Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about pavement parking.

I completely agree that vehicles parked on pavements are an issue, particularly for vulnerable pedestrians such as older people, families with pushchairs, wheelchair users and people with visual or mobility impairments. Banks of parked cars can also force cyclists to swerve into dangerous traffic flows, which can be especially dangerous on narrow roads.

Living Streets has highlighted that for many people, the current rules in England, outside of London, are confusing. While parking on pavements and verges is permitted unless specifically prohibited by a local authority, it is an offence to drive onto the pavement, whether with intention to park or not.

As you note, last year the Government consulted on managing pavement parking. It proposed three options for consideration: improving the Traffic Regulation Order process, a change to the law to allow local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction of the pavement’, or a change to the law to introduce a London-style pavement parking prohibition throughout England. It says it has received more than 15,000 responses, which it is currently analysing.

At present, the existing law is applied inconsistently. I know this frustrates local residents, and causes misery to people with disabilities and visual impairments who find pavements blocked.

I believe there must be an acknowledgement that there are different issues in different parts of England, and we need to start with the principle that decisions about people should be made closer to local communities. What we must look for is clarity for motorists and accessible pavements for all, while ensuring we do not substitute one bureaucratic burden on local councils with another. I await the outcome of the consultation with interest.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP