Parking on pavements

T

Tom333

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I read something yesterday stating that parking on pavements is likely to be made illegal throughout the UK next year. Whilst I understand that wheelchairs, prams etc need sufficient room to safely pass, surely this would pose a massive problem for local authorities. You couldn't get a single car down a lot of the streets in Sunderland without those either side up on the kerb. I imagine the situation is similar on a lot of places. Are councils likely to widen streets etc? It's one way of reducing cars on the road, I guess.
 


I think you nailed it with your last sentence. They want less cars on the road and are doing everything they can to put people off driving. Saw something on the news last week about residential streets in London which are no car zones with hefty fines in place. This has forced residents to park away from their homes and caused all sorts of fighting with residents of those areas they now park in
 
On our estate pavements used to be grassed but the council tarmaced them so people could park, easing congestion in the area in terms of parking on streets that used be a problem. A bit unfair if that's taken away.
 
Gene Hunt said:
I think you nailed it with your last sentence. They want less cars on the road and are doing everything they can to put people off driving. Saw something on the news last week about residential streets in London which are no car zones with hefty fines in place. This has forced residents to park away from their homes and caused all sorts of fighting with residents of those areas they now park in
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This isn't about deterring driving, it's about ensuring people can walk safely on the pavement without having to keep going into the road. It's bad enough if you don't have any disability or a pram, it's near impossible if you do. With the rise of absolutely enormous SUVs and multiple car households it's getting worse every year.

There were three options for adjusting the law and I think they'll either kick this further down the line for more 'study' or go with the watered down option that makes it impossible for local authorities to enforce.

There's also no 'car free' zones implemented in London, I suspect you're talking about low traffic neighbourhoods which effectively create cul-de-sacs, but you can still park wherever you want and drive to every door on the street.
 
James said:
This isn't about deterring driving, it's about ensuring people can walk safely on the pavement without having to keep going into the road. It's bad enough if you don't have any disability or a pram, it's near impossible if you do. With the rise of absolutely enormous SUVs and multiple car households it's getting worse every year.

There were three options for adjusting the law and I think they'll either kick this further down the line for more 'study' or go with the watered down option that makes it impossible for local authorities to enforce.

There's also no 'car free' zones implemented in London, I suspect you're talking about low traffic neighbourhoods which effectively create cul-de-sacs, but you can still park wherever you want and drive to every door on the street.
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Most local residents support low traffic neighbourhoods in my experience..........before they were implimented the streets were in effect rat runs for traffic.
 
Gets bad on the side streets round here with people up on the pavement. All it takes is someone with no brain cells to park up without considering what's around them. There are parts of the road with lamposts on that people park next to, when the bairn was smaller there was no way to get the pushchair past.

Saw a picture earlier as well, young lad in a wheelchair couldn't get up the street cos a van was too far on the path.

Sometimes as drivers we give more consideration to other drivers than we do pedestrians.
 
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James said:
This isn't about deterring driving, it's about ensuring people can walk safely on the pavement without having to keep going into the road. It's bad enough if you don't have any disability or a pram, it's near impossible if you do. With the rise of absolutely enormous SUVs and multiple car households it's getting worse every year.

There were three options for adjusting the law and I think they'll either kick this further down the line for more 'study' or go with the watered down option that makes it impossible for local authorities to enforce.

There's also no 'car free' zones implemented in London, I suspect you're talking about low traffic neighbourhoods which effectively create cul-de-sacs, but you can still park wherever you want and drive to every door on the street.
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I can't see where these cars can go though. If they do enforce no parking on pavements, you'll end up with streets where you can't get cars up or down, or in or out.
 
James said:
This isn't about deterring driving, it's about ensuring people can walk safely on the pavement without having to keep going into the road. It's bad enough if you don't have any disability or a pram, it's near impossible if you do. With the rise of absolutely enormous SUVs and multiple car households it's getting worse every year.

There were three options for adjusting the law and I think they'll either kick this further down the line for more 'study' or go with the watered down option that makes it impossible for local authorities to enforce.

There's also no 'car free' zones implemented in London, I suspect you're talking about low traffic neighbourhoods which effectively create cul-de-sacs, but you can still park wherever you want and drive to every door on the street.
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I’m not an expert on them but the news report suggested you received an automatic fine for entering the area?
 
Gene Hunt said:
I think you nailed it with your last sentence. They want less cars on the road and are doing everything they can to put people off driving. Saw something on the news last week about residential streets in London which are no car zones with hefty fines in place. This has forced residents to park away from their homes and caused all sorts of fighting with residents of those areas they now park in
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Sadiq Khan has only done this to pull massive amounts of fines in
 
Frijj said:
I can't see where these cars can go though. If they do enforce no parking on pavements, you'll end up with streets where you can't get cars up or down, or in or out.
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It'll be done on a case by case basis.
Charmless Man said:
I always thought this was illegal but just not really enforced tbh.
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Only illegal in London. Coming back home and not being able to walk anywhere without spending a lot of time up and down into the road is a massive pain in the arse, it's pathetic really that we've allowed it for so long.
Gene Hunt said:
I’m not an expert on them but the news report suggested you received an automatic fine for entering the area?
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They're point closures and enforced through ANPR cameras. If you ignore the signage, the planters and the advance warnings and drive through them anyway you'll get a fine. If you are trying to reach a house on the other side of the closure you have to go around and access from the other end. It's an effective dead end.
 
James said:
This isn't about deterring driving, it's about ensuring people can walk safely on the pavement without having to keep going into the road. It's bad enough if you don't have any disability or a pram, it's near impossible if you do. With the rise of absolutely enormous SUVs and multiple car households it's getting worse every year.
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People don't understand how much of a hassle it is with a wheelchair. If you find a parked car on a path, you can't just hop off the path and go round it like you can with a pushchair. You have to go back up the path until you find a dropped kerb, then stay in the road until you find another dropped kerb to get back on the path again. It's a real inconvenience for wheelchair users and puts them at danger when they are on the road.

I picked my Dad up from the community centre near mine on foot once but forgot the primary school was due out as we passed it. There were double parked cars on the paths so we couldn't use the paths. We ended up causing chaos as he was in the road going really really slowly over the speedbumps and we caused cars to back up as they couldn't safely pass him ☺️
 
It's a funny one alright. There are definitely arseholes who do not consider pedestrians when putting their car up on the pavement. There's one bellend on the corner of Bede and Benedict in Roker as decided the corner pavement is his parking spot. Takes up the lot. But something like this, if enforced, would again be a 'tax' on the less well off. Those with drives and garages will be fine. Mind there are plenty who have those and don't use them.
 
It's easier to punish motorists than try and widen a residential side street...some of these were built long ago and don't cater for the bigger width of modern cars... add into the mix the amount of cars on the road now and cars per house hold/selfish lazy twats that can't be arsed simply to open a gate and drive on to their driveways...a canny high % of neighbourly angst and falling out must be about car parking like
 
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