About 85% of disabled parking bays are not legally enforceable

Under the member's bill, drawn up by Labour backbencher Jackie Baillie MSP, all parking bays reserved for disabled drivers would be legally enforceable.

Ms Baillie wants a standardised system across Scotland and says local councils should keep proceeds of the �30 fines to encourage them to enforce the law.

A public consultation on the bill is to run until 26 February.

Currently, 85% of on-street and residential disabled parking bays are advisory - painted with white lines rather than yellow.

Ms Baillie said this was due to the bureaucracy and cost involved and meant anyone could park in them without the risk of being penalised.

Put simply, but powerfully, one disabled person said to me 'if you want my bay, have my disability too' Jackie Baillie MSP

Under the Disabled Persons Parking (Scotland) Bill, all disabled parking bays, regardless of whether they are in town centres, supermarket car parks or residential areas, would be legally enforceable.

The MSP for Dumbarton said too many able-bodied drivers failed to consider the consequences of their actions when they parked in a disabled parking bay.

"Many disabled drivers feel that their rights are not respected and the impact of being unable to use a bay is not understood," she said.

"Put simply, but powerfully, one disabled person said to me 'if you want my bay, have my disability too'.

"We need to act now to send out the message that abusing disabled persons parking is unacceptable."