Government urged to act on pavement parking

“It’s time for action on pavement parking”, the Government has been told in an ‘anniversary card’ delivered to 10 Downing Street today (22 November 2023).  

It has been three years since the Department for Transport’s consultation into pavement parking in England closed.

Over 6,300 people signed the anniversary card calling for a response, delivered today by representatives from Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking.

Parking on the pavement is illegal in London. Elsewhere it is covered by criminal and civil law, with different rules in different parts of the country and vastly different experiences of enforcement.

Living Streets responded to the Department for Transport’s Managing Pavement Parking consultation in 2020, calling for clear laws and sharing evidence from their supporters about the issues pavement parking causes. Since then, 1,095 days have passed with no response.

Meanwhile in Scotland, a nationwide ban is being rolled out next month (11 December).

Stephen Edwards, Chief Executive, Living Streets said:  

“Pavement parking affects us all. It makes streets inaccessible for older and disabled people and forces families with pushchairs into the road. The consultation was a welcome step, but three years is too long for a response. We need to know now how the Government intends to tackle pavement parking across England.

“Clear pavements need clear laws. We need a nationwide default ban, with the option to allow pavement parking in certain circumstances, as is currently available in London. This would be much easier for everyone to understand.”

Dr Amit Patel is a disability rights campaigner and Trustee of Living Streets. He is registered severely sight impaired (blind) having lost his sight overnight in 2013. 

Dr Amit Patel said: 

“Pavement parking makes navigating the streets even harder for someone like me who is visually impaired. 

“I love walking my children to school but the journey can quickly become unsafe when someone blocks our path, forcing me into the road and into oncoming traffic. It’s dangerous, it’s scary and it needs to stop.”