The Highway Code advises motorists against pavement parking but rules vary across the country with local authorities enforcing restrictions. The offence is illegal in London but outside the capital is mostly permitted as long as vehicles do not cause an obstruction.
Campaigners in some UK cities have called for pavement parking to be banned altogether. The Green Party in Bristol launched a petition, which has received more than 1,000 signatures, requesting an urgent crackdown on the offence.
Green Councillor David Wilcox said: “We want to put a traffic regulation law into the city to say you cannot park on pavements. We need to improve the situation for local people.”
Zoe Banks-Gross, who lives in Bristol and works for walking and cycling charity Sustrans, said that pavement parking means streets in her area can become “incredibly challenging to navigate”.
She said: “[Pavement parking] is incredibly inconsiderate, it’s not fair for people who are disabled or young mums with pushchairs who just can’t get around their neighbourhood.”
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Local authorities can currently enforce traffic regulation orders to restrict pavement parking, with offenders facing £70 fines. Parking in Sheffield city centre has been restricted in this way since last year.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Pavement parking is an issue which remains difficult for councils to manage while they have limited powers to take action. The call to Government for additional powers to be granted to councils has been made repeatedly over many years, led by the Local Government Association.”
Labour MP Manchester Gorton, Afzal Khan, has also called for a ban on pavement parking, presenting a petition to Parliament. He said: “Pavement parking is not only an issue for those with disabilities or young children, but encourages speeding and reckless driving in neighbourhoods. It’s time the Government takes action.”
In response, a Department for Transport spokesman said: “In 2020, we launched a consultation to explore options for tackling pavement parking and to better equip councils to take action, and we’ll publish the response as soon as possible.”
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