Parking on pavements

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Parking on pavements could soon be banned across Greater Manchester.

A Bill is moving through Parliament which, if passed, would make it illegal for drivers to leave their cars on paths.

The charities Guide Dogs and Living Streets are backing the move, saying treating pavements like car parks ‘blights lives’.

Gail Brett, teacher from Droylsden who is registered blind, said: “Motorists think that just because they are nipping into a shop for a short time they can get away with it. But the impact of their actions is very serious for people with disabilities and parents with buggies.”

The RAC is also supporting a change to the law.

But Stockport MP Ann Coffey said many drivers have no choice as many homes were built in the era before cars - and many households now have more than one vehicle. She said she was inundated with ‘constant complaints’ from constituents about parking and that a more pragmatic approach was need to tackle the problem.

Parking on pavements has been against the law in London for more than 40 years, but the situation is less clear elsewhere.

A survey by Guide Dogs earlier this month found that 72 per cent of pedestrians using buggies or prams find it harder to walk along pavements because of cars.

James White, from the charity said: “Imagine how scary it is for people without sight to have to walk in the middle of the road because the pavement is blocked?

“We hope this year sees this dangerous practice outlawed once and for all.”

Jenny Wiles, regional manager for pedestrian campaign group Living Streets, said: “Pavements are not car parks. Pavement parking is a nuisance for everyone, but if you’re older, have mobility problems or impaired sight, it can force you into the road and into danger.”

Local authorities in Greater Manchester can currently only take action by issuing fixed penalty notices if there are traffic regulations - yellow lines - on the road.

Greater Manchester Police only get involved if the vehicle is judged to be causing an obstruction or is parked dangerously.

Inspector Phil Bromley, of GMP’s Traffic Network Section, said: “Anything that enhances road safety by freeing up pavements for pedestrians is to be welcomed, as vehicles on pavements can obstruct vulnerable people who use the verge or footway.

"If this Bill is enacted, then pavement parking would be dealt with by civil enforcement, and the current parking enforcement authorities would take on this responsibility.”

MPs in Greater Manchester are split on the need for new legislation, which will be debated in the House of Commons again next month.

Barbara Keeley MP for Worsley and Eccles South, backs the Bill claiming the current laws are ‘confusing for motorists and dangerous for pedestrians’.

But David Nuttall, MP for Bury North, rejects the need for new powers and said motorists sometimes have ‘no choice’ than to park on pavements. The Bill is proposed by Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood.