Would you like a ban on cars parking on pavements?

[StarsBright]

‘MPs call for blanket ban on car parking on pavements.’

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/car-parking-pavement-ban-britain-uk-government-a9096991.html

Having needed to use a wheelchair recently I’d really like to see a change in this behaviour. It makes it difficult to get around when cars park on the pavement without leaving enough of a gap for a wheelchair to get through. It’s also frustrating and dangerous for those with prams, the partially sighted and pedestrians.

I do understand that it’s not an easy issue to solve and some roads are very narrow, however there has already a ban in place in London for decades.

I’d be interested to hear thoughts on this!

But people don’t use common sense and can be incredibly selfish.

Local authorities round here paint lines for cars to park part on and part off the pavement. This allows room for wheelchairs and double buggies in the pavements and emergency vehicles on the road.

the trouble is with this common sense it that it doesn't work.
obviously some pavements are wide enough for it not to be a problem(as long as bins and stuff are not blocking what is left of the pavement) but near me there was a large van completely parked on the pavement. so all the pedestrians had to go round it.(school route as well)
this is what happens too often.
you do also have to take into consideration the stuff that already clutters pavements, wheeley(how do you spell that?) bins, rubbish in bags, recycling, add in half a car and people using wheelchairs might as well give up going out.

No, as a wheelchair user with a hoist in my car my vehicle is often too wide to park if not slightly on the pavement. I also struggle to get my wheelchair in and out but can walk very short distances. This rule would mean I often could not park near enough to the building I needed to access without using my chair.
As a wheelchair user that would cause me more of an issue than occasionally going into the road to avoid parked cars.

I'd just really like them to sort brexit.
Or the NHS.
Or mental health services
The problems in schools and issues surrounding social mobility
People visiting food banks and children starving.

I understand we can do more than one thing at a time, but honestly, the government finding another way to fine the public is not in my top 100 list of priorities.

NB for those with disabilities, I'm not sure what the answer is.
But where I live and where many others live, there is often no where else to park, the streets aren't wide enough, and there are not people struggling with disabilities trying to get by, and there is no need to be there unless you live there. If one of my neighbours was struggling I would certainly talk to them about what we could do.
But a blanket ban would serve zero positive purpose here.

I hate this and never do it because growing up in London you would a ticket for it. However some places they seem to park fully on the pavements ?! If a road is too narrow then parking should only be one side. Do they do red lines in the sticks?

I live in a new build and parking is horrendous, as people have more cars than spaces and there are very few Vistor bays. So a lot of parking on the pavements or on corners of verges. I really hate seeing it, but it is an issue of where to park. They other day an ambulance was stuck due to the bad parking.

No. Both my sons roads are narrow. In one case cars park both sides with people on one side parking partially on the pavement. It means refuse /delivery lorries can go through...otherwise they couldn't. Wheelchair users and people with pushchairs can use the other side ok.

If there was a ban it would be chaos as there is nowhere for the residents to park otherwise unless they parked in other roads [also full of cars each evening and all weekends] and would then have to walk a fair way to get home. We are talking about older people, those laden with shopping etc. and people with small children etc. who would not be able to park near their own homes.

They would obviously block all other roads all around...driving other residents nuts. Just use common sense. Like now.

We have pavements with a white line down the middle. Road side is for cars to park half on the pavement and half on the road, and the other side for pedestrians.
We still get people who park on the whole width of the pavement so we can't get around. We have wheelchair, pushchair users here, plus people with sight issues. Drives me mad! I want to make some PA signs to keep in my pocket to stick (not actually stick, just pop under the wiper) on their windscreens.

Yep I would support it. The issue with leaving it to common sense is frighteningly few people exercise it.

Imagine the uproar if an ambulance couldn’t get through because the cars blocked the road
So many narrow streets around here means that people have to park on the path or blocking the road is a very real possibility

Yep fully behind it, people park right up to my gate leaving barely any space for a person to walk out of never mind a wheelchair/scooter/pram two of the three are regulars (our pram, dgm’s scooter)

These people have 3 car drive ways laying empty because it’s “easier” than going onto the slightly busier road.

Further round the corner two big 7 seater taxis park up on the “end” of the pavement which blocks both the drop kerb and the view of a 3 way junction.. to the point I’ve had to send dp out into the road to check I can cross with the pram as I can’t see at all. There’s a car park 10ft round the corner from that one.

Most of these “there’s not enough parking Wahhs” come from households with multiple cars who seem unable for no reason, unless at the gym or with the dog, to walk the length of themselves ever. If you buy a house on a very narrow road with no off street parking or planning for it/a new build with space for one car when that’s not what you need surely you’re the problem. You wouldn’t buy a 2 bed flat cause it’s pretty when you needed a 5 bed house. Developers build these crap new schemes because they keep selling so why fix what’s not broken.

I realise that on narrow roads esp residential street it's not easy but where people are to lazy to walk around the corner to the car park , two of them make it almost impossible to walk past.

@luna except you would have bought it when you were allowed to park on pavements. So it would have been what you need.
Many people may have one car and one space. But what if you have a visitor? At my old place there were 80 flats and 5 visitor spaces. A bunch of people parked broken down cars in them that would be there 24/7 for months. How could I forsee that happening? (Frankly even if I could I didn't have much choice of where else to live)
If my visitor can't park on the narrow road or up on the pavement (and there's no reasonable public transport links) what are they supposed to do?
'just get a different house' is a very privileged way of looking at things.

Isn't it banned already? By the highway code? We've certainly seen people fined for it around here.

@sambeckett that is horrendous driving and parking, especially if you are saying there is a car park 2 mins away

However, also there's clearly a path through those bollards that most (all?) people can just as easy walk on...

I'd just like to point out to viewers in Scotland () that a ban is technically already in place up here but it's not clear yet how it will be enforced.
www.livingstreets.org.uk/news-and-blog/press-media/pavement-parking-ban-approved-in-scotland

Cars which are parked on, or part on a pavement and restricts access to wheelchair users, double buggy etc should be towed away. The same should apply to anyone parked on a dropped curb, on a corner of a road, near a school and bus stop. Safety should come first. Priority on the pavement should be for its users not cars.

Yes, as someone who used a double buggy.
They are a complete nuisance.

On my street we and every other person park half way on pavement and halfway off. The houses were built on my side without enough room for parking. If I parked fully on the road there would be no way an ambulance or fire engine would get through. There is still enough room for pedestrians and wheelchairs to get through though. There is no other local parking either so there isn’t much option.

"A more sensible approach would be to prosecute obstructive parking."

Except people are generally too stupid/selfish/thoughtless to do so!

Blanket bans on certain things (like drink driving) make things much clearer and remove "grey area" thinking which leads to disputes.

If there's a clear rule then people have no excuses for acting badly.

I have a driving licence but haven't driven for several years for a variety of reasons. But when I did I didn't assume I'd be able to park at the door always or even often and that sometimes I'd need to park a street or 2 away and walk.

I am noticing more and more current drivers acting as if they are ENTITLED to park right at the door of their homes/workplaces and near as dammit to anywhere else they drive to, regardless of the needs of others.

It really would not kill or even really inconvenience most drivers if they had to walk a few yards!!

"I know some roads that are too thin that is the only way residents can park." Seeing this type of comment a lot - park in the next street! Or a nearby car park! And walk!!

"the utilities tend to be near the surface too" or situated on the pavement - last place we lived we kept losing our phone line/internet cos some twat (was always same person!) kept bumping the signal box and every few months this would lead to water getting in or a wire loosened/broken.

I'm disabled but not (yet) a wheelchair user, dd same. We both struggle with uneven surfaces, obstructions and managing high kerbs. We're both potential future wheelchair users and have family/friends who are and it's sickening the attitude from some drivers towards the disabled...

"Just go another way"
"Just go round the car" not always easy certainly rarely safe!!
"Not my problem" lovely!

"Most of these “there’s not enough parking Wahhs” come from households with multiple cars who seem unable for no reason, unless at the gym or with the dog, to walk the length of themselves ever." Yep!!

Every house on this road/estate has one off road parking space and a garage.

Some have two off road and a garage.

People still park on the kerbs though, it makes no sense to me. A fire engine couldn’t get past easily recently.

I’d love to see it banned.

Yes. I live in London so not an issue around here but my home town is terrible especially around where my parents live and the houses have decent sized drives and garages (unless converted).
Pavements are for pedestrians and some people have too many vehicles!

Yes as my mum uses a wheelchair/ scooter and often has to go into the road and around a car to get by, usually when there is adequate space to park nearby however living in an old village, some streets are narrow and already the bin men can’t get down the terraced streets so thus would make it worse,
There must be a comprise somehow

It depends, some of our pavements are wide enough to have a car completely on them and others mean just part parking on them stops a pedestrian using them.

Maybe a law that says you can park on them if a pedestrian can still pass, with pray, wheelchair and or sign impairment aid.

Twats should be ticketed.

@Yeahsurewhatever
yes there is a pay and display car park next to the hotel at the junction ( where the orange arrow is )
It is not very clear on the pics but there are steps on the other side of the bollards , they are not steep so a child or some one with some mobility could manage but not wheel chairs and buggies would struggle if you look carefully on the left hand side of most of the images you can see a black hand rail , it looks like its resting on top of the bollards in on shot , thats where the steps are .
This happens everyday all day long.