Consultation launched on pavement parking

The Department for Transport has announced new proposals to ban antisocial parking, and make pavements could be made safer for people with disabilities.

Parking on pavements disproportionately affects people with visual or mobility impairments, those assisted by guide dogs, and wheelchair and mobility scooter users. Research shows that more than 95 per cent of wheelchair users and people with visual impairments say they had problems with vehicles parked on pavements.

The charity Guide Dogs found that 32 per cent of people with vision impairments and 48 per cent of wheelchair users were less willing to go out on their own because of pavement parking, decreasing independence and contributing towards isolation.

The new consultation proposes improving the traffic regulation order process to make it easier for councils to prohibit pavement parking in their areas, giving councils powers to fine drivers who park on paths, and a London-style nationwide ban on pavement parking.

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.”

Blanche Shackleton, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns at Guide Dogs, said: “For many people with sight loss, cars and vans parked on the pavement make our streets stressful and dangerous to navigate. At any time, you might be forced out into the road with traffic that you cannot see. When every journey is an ordeal, simply going out independently can become daunting.”