Should pavement parking be banned once and for all?
Following years of campaigning from disability groups and those representing parents with buggies the Government is consulting on whether to extend London's pavement parking ban across the country.
Last updated 25th Sep 2020
Following years of campaigning from disability groups and those representing parents with buggies the Government is consulting on whether to extend London's pavement parking ban across the country.
Scotland has already announced it plans to impliment the change, although a start date is yet to be confirmed.
A report from the Department for Transport says 'government intervention is necessary' because: "At some locations, e.g. residential areas with narrow roads, the pavement is the only place to park without obstructing the carriageway.
"However, parked vehicles can cause negative externalities including obstruction which can force pedestrians onto the carriageway, presenting a hazard for vulnerable road users, such as people with sight or mobility impairments.
"Pavement damage is also a financial burden to local authorities, both in terms of maintenance and responding to personal injury claims."
At the moment, outside London, all vehicles except HGVs can park on pavements if necessary. The DfT consultation report says there is no preferred option at this stage - with three potential outcomes up for consideration:
- 1) Improving the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process, under which local authorities can already prohibit pavement parking.
- 2) A legislative change to allow local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction of the pavement’.
- 3) A legislative change to introduce a London-style pavement parking prohibition throughout England.
Registered blind Guide Dog user and campaigner Mandy Darling, who welcomes the consultation, said: "If there's a number of parked cars that have blocked the pavement I could be in the road for quite a while.
"I've got to show the dog that I have 100 per cent trust in her, which I do.
"It's a very difficult balancing act, to go with the dog - show the dog I'm trusting her - she's doing what she's trained to do, while at the same time feeling really uneasy that I'm in the middle of a busy main road."
Rowan Davies, Mumsnet head of policy and campaigns, said: "It does come up quite regularly on Mumsnet.
"Usually in the context of someone who's just come back from a journey having found that they felt really inconvenienced, essentially, by a car being parked on the pavement.
"They've either had to step out into the road, walk in the road, risking walking against a stream of traffic or they've had to double back quite long distances."
The charity Guide Dogs have released a report called Blocked In: The Impact of Pavement Parking, which found:
- Four in five people with sight loss said pavement parking causes them a problem at least every week, and around half them saying it was a daily difficulty.
- One in five people with sight loss has been injured because of a vehicle parked on the pavement
- Almost a third (31 per cent) of people with sight loss said that pavement parking made them less willing to go out on their own and just under a quarter (23 per cent) said that it made them feel lonely or isolated.
Helen Honstvet, Senior Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs, said: "We are urgently calling on the Government to introduce a new law limiting pavement parking to areas determined by local authorities. This system has been in place in London for over 40 years, and our report shows that in London, far fewer people with sight loss faced daily problems with pavement parking compared with the rest of the UK.
"While pavement parking may be convenient for drivers, it acts as an immediate physical barrier to some of the most vulnerable in society and can lead to some people feeling lonely and isolated from their local communities."
The RNIB has been promoting its ‘Who put that there!' campaign 'working on actions local councils can take on pavement parking, as well as calling for action at a national level'.
A spokesperson said: "In Scotland, as a result of more than ten years of campaigning a ban on pavement parking was included in the Transport Act 2019, although a date for implementation has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. There’s ongoing work on this issue in Wales, where the Welsh Government established a taskforce on the issue and a plan is expected to be published later this year. In Northern Ireland, keeping pavements free from all obstructions, including parked cars, is an ongoing issue which we are working on.
"Clear pavements are essential for blind and partially sighted people. However, many report parking on pavements is a regular problem.
"It impacts ability to get around and undermines confidence and independence. In many instances, pavement parking can lead to blind or partially sighted people having to walk into the road to avoid parked cars – a scary and dangerous experience."
The AA's head of roads policy Jack Cousens, warned: “Local authorities should make a street-by-street assessment" and where pavement parking is allowed 'markings should show how much pavement can be used'.
The consultation is open until November 22. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: "Parking on pavements means wheelchair users, visually impaired people and parents with pushchairs can be forced into the road, which is not only dangerous but discourages people from making journeys.
"A key part of our green, post-Covid recovery will be encouraging more people to choose active travel, such as walking, so it is vital that we make the nation’s pavements accessible for everyone.
"Pavement parking presents a clear safety risk when parked cars occupy the pavement and force vulnerable pedestrians to move into the road.”
Accessibility Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said it's 'a real conundrum that we need to get right, hence the consultation'.
He added: "I also expect to hear, and want to hear, from people who drive cars, people who need to get about and need a vehicle to move about. They might live in areas where parking is constrained or difficult and so we can take all those views into account."
The DfT's 'parking options for change' document can be found here
The DfT's 'impact assessment' document can be found here
To see the various ways to take part in the consultation click here