A disabled-parking permit has become the ticket to free parking for thousands of people who are abusing the system, raising the ire of those who have a legitimate claim to the spots and want better enforcement.

In Edmonton, people are fined as little as $50 for parking illegally in a spot reserved for people with disabilities.

The fines are too low to serve as a deterrent, said Roxie Malone of Edmonton, who was born with spina bifida.

Malone said she needs the designated spots but is often shut out because they're misused by other, such as drivers who use a parent's permit for themselves, or park without a tag at all.

When Malone noticed the abusers were rarely targeted, she convinced the city to swear her in as a volunteer enforcement officer, complete with a badge and ticket book.

"The first day that I wrote tickets out for the city, I wrote out 39 tickets in three hours," Malone recalled. "So obviously there is a huge problem."

The Canadian Paraplegic Association said high fines and tougher enforcement are needed, as well as a way to ensure the permit is being used by the right person.

There also needs to be a shift in attitudes, said Dr. Will Malloy, a gerontologist in Hamilton, Ont., who is often approached to issue permit for people who don't need them.

"It's sort of a really cheap thing to do isn't it?" said Malloy. "It really annoys me when I see it."

Malone said has been called names by drivers illegally parking in spots reserved for people with disabilities.

Since the city recently told her to stop writing tickets, she now leaves notes or talks to people, explaining that for her, the designated spots are more than a convenience but a necessity.