Councils call for powers to ban pavement parking

The Local Government Association has published a report calling for powers to ban pavement parking across England.

The report comes more than three years after a government consultation to ban pavement parking ended.

At the moment, pavement parking is only banned in London, where councils have the power to exempt certain roads. The consultation considered extending this ban to all councils in the rest of England. The consultation ended over three years ago, but no announcement has yet been made.

Some councils in Scotland have just started to enforce a nationwide pavement parking ban and a consultation is also set to take place in Wales on introducing restrictions on pavement parking.

The LGA says that pavement parking presents a hazard to older and disabled people, including those who use wheelchairs, parents with pushchairs and younger children and blind and partially sighted people.

Parking can also cause damage to pavements and in turn create trip and injury hazards.

The independent report was produced by Sustrans and Transport for All and commissioned by the LGA. It sets out the barriers faced by people using the footway and challenges for councils in making them accessible, including the lack of space commonly caused by pavement parking, poor surface quality, trip hazards and not enough places to cross the road safely.

For councils the problems can be lack of funding, difficulties in maintaining a clear picture of the condition of footways and bureaucratic hurdles in obtaining Traffic Regulation Orders.

Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the LGA, said: “Pavement parking is one of the biggest complaints from pedestrians, but three years on, councils outside of London still do not have the powers they need to tackle this scourge.

“Vulnerable and disabled people, including wheelchair users as well as parents with pushchairs are forced into the road due to some drivers’ inconsiderate parking, presenting a real hazard and potential danger to life.

“Repairing kerbs and pavements damaged by pavement parking is also expensive and this funding could be better used to resurface our roads and pavements, support local buses and provide more suitable parking.

“If we are to meet the Government’s ambition for half of all trips in England's towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030, then it makes sense to give councils across the country the same powers as in the capital, making our streets safer and footpaths open for everyone.”