Guest Post: Pavement Parking: more needs to be done

[SophiaCMumsnet]

Cars parked on pavements cause huge difficulties for people with a vision impairment, as well parents and carers with children, wheelchair users, older people and many others. People with sight loss cannot always see if they can safely squeeze past a parked car, and often the only alternative is to step into the road around it - an extremely unsafe option that exposes them to oncoming traffic.

The current situation
In London, pavement parking has been restricted to designated areas for 50 years, but in the rest of the country, parking on the pavement is permitted in most cases. Local authorities struggle to tackle unsafe pavement parking using their existing powers. In Scotland, a law has recently passed where pavement parking is the exception, not the norm, and councils are now beginning to implement this.

What we want
Guide Dogs has long been calling on the UK government to introduce national restrictions on pavement parking in England, saying a clear law is needed to ensure that everyone can walk their streets safely.

Guide Dogs’ call for a new law is also backed by the general public, with 57% of people saying they would support limiting pavement parking to specific areas where it is deemed unavoidable by the local council.

Guide dog owner Claire, who is also a parent, told us: “If they are to bring in a new law on pavement parking, I'll be able to cross roads more safely. It would be safer for my daughter. If there's a diversion that I have to take because of works on the road, or the pavement, then I'll know that there's a road that I can go down that won't be blocked”.

Local authorities also support a change in law, with three-quarters (74%) of councillors supporting this. Additionally, only one in five (22%) councillors said they believe their current powers to tackle the issue are sufficient, and four in 10 councillors said that residents contact them at least once a month about pavement parking.

The UK government consulted on options to tackle pavement parking in England in 2020, and received over 15,000 responses, yet no progress has been made. It is clear more needs to be done. We’ve therefore written a letter to the leaders of political parties in Westminster urging them to commit to taking action. Will you sign it too? https://act.guidedogs.org.uk/page/146049/data/1?ea.tracking.id=mumsnet

The more people who sign, the stronger our case for a new law on pavement parking and the more likely it is that decision makers will take action.

Thanks for your support.

Signed.
Councils also need to tackle the bushes/hedges growing out over the pavements as these create a hazard too for guide dogs.

I will sign!

I tried to report this car to my council and they said there were no violations they could enforce. Forced me to walk completely on the road with my pram. Luckily, it’s not a main road but far too many cars park around there for the school. They all drive too quickly for the space and number of children so walking down the road is not safe.

Signed. I walk to work and there’s builders who treat the pavements outside their yard as their personal parking. I’ve reported with pictures and location several times to the council but never received a reply.

I have also signed.
My grandmother was blind and really struggled with cars parking on the pavement.

It’s people pushing prams and children trying to walk safely too. It’s crazy around where i live in the north west.

I have actually had to walk backwards down the street, dragging a pushchair, for about 10 car lengths, forcing the people walking behind me to also reverse, because of a car parked inconsiderably and taking up the entire pavement, blocking my route.

The pavement was too narrow for me to turn around with the pushchair because of cars parked with their wheels on the pavement and they were parked too close together for me to go out onto the road (not that I should have had to do this anyway) so reversing was my only option.

It's utterly ridiculous. Car drivers need to get out of the mindset of the pavement being extra parking space for them if they need it and see it as not for them but for pedestrians.

Totally onboard with this. I find it difficult enough to navigate pavements as a parent. I can’t imagine the struggle those with limited sight or in wheelchairs go through. Dropped kerb parking is an issue too! The dip in the road is to enable pedestrians to cross safely- you can’t be safe if there’s a car in the way!

We live in a cul de sac. Everybody has a drive, which can take at least 2 cars. We can get 3 on ours. The road is wide enough for two cars to pass each other easily, yet people often park on the pavement. I find it odd, that they try to make the road as wide as possible, for the passing traffic; but totally oblivious to the inconvenience for people with pushchairs, wheelchairs, double buggies or a visual impairment?

planning approval need to be properly looked at. We HAD sufficient parking but an office block was changed to be flats and building an estate. The office has 1 space for 2 bedroom flats & .5 for 1 bedroom allocation , the estate similar 1 space for 2/3 bedroom houses. 2 for 4 bedroom. In some cases the garage was the second space. They now park on our street on the pavement so within the last 2 years it’s really impacted. We are also near a school & nursery so parents are having to walk on roads with children and push chairs.

when I read the submission approval it mentioned cycle lanes and cycle store & a ten minute walk to a bus stop. You can’t force people to use this infrastructure and assume they will
sell their car when they buy the house to use the useless bus services in this area.

Signed. I live in a London borough which does not restrict pavement parking (Lewisham). Pavements are often completely dominated by cars, meaning I can’t walk down the street hand in hand with my child. We have to walk single file. I’ve seen elderly and disabled people really struggle. Bin day makes some roads impassible.

My adult son is in a wheelchair. Parking on pavements is a nightmare. Drivers don’t seem to be able to grasp that I can’t just bump his wheelchair off the kerb and back on again. I have to walk back to a dropped kerb, walk in the road until I’ve finally passed the inconsiderate parker, then continue walking on the road until I find another dropped kerb in order to get back on the pavement.

I wouldn’t even fine the driver, I’d make them spend a day walking the streets either blindfolded or in a wheelchair to educate themselves.

Signed.Bad here and it’s mobility scooters that they inconvenience.