People parking on the pavement

[nesticles]

Sorry if this is long.
I am blind and have a 1 year old ds. I use a guide dog so pull the buggy behind me. Yesterday after picking up ds from dm's who had been looking after him while I had a KIT day I came across something that was both dangerous and made me very angry. My guide dog stopped half way along a busy road and wanted to walk in the main road. I was unsure why she was doing this so gingerly walked infront of her to have a feel, Someone had parked a car on the pavement leaving a small gap not big enough to get the buggy through. I couldn't walk in the main road around the parked car so I had to get a sleeping ds out of the buggy, I then had to put him in the sling that was lucklly under the buggy causing a complete melt down, then I had to take the seat of the buggy carry it to the other side of the car, squeeze back between the car and someone's brick wall fold the buggy and carry it back through side ways in the pooring rain. I then had to put the buggy back together and get ds back in to a wet buggy. I am so angry I had to calm down in order to post this today. Not only is this something dangerous to me who is blind but for many many people, mums with buggies, wheelchair users, parents with older children holding hands. Why is this not illegal? Am I being unreasonable to be this cross? What do you guys feel? Has anyone else come across this? Does anyone actually agree with parking on pavements?
PS sorry for typos ds is trying to help!

[ifyourehoppyandyouknowit]

Well, the zip on my bag is very sharp, and if I have to squeeze past... It was an accident, honestly.

[Greydog]

I often find, when squeezing past badly parked cars, that I misjudge the space, and have knocked many, many wing mirrors askew.

[Financeprincess]

Yes, ring 101. I did, when a white van blocked the entire pavement on a poorly-lit road with pavement on one side only. I had to help a woman get two little children past the wretched thing - we had to walk them into the busy traffic, in the dark.

I rang 101 and they sent a community support officer to move the van on.

[ErrolTheDragon]

YANBU. Our village has narrow pavements only just wide enough but knobheads people still insist on parking on them. A while ago a car was totally obstructing the pavement so I (and my dog) had to walk around it. Fortunately I'd noticed that there was a man in the drivers seat, passenger window down chatting to someone over a garden wall ... so wasn't taken totally by surprise when without looking around he started to pull out. I yelled, he looked extremely shocked (and fortunately for him, apologetic).

If I'd been the OP hate to think what could have happened.

[MissBattleaxe]

OP you are absolutely NOT being remotely unreasonable in the slightest.

My pet hate is people who see Double Yellow Lines and think that they mean "Do Not park on the road, but please help yourself to the entire width of the pavement"

I then have to walk in the road with my young children, putting them and me at risk, just so some TWAT can go to the cashpoint, get chips, pop in the shop etc.

You would think that having to park a small convenient distance away in a safe place, was an outrageously impossible thing to ask of a driver, but meanwhile, blind pedestrians with children (such as nesticles our OP) , or people with buggies or in wheelchairs can just get stuffed. God forbid a driver should have to walk anywhere!

[ReadyToPopAndFresh]

YANBU it's so rude. There is a massive twat who does thiss just near a blind bend in my town. I used to push double buggy down a verge in to the road and then try and push it back up. There was no crosswalk no pavement on other side and had a few very close calls. Usually flooded by the road .The only way to town

fuck knows what a wheel chair user would do!

[PenguinsEatSpinach]

This gives me the rage and I don't even have your issues.

Round by me people think that they are being 'considerate' parking on the pavement because it means that two cars can still also pass on the road rather than taking turns. Yes, by bloody stealing pedestrian space. It has also chewed up grass verges between pavement and road in lots of our residential areas, resulting in a mud bath.

If you need to park on the pavement then it isn't a parking space. Park further away from your destination and bloody well walk!

[Anothermrssmith]

Not unreasonable at all and I say that as someone who regularly has to park on the pavement outside my house. I live in a flat on a main road with no off street parking unfortunately. However before I get torn to shreds can I just say in my defence that I will always make sure there's enough room for a buggy or wheelchair to pass without having to leave the pavement and there are bits of the street where I wont park because lamp posts or electricity boxes mean I cant do this (unfortunately no one else in my street seems to consider this though).

I always thought it wasn't illegal as such but the police CAN issue a penalty if it's blocking the pavement, though i'm sure I read somewhere that they will only do that if they actually see you doing it.

[glenthebattleostrich]

There is a woman close to where I live who used to park on the pavement. Her husband liked to use the drive so she wouldn't.

She also use to have a lovely flower bed at the bottom of the drive.

One day when I was out with dd inm the pushchair she pulled up in front of me and then refused to move. I even asked nicely. I pushed the buggy through her flowers.

At the time I was on the residents committee and the woman and her husband turned up to complain about vandalism, they were very vocal until I suggested it was linked to her parking.

[Anonymai]

Yanbu. I hate it when people do this. There's someone near here who also blocks the little crossing near a school, the ones with the yellow bobbles to show where it is. Big posh house, big posh drive and so many cars they feel it's necessary to block the crossing next to their house.

[JackNoneReacher]

IME its a police responsibility not council. The police are able to give fixed penalty notices.

They did this locally when people started blocking the pavement on the bend of a fast road near us. Totally unsafe to walk on the road at this point.

Obstructing the pavement is an offence.

If the police are denying they can do anything I would escalate it to another level. Especially if you've only spoken to a PCSO or similar. They may just not realise what their powers are. If you still have no joy, make a complaint to them or contact your local councillor. It sounds dangerous and exactly the sort of thing they should be able to help with.

I can't stand this culture of "we have to park on the pavement around here, there is nowhere else". Which means, "we are too lazy to park safely" and "our cars are more important that pedestrians".

Hope you get somewhere, it sounds difficult enough having a dog and a pushchair without having to navigate roads because of lazy motorists.

[SauvignonBlanche]

YANBU at all - inconsiderate bastards!

[AgaPanthers]

I've always been tempted to key the bastards' cars, but never quite been brave enough.

[candycoatedwaterdrops]

You can get a PCN for parking on pavement. I learned the hard way as a new driver. It's also really bad for your car, so if nothing else....think of your car. Don't park on the pavements, it's selfish as fuck!

[Perfectlypurple]

The police do not get money from people parking in permit holder spaces.

The police can ticket someone parking on the pavement but they have to witness the obstruction. So they have to see someone trying to pass not just that if someone wanted to pass.

Ring 101 at the time. Tell them the circumstances and that you are afraid to walk in the road. In those circumstances they should attend fairly quickly.

[BackOnlyBriefly]

If there isn't room to park properly then there just isn't room so you have to park somewhere else entirely.

What next? "I had to park on your lawn because both pavements were full?"

[hmc]

Keying someone's car is criminally wrong, and rather base unacceptable vigilante behaviour irrespective of how inconsiderate the car owner has been

Not that I am condoning parking on pavements - where this causes obstruction by all means report it and perhaps take a photo too perhaps to pass on to authorities

[AgaPanthers]

"Keying someone's car is criminally wrong"

Since when did that stop people doing things? Speeding is criminal too, doesn't stop anyone does it?

"and rather base unacceptable vigilante behaviour irrespective of how inconsiderate the car owner has been"

Well not really. It does very much depend how inconsiderate the car owner has been. Blocking the whole pavement when there's a perfectly good space on the road is much worse than a mere wheel on a wide pavement.

"Not that I am condoning parking on pavements - where this causes obstruction by all means report it and perhaps take a photo too perhaps to pass on to authorities"

Lol, which authorities are going to give a fuck?

[BackOnlyBriefly]

"Keying someone's car is criminally wrong"

Yes, it is, but if there's no room for the buggy and you find it scraping along the side of the car I'd call that the fault of the driver.

[BlueberryWoods]

It's tempting to walk up and over the offending vehicle! Maybe just get the kids to do it

[hmc]

Well, funnily enough I believe someone on this very thread has told us how she got a parking ticket issued by a traffic warden for parking on the pavement Agapanthers - so those authorities I suppose.

[AgaPanthers]

It would be nice if Parking Pataweyo was omnipresent to prohibit all acts of cuntish parking, but sadly it's not quite the case. Could do with a few outside schools in the morning too

[MostWicked]

Keying someone's car is criminally wrong, and rather base unacceptable vigilante behaviour irrespective of how inconsiderate the car owner has been

Maybe not, but when I had to force my double buggy past a car that had taken up half the pavement, and scraped the car in the process, that's unfortunate and completely accidental.

[Quoteunquote]

Funnily enough if you park on pavements around here you end up with footprints (not all human) across your vehicle.

I love a challenge, and so do my dogs who follow me everywhere.

Funnily enough no one ever wants to argue the toss with me about why I shouldn't. Which is a shame because I love the chance to re educate people.

We have the only village without pavement parkers in the whole area.

Only lazy rude people park on pavements.

[siblingrevelry]

This occurs for two reasons; people who do it are lazy and people believe they have a right to park outside their own house.

So all those explaining their mitigating circumstances and wondering what else they're supposed to do, it's quite simple; park elsewhere, even if it's away from your house!