking spots reserved for the disabled.
“I myself have always become the ‘victim’ of their thoughtless behaviour, especially when I go to shopping malls only to find that the PwD parking spaces had been ‘stolen’ by the able-bodied.
“There are even some who refuse to give way and get angry when they are confronted, which led me to come up with a special system for the PwD parking facilities,” he told Bernama.
Mizral, who is an architect in a company in Ipoh, Perak, said that with the help of two of his friends, Shaharom Yeop Alip, 65, and Hilmi Ibrahim, 60, he started to conduct research and development for the system in March last year.
The system comprises a card equipped with the Near Field Communication technology that acts as an electronic identity document and an RFID vehicle sticker that needed to be placed on the windshield of the car to be scanned by the EZ OKU PARKIN' RFID antenna device.
“The antenna device will be installed at each PwD parking lot for the RFID scanner to transmit radio waves through it.
“If a driver without the card parks his vehicle in the PwD parking lot, an alarm will ring loudly within three minutes and a photo of the vehicle will be taken automatically to allow further action to be taken against the offender,” he said.
Mizral said he had also presented the system, which uses readily available components, to the Social Welfare Department on Aug 4 to get approval for it to be used at all PwD parking lots in the country.
He also suggested that the EZ OKU PARKIN' card be given free to PwDs who are registered with the agency.
“I’m not doing it for the sake of making money only, but to provide a facility to the PwD community,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
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