Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has lobbied Minister for Transport Martin Cullen to increase the fine for parking illegally in a disabled car space from €19 to €150.
The €19 fine also applies to drivers parked on double yellow lines or on the footpath, and this was not much of a deterrent, according to Joe Craig of the council.
The council sent Mr Cullen a letter more than two weeks ago proposing that the fine for obstructing a disabled bay be increased to €150 and that the €19 fine for parking illegally on a footpath or cycle track be increased to €50.
The council raised the issue with the Dublin Transportation Office and gained its support and now plans to ask for support from the other three local authorities - Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council and Fingal County Council - in the coming weeks.
Mr Craig said he was hopeful that local authorities all over Ireland would eventually support the proposal.
In November Mr Cullen said that the €19 on-the-spot fine for parking illegally in a disabled bay was due to increase once the Garda IT processing system was fully operational.
"The Road Traffic Act, 2002, provides for the replacement of the fines on-the-spot system with the new fixed-charge system," Mr Cullen said in answer to a Dáil question on November 16th.
"The extension of the fixed charge system to additional offences will be progressively commenced once the appropriate Garda Síochána IT processing system is fully operational.
"This extension will include its application to the offence of illegally parking in disabled persons' parking bays. The level of the charge for that offence will be pitched at a level significantly higher than that which will apply to other parking offences."
Mark Barry of the Irish Wheelchair Association said he had noticed an increase in people parking illegally in disabled car spaces.
"I think there is a difference between parking in a disabled space and on a double yellow line, and the €19 fine should be increased. But it's not about increasing the fine, it's about changing people's attitudes. Knowledge changes attitudes, and attitudes change behaviour," he said.
Mr Barry added that he would like to see more people exercising their civic duty and "calling people up on parking in disabled spaces when they clearly should not. People should feel that they have that right".
Sgt Brian Fitzpatrick from Blackrock Garda station said disabled car spaces in supermarket car-parks seemed to be the most abused. If a person failed to pay the €19 fine, they faced a far heavier fine and a driving disqualification in court, he added.