The beginning of the end for pavement parking in england?
The government's consultation on a nationwide pavement parking ban is now closed.
An amazing 7,455 people supported our campaign, the majority of whom then went on to complete the consultation themselves.
But our work is not done...
With the Department for Transport's 22 November deadline looming, we decided to make a lot of noise on social media.
We invited people to share their views on pavement parking where they live - and posted myth-busting responses to some of the frequently asked questions we have encountered over the years.
Here's just a handful of the tweets that helped see #BanPavementParking trend on Wednesday, 18 November.
Today is our #BanPavementParking Day Of Action!
— Living Streets (@livingstreets) November 18, 2020
💬 Share your stories
💭 Share your views
📷 Share your photos.
We need to protect pavements for people. Let's show everyone why #PavementParking must end.@gdcampaigns @transportforall @RamblersGB @sustrans pic.twitter.com/bPCBkGkudj
#BanPavementParking FAQ 1⃣- "Isn't it illegal already?"
— Living Streets (@livingstreets) November 18, 2020
Technically yes. It is illegal to drive on the pavement except to access a property. It’s also illegal to obstruct the highway.
Simple, then, right?
Wrong.
Thread 👇 1/3 pic.twitter.com/cRD9Z4hNJL
#BanPavementParking FAQ 2⃣ - "Where are we supposed to park?"
— Living Streets (@livingstreets) November 18, 2020
Our short reply: ‘Where are you supposed to walk?’
But this question does perhaps deserve a longer response 👇 1/2 pic.twitter.com/QWctuEwSAs
#BanPavementParking FAQ 3⃣ - "How will a ban be enforced?"
— Living Streets (@livingstreets) November 18, 2020
Councils will be responsible for enforcement, but we also need a change of culture so drivers understand and respect the new rules.
This will require a national campaign to raise awareness. pic.twitter.com/ajmV4Aj5t2
#BanPavementParking FAQ 4⃣ - "Are you demanding a blanket ban?"
— Living Streets (@livingstreets) November 18, 2020
What we want is better described as a default ban.
This would mean that the presumption is that you simply do not park on the pavement. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/CnkRA7p3hC
#BanPavementParking FAQ 5⃣ - "How much will it cost?"
— Living Streets (@livingstreets) November 18, 2020
Honestly? A lot.
And not nearly as much as NOT having one already costs us, as our Kath explains in this blog post: https://t.co/6FKPSA1A2v
1/3 pic.twitter.com/RlyM6r53OG
Yesterday on our trip from school to home. Children unable to pass on scooters as they turned the corner , so had to move into road. As our daughter stepped into the road, she was nearly knocked down by a driver in a van driving towards us. pic.twitter.com/RqrA4R2VJ4
— Layla Siebert (@laylasiebert) November 18, 2020
"You might be stepping out into a major road, with buses and lorries, and that can be really quite scary."
— Transport for All (@transportforall) November 18, 2020
We support calls to #BanPavementParking, and in the video below, our chair @AlansTweets explains the negative impact it can have on disabled people. 🚘 https://t.co/Enuaffqs1G
Banning pavement parking (Option 3 in https://t.co/HKWQBWPxfb) does not mean it can never happen - it means that if it has to be agreed by locals and properly managed. As I say in my last 2 blogs (https://t.co/8Lhs3Df0SU), we need to replace the default with debate. https://t.co/2beaUuEFzO
— Hannah Budnitz (@HBudnitz) November 19, 2020
#BanPavementParking is trending so here is a reminder how blocking drop down kerbs and pavements makes the lives of disabled people more difficult and can put lives at risk as we have to use the road and oncoming traffic to get past. It is an access issue. pic.twitter.com/BOB7ceRRiy
— Felicity McKee (@mckee_felicity) November 18, 2020
Today is a #BanPavementParking Day of Action. Here's a recent example in my area. pic.twitter.com/u1LZVDL4FO
— Rob Bryher (@RobBryher) November 18, 2020
Well done @livingstreets #BanPavementParking is trending on Twitter! Let's get it trending in real life with a change in legislation, attitudes and behaviours. https://t.co/25O6gr4To4 pic.twitter.com/W2Chg7At68
— Roxanne DeBeaux (@roxyfromoz) November 18, 2020
The consultation was won thanks in no small part to the 4,010 Living Streets supporters who sent us their thoughts on pavement parking in spring 2019
Then. the following June, our Policy and Research Manager, Dr Rachel Lee, went before the Transport Select Committee to give oral evidence on the impact on pedestrians of pavement parking.
In her evidence she included several of the thousands of personal testimonies we received from our supporters - the power of which was noted by members of the committee afterwards.
You can watch the session in full in our video here.
Remember you should never put literature on car windscreens.
We did it! Scotland has voted to introduce a nationwide ban on pavement parking.
Find out more about our successful campaign in Scotland.
Welsh Government is investigating ways to clamp down on pavement parking in Wales. And Living Streets is on the task force.
Find out about progress in Wales.
Pavement parking. Street clutter. Electric car charging points.
We have created an action pack on each of these issues so you can get your local decision-makers on the case and raise awareness in your area.
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