CycleChat Investigates - Pavement Parking

[Drago]

A topical debate on here, and in the news.

The Government are consulting on pavement parking and the current transport minister seems personally hot to trot with banning it.

We know from the experience of London that all these tales of woe that pavement parkers and the AA trot out to justify their activity simply doesn't happen, so it all comes down to what's convenient for the car driver when parking.

That being the case, it's time for the deep thinkers, the philosophers and scientific enquiring minds of cyclechat to settle the matter once and for all.

 

[raleighnut]

It's a pain, pavements are for walking on not for parking, or cycling for that matter (unless you're under 7yrs old)

 

[fossyant]

I agree it's a pain, but there are many places which have no parking, and parking fully on the road can stop larger vehicles getting through.

I don't have an answer. My Brother and sister's housing has very little parking - it's a nightmare where they live. I don't see too many issues so long as sufficient room is left for people/prams/scooters to pass. Blocking pavements, then throw the book at them.

 

[johnnyb47]

I don't mind if it's done sensibly but that's not always the case. Being able bodied it just creates a little inconvenience, but for disabled people who use wheel chair and motility scooters and cause mayhem.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I believe in partial pavement parking WITH CONSIDERATION. But as lots of motorists do not have any consideration, the only way is to ban it completely. Many people can park on their driveways, or can do so with a bit of work (widening, re-surfacing etc). When I was shopping for a house, anything without a driveway was not on my list.

For those who have no choice and will end up parking a mile away, I feel for you, but in this day and age you have to make blanket bans otherwise too many people take the Pee.

 

[Sharky]

Some pavements are more than wide enough to allow parking in full or half. Saw an example in Erith, where lines had been painted, showing how far a car is allowed to park on the pavement. This could be the model to adopt for all pavements where there is room enough and should have strict penalties if a car creeps onto the restricted part of the pavement.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Drivers park on pavements because they'd otherwise have to concede that owning a car brings responsibility.
Better to burden others with it.

 

[Bazzer]

Only one choice in the poll? The head of the AA overlaps with at least one of the choices.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally roads didn’t have pavements. They didn’t need to, as everybody could walk where and when they liked on the road. Then the motor car came along and pedestrians were shoved into tiny spaces at the side called pavements. Now not content with filling roads with cars they want to also take over the pavements. Well it is not on. fark off and if it’s inconvenient to the motorist so what?

 

[Drago]

I agree it's a pain, but there are many places which have no parking, and parking fully on the road can stop larger vehicles getting through.

In which case one should surely then go and park elsewhere?

 

[roadrash]

just so I can beat @EltonFrog to it....I don't have a tv

 

[MontyVeda]

In which case one should surely then go and park elsewhere?

every time someone on the local FB group complains about pavement parking, the motons always claim that they have no choice, and not parking on the pavement would mean a fire engine can't get through, so in a way, it's their civic duty to park on the pavements . Then a load of us lefty types tell 'em to park elsewhere and spend a few minutes walking between their vehicle and home, which is usually responded with ...and the group admins just delete the entire post.

What needs to be done in the case of roads not being wide enough for two parked cars and a fire engine/bin wagon, is double yellow lines being painted down one side. That'll force the motons to park elsewhere... clogging up more residential roads on the outskirts of town, which will result in more residents only parking zones, more double yellows, forcing them to look elsewhere. What it won't do is make them give up the car.

 

[wafter]

In principal I think it should be binned, however with our tiny streets, growing population density and lazyness / love of cars, one has to be practical. IMO if you can still get a wheelchair or mobility scooter past it's fair game..

 

[MontyVeda]

In principal I think it should be binned, however with our tiny streets, growing population density and lazyness / love of cars, one has to be practical. IMO if you can still get a wheelchair or mobility scooter past it's fair game..

only works on wider streets. On our tiny streets, it's rarely possible to leave access for larger vehicles on the road and enough space for wheelchairs, double pushchairs and scooters on the pavement.

 

[wafter]

only works on wider streets. On our tiny streets, it's rarely possible to leave access for larger vehicles on the road and enough space for wheelchairs, double pushchairs and scooters on the pavement.

Yup; I appreciate such situations and in which case parking on the pavements would be a hangable offence!

End of the day, sadly as a general rule people appear to be stupid, ignorant and selfish; some of the parking round here really boils my pish