Pavements are for people – not for parking 

For over 15 years, I have been campaigning for pavements free from parked cars. While there's been progress in Scotland, we're still waiting for change in England. 

Recently I spoke to a supporter, Susanne, about the impact of pavement parking. Susanne’s story really touched me and demonstrated why that change in the law is needed.  

Susanne and her 15-year-old son, Joseph, moved to Scotland from England at the beginning of 2025. Since moving, their council has implemented the pavement parking ban, and it has transformed their lives.

“Before we moved to Ayrshire, we lived in North Yorkshire and pavement parking was a nightmare for us” says Susanne. “My son is a power wheelchair user and navigating pavements for him was horrific. When we encountered cars parked on pavement, which we did all the time, we would need to find a dropped kerb and then walk in the road. It was so very dangerous for all of us and meant Joseph didn’t have the freedom to travel independently, which every teenager should be able to do.”

When they first moved to Scotland, the pavement parking ban was yet to come into effect and Susanne shared that pavement parking was rife at that time, too, with cars parked all over the pavements in the local town and the streets surrounding her mum’s house, making it a “no-go area” for Joseph and “making drop off and pick up horrendous.”

However, that all changed in spring when their council started to implement the Scotland-wide pavement parking ban.

“Overnight the pavements were emptied of cars – the change really was quite dramatic. The pavements around my son’s school and his grandma’s house are now accessible to him. Our walks around the local town are now less stressful and free from danger. Finally, my son can wheel freely from one end of the road to the other, which has been brilliant for his independence – he can now visit the local shop on his own.

“This new law has really changed our lives. What was a nuisance for some people, was life-limiting for us. Together as a family we’re now safer and happier, and I am so much more confident allowing Joseph to go short distances by himself.”

This is great news for Susanne and Joseph, showing the real life impact that a pavement parking ban can make. However, this shouldn’t be the case for families in Scotland only. Everyone across the UK should be able to walk and wheel safely and freely.

Will you help us get there?