New stickers to be issued to persons with disability

The blue sticker, allowing persons with disability to park in reserved bays, is in the process of being modified to conform with the ones issued in the EU.

The National Commission Persons with Disability has this week starting sending letters to the 3,500 or so holders of the blue sticker to inform them of the change.

The commission told a news conference yesterday the new sticker would make it easier for Maltese persons with disability in EU member states, while Europeans had the same facility while visiting Malta.

The sticker's new format, which will be issued by the Police Commissioner on the commission's recommendations, includes the person's photograph, which will help curb abuse.

The commission yesterday appealed to all those who held a blue sticker to ensure that nobody else used or abused the special permit.

The renewal process would also help to update records and determine who had passed away, further ensuring the permit did not pass on to someone else.

The commission is asking for cooperation from holders of the blue sticker to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

Persons with a disability who held this sticker should wait to receive a letter with instructions from the commission.

For a short period, until all the stickers have been renewed, both the old version and the new version will be valid. However, a notice will soon be released informing holders that only the new stickers count.

The application form has also changed and the commission is calling on all those entities that supply the forms to persons with disability to return them and collect new copies.

The commission also appealed to the public not to park in parking bays reserved for persons with disability.

For more information call on 2148 7789.