It’s now illegal to park on pavements in Scotland – as a new law comes into force – and local councillor, Shaun Stephenson-McGall is calling on the government to get on with introducing a similar ban across England.
In a statement to B&NES Council, Councillor Stephenson-McGall explained that currently the Police can “theoretically” act if a vehicle is causing a hazard or an obstruction and forcing pedestrians into the road, but that “enforcement from the constabulary is rare”.
Instead, he is calling for new legislation to bring in a pavement parking ban throughout England. This has long been the law in London and new restrictions have just come into force in Scotland this month.
Councillor Stephenson-McGall said:
“Three years ago, the government consulted on options to tackle pavement parking in England, yet the DfT is still sitting on the results. This is taking far too long.
“In the meantime, Scotland has rolled out a nationwide ban and England is falling behind. We need to know now how the Government intends to tackle pavement parking across England.
“Pavement parking is dangerous and affects us all, whether you’re in a rural village like Timsbury or in suburban Bath. It makes streets inaccessible for older people, those with visual and physical disabilities, wheelchair users and those who use mobility aids, and forces families with pushchairs and young children into the road.
“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.
“I’m calling on the government to get on with publishing the results of the consultation so that the legislation can be brought forwards.”
Recent YouGov polling, commissioned by the charity Living Streets, found that 62% of adults over 65 in England were worried about obstructions on the pavement. 87% of parents have had to walk into the road because of pavement parking and that 80% would be more likely to walk their child to school if there wasn’t pavement parking.
Other organisations, including charities as diverse as Guide Dogs, RNIB, Disabled Motoring UK, Sustrans, Spinal Injuries Association, and the British Parking Association, are also backing the ban on pavement parking.
Here’s his full statement:
It’s time for action on pavement parking! It has been three years since the Department for Transport’s consulted on pavement parking in England.
Last week representatives from Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, delivered an Anniversary Card to 10 Downing Street signed by thousands of people, including me, calling for a response.
In Scotland, a nationwide ban is being rolled out next month on the 11th December.
The Government consultation in the summer of 2020 proposed three options:
- Improving the Traffic Regulation Order process, under which local authorities can already prohibit pavement parking.
- A legislative change to allow local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction of the pavement’.
- A legislative change to introduce a London-style pavement parking prohibition throughout England.
Parking on the pavement is illegal in London but elsewhere it is covered by criminal and civil law, with different rules in different parts of the country and vastly different experiences of enforcement. Theoretically the Police can act if a vehicle causes a hazard or an obstruction and causes pedestrians to enter the road but enforcement from the constabulary is rare.
This Council like many others has an adopted hierarchy of transport options which puts pedestrians first, and I shouldn’t need to remind Councillors about our public sector equality duty under the Equality Act.
Pavement parking is dangerous and affects us all whether you’re in a rural village like Timsbury or in sub-urban Bath. It makes streets inaccessible for older people, those with visual and physical disabilities, wheelchair users and those who use mobility aids, and forces families with pushchairs and young children into the road.
It’s not only pavement parking which is an issue for pedestrians; street clutter and electric car charging leads are also a concern. Therefore, it is good to note that this Council is currently running a trial of on-street cable channels to enable residents to charge electric vehicles safely from their homes.
It’s not just me who is concerned about pavement parking. YouGov polling commissioned by Living Streets found that 62% of adults over 65 in England were worried about obstructions on the pavement. 87% of parents have had to walk into the road because of pavement parking and that 80% would be more likely to walk their child to school if there wasn’t pavement parking.
So ending pavement parking would be great for our children’s health and fitness, help reduce ‘school run’ congestion and pollution, and also help tackle the climate emergency. Moreover, a Living Streets FOI request found that 93% of Councils in England have received complaints from members of the public about pavement parking. I’m sure this is a topic that has filled the casework inbox of many councillors over the years.
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. It’s not just Living Street who are campaigns for a nationwide ban but organisations and charities as diverse as Guide Dogs, RNIB, Disabled Motoring UK, Sustrans, Spinal Injuries Association, and the British Parking Association.
Pavement parking combined with far too many speeding vehicles through our communities is a very hazardous combination. Forcing the most vulnerable in our communities into the road and into oncoming traffic is dangerous, scary and needs to be stopped!
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.
Therefore I would request that the Leader of the Council together with the Cabinet Member for Highways write to:
- The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport, pressing him to publish the results of the consultation without further delay and move ahead with the preferred option of “a legislative change to introduce a London-style pavement parking prohibition throughout England”.
- Our Local MPs in North East Somerset and Bath, asking them to raise this issue in Parliament.
I agree entirely with Councillor Shaun Stephenson-McGall’s call to the Government for a general ban on pavement parking. The system in London does seem to work well . An additional benefit to those he mentions would be saving on the cost of repairs to damaged paving stones, particularly the expensive and difficult to obtain pennant stone. This would also reduce the risk of injuries to pedestrians.
And where will all those pavement parkers go, in Bath?
Our city’s narrow roads are untypical of other UK towns and cities, so a country-wide ban would disfavour us.
We’re managing, just, to accommodate our residents’ parking needs and have a status quo that won’t suffer a new imposition from central government.
One size doesn’t fit all.
There can be discretion in where the ban is enforced. There are lots of occasions where vehicles are parked on, or in some cases, totally on the pavement, where the road is wide enough for proper parking or where the house has parking nearby. Anyone uses or who has to help someone who has sight problems, uses a wheelchair or simply needs someone beside them for support knows how this selfish behaviour affects them and puts them at risk.
Yes, enforcement with discretion sounds just. But a blanket ban, which is what I thought was being proposed, would be unworkable.
New laws that can’t be enforced shouldn’t be made.
Hopefully this will tackle electric scooters & bikes first; which are a total obstruction and increasingly found abandoned & stroon on pavements all over Bath.
Far more of a risk and danger than a solid large parked vehicle.
I agree the scooters and bikes are also a menace. A friend tripped over some parked/abandoned in Bristol and broke his shoulder. However parked vehicles are a different risk. Pedestrians and those with wheelchairs, prams etc. have to walk in the road to get past them and could be hit by passing vehicles not to mention the struggle getting the wheelchair etc up and over the kerb. The sight impaired have special problems in addition.
Will this also include the scooters & bikes that litter our pavements?