Swava Pociecha and her husband Jack were "shocked" to receive a $750 parking infringement fine for a brief stop outside Moana Pool.
Mrs Pociecha, 78, said she was recovering from a traumatic fall and the parking officer should have been more compassionate.
"I want these people to put themselves in my shoes," she said.
The Dunedin City Council said it could not comment on specific cases, adding the couple were free to appeal the ticket.
In October, the Ministry of Transport adjusted parking fees nationwide and while most rose by about 70%, the fee for parking in a mobility park without displaying a valid permit increased 400% — from $150 to $750.
Dunedin City Council data showed since the change, revenue from mobility parking tickets had risen tenfold, while infringements were more than double previous years.
He pulled into a mobility park outside the entrance "with the engine running".
Mrs Pociecha got into the car, which was in the mobility spot for "not even a minute" before a parking officer pulled up and issued the couple with a ticket for not displaying a valid mobility card.
The ticket’s details recorded the car as being in the park from 2.10pm to 2.10pm.
Mrs Pociecha said she had a broken back and nerve compression in her leg and felt there was no opportunity to give an explanation to the parking officer.
"It’s cold, raining and you’re afraid to walk on the slippery, wet, uneven area to the carpark, with the leg which is giving in ... thinking ‘I don’t want to have another fall’."
She was shocked at the fine, which was most of her $820 fortnightly superannuation payment — "it’s absolutely unacceptable".
Mrs Pociecha said she previously had a mobility permit but it was no longer valid.
"As long as I can manage, I’m not going to use it. And it costs money."
After receiving her parking ticket, she was considering renewing it.
The couple plan to appeal the ticket.
A council spokesperson said they could not comment on the specific situation but if someone believed their parking ticket was issued in error or there were extenuating circumstances, they could write in with an explanation for the council to consider.
"If someone is eligible for a mobility permit or theirs has expired and can show they have obtained one before payment is due, we can waive the ticket."
The fee increase had been well broadcast and while the council recognised the $750 fee could have a "significant financial burden", all drivers parking or stopping on mobility spaces — "even for a short time" — needed to display a valid permit or risk being fined.
The "misuse" of mobility parks was a long-standing issue across the country, including in Dunedin, the spokesperson said.
Parking fees were set by the government, territorial authorities had to use them and the council’s parking services team "only enforce" the legislation.
The council’s acting compliance solutions manager Cazna Savell said between the fee hike on October 1 and June 30, 300 mobility parking tickets were issued with a total value of $225,000, although some fines were still to be paid and the actual revenue would drop after costs.
Between October 2023 and June 2024, infringements were 129 and total value was $19,350, while 93 infringement notices were issued with a total value of $13,950 over that period in 2022-23.
