A frightening near miss for a disabled person in a wheelchair and her companion highlights the lack of rear-access-vehicle carparks for people with disability in the City of Greater Geelong, local MP Libby Coker said today.

I was horrified recently to learn that a car ran over the extended loading ramp of the modified vehicle of a disabled person with a wheelchair in a local shopping centre, Ms Coker said.

It was simply good luck that the woman was not on the ramp in her wheelchair at the time.

Her transport vehicles extended rear loading ramp could only open into the path of oncoming car traffic. There were no carparks suitable for rear access disability vehicles.

Rear-loading vehicles for transporting people with a disability are common. Yet in the City of Greater Geelong accessible parking spaces are predominantly designed for side-loading vehicles. Safe accessible parking should be as much a right for people with disability and their friends and family as it is for the majority.

As acting chair of the Corangamite NDIS Reference Group this has been raised with me as a significant safety issue which needs to be urgently addressed.

Ive written to the Mayor of Greater Geelong and her councillors today urging them to reconfigure existing disability carparking bays to cater for rear loading vehicles.

Ive also urged the Mayor and councillors to ensure that suitable rear-loading parks are mandated as part of all future City or private sector parking precincts for people with disability.

I look forward to hearing back from the Mayor with positive news that I can pass to constituents in my electorate living with disability.