Should pavement parking be banned in the UK? Motorists (surprisingly) say yes
Four in five people the RAC surveyed believe pavement parking should be banned in some form
Ban pavement parking altogether, or just in certain zones – that’s the debate splitting the opinion of UK motorists ahead of a parliamentary debate this week.
A poll conducted by the RAC found that 83 per cent of motorists believe more needs to be done to tackle the issue of pavement parking in the UK. The practice is illegal in both London and the entirety of Scotland, however the law remains somewhat vague for the remainder of the UK as to what is and isn’t allowed, and in which areas.
With this in mind, the RAC discovered that two-in-five of the motorists they surveyed (42 per cent) support a blanket ban on pavement parking. Conversely, an almost identical proportion (41 per cent) believe providing councils with more power to ban parking on the pavement in designated areas is the correct way forward.
As of the time of writing, councils outside London and Scotland are able to ban pavement parking via a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), although these can be difficult and time-consuming to implement given the consultations and legal challenges that typically take place.
Nevertheless, the Liberal Democrats, fronted by Helen Maguire MP, are set to bring a debate regarding the issue to Westminster. This comes after Labour MP Marsha De Cordova introduced a private members bill to the House of Commons in June which, if passed, would create an amendment to the Highways Act 1980.
In practice, this would result in a blanket ban on pavement parking, providing councils with the power to create exemptions subject to consultation. The bill is yet to receive a second hearing, however.
The RAC’s senior policy officer, Rod Dennis, said: “There’s no doubt pavement parking is a serious problem that needs tackling.” He also pointed out that “it’s been more than five years since the previous Government signalled its intention to tackle the blight in England.”
In 2020 the previous Conservative government consulted on findings regarding pavement parking from the previous year by the Transport Select Committee. The Committee, then chaired by the now-Minister for Future Roads, Lillian Greenwood MP, concluded that action against pavement parking has thus far been “slow” and has “not improved people’s day-to-day lives”. No response was published at the time, although the current Labour administration has outlined its intent to do so.
Dennis continued, saying: “No pavement user should be forced into walking or wheeling into the road because of someone parking inconsiderately. A clear majority of drivers agree and want to see an end to needless pavement parking that causes accessibility problems, but when it comes to the solution, the jury is out.”
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