A pavement parking odyssey

[stephec]

I saw an amusing sight last night.

Walking the dog past a local restaurant about 19:45, it's down a side street about thirty yards from the main set of lights/junction in town, another smaller side street leads off this one and parked right on the corner was an Audi A3. It was on the pavement with its offside wheels almost touching the kerb, leaving about eighteen inches of pavement for pedestrians when there was plenty of parking space about thirty yards away.

The best thing about it though was the traffic warden taking a photo of the ticket that he'd just stuck on the windscreen, I only wish I'd had my phone with me so that I could share the joy. 😂

 

[nickyboy]

Pavement parking is a tricky one. One one hand it's illegal, in the other hand there are loads of mainly residential roads where if cars don't park partially on pavements the remaining road isn't wide enough

I would propose the following change to the law:

Pavement parking is permitted. Providing the remaining pavement "gap" is no less than (say) 2m. This is then rigourously enforced

 

[stephec]

Pavement parking is a tricky one. One one hand it's illegal, in the other hand there are loads of mainly residential roads where if cars don't park partially on pavements the remaining road isn't wide enough

I would propose the following change to the law:

Pavement parking is permitted. Providing the remaining pavement "gap" is no less than (say) 2m. This is then rigourously enforced

That's about right, I haven't got a problem with pavement parking in general, it's when it's done inconsiderately that's the thing.

If there's not enough room for someone to pass with a double buggy then don't whine when your car is towed away and it costs you £500 to get it back.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Parked on a double yellow to boot.

And on tactile paving for the sight-impaired and dropped kerb for the mobility-impaired.

There really ought to be a portal for 3rd party reporting of these so that fines can be issued on the basis of citizens’ photos.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Pavement parking is a tricky one. One one hand it's illegal, in the other hand there are loads of mainly residential roads where if cars don't park partially on pavements the remaining road isn't wide enough

I would propose the following change to the law:

Pavement parking is permitted. Providing the remaining pavement "gap" is no less than (say) 2m. This is then rigourously enforced

The road leading to our road is a nightmare for pavement parking - but if people didn't then it would be pretty much impassable

WHat annoys me most is the people at the entrance to the estate - you turn left in then it goes sharp right after about 30 yards - but people park cars all over - OK they are on the pavement but if someone is coming out of the estate as someone else is turning in you get chaos!

the pavement is only just wide enough for a double buggy anyway - so any pavement parking would block that - but the only way round it would be double yellow lines along one side and a traffic warden with a lot of tickets
But that would infringe people God given (or 2nd amendment or something) to park outside their own house

 

[Hicky]

It’s becoming more of an issue locally. I have no issue whatsoever damaging said car if it’s blocking the path. Duck em.

 

[DCLane]

Someone on my local "Major/minor crimes in ..." FB group is kicking off this evening.

Why?

Because they've regularly parked their and their visitors cars all over the pavement, blocking up the junction onto the street before mine. It's a busy T-junction that's made dangerous by their selfish behaviour, choosing to block the pavement rather than park more than one car on their own triple driveway: there's usually 3-4 cars on the pavements blocking both sides of the junction.

And now one's got scratched. No matter that pedestrians are forced to walk into a blind junction or squeeze by their cars. There's apparently a video from their expensive CCTV with a poor pedestrian getting 'blamed'. I'll be on same video, having had to squeeze past the cars earlier/later rather than risk walking in the road.

But there's no accepting any responsibility for causing a hazard by the car/house owners, who have chosen to post their accusations anonymously. With their own CCTV.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Someone on my local "Major/minor crimes in ..." FB group is kicking off this evening.

Why?

Because they've regularly parked their and their visitors cars all over the pavement, blocking up the junction onto the street before mine. It's a busy T-junction that's made dangerous by their selfish behaviour, choosing to block the pavement rather than park more than one car on their own triple driveway: there's usually 3-4 cars on the pavements blocking both sides of the junction.

And now one's got scratched. No matter that pedestrians are forced to walk into a blind junction or squeeze by their cars. There's apparently a video from their expensive CCTV with a poor pedestrian getting 'blamed'. I'll be on same video, having had to squeeze past the cars earlier/later rather than risk walking in the road.

But there's no accepting any responsibility for causing a hazard by the car/house owners, who have chosen to post their accusations anonymously. With their own CCTV.

I shouldn't say it - but I want to say it, so I will.
I hope it's a big deep scratch that won't ever polish out.
And I believe that every pedestrian - be they fit jogger or wheelchair-user - who has been forced out into the road by their, or other similar people's, dangerous, illegal, selfish behaviour will hope for the same.

Personally I would make pavement parking subject to extremely stringent enforcement and swingeing fines/recovery costs; it would only take a few 'enforcement actions' in each area to get it into the knuckle-draggers thick skulls what will happen to their pride and joy ...

 

[Accy cyclist]

I saw this offending vehicle two day ago. Imagine someone pushing a pram, or someone in a disability scooter approaching that busy bus route junction!

He/she didn't even have the courtesy to put their wing mirror in to slightly widen that two foot gap! I was dying to belt the mirror with my walking stick but the fecking thing probably had an onboard camera.

 

[cyberknight]

last time i check out of the seemingly centre of the world that is londinium parking on the pavement is legal but the act of driving on /off was the illegal part ?
Not codoning smeg head parking just trying to clarify the current rules ?

 

[DCLane]

@cyberknight - currently not illegal outside London unless it's causing an obstruction: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/parking-on-the-pavement/

The ones I posted about above were; blocking sightlines by parking on the pavement at a T-junction on both sides, together with other cars they have blocking the pavement.

Oddly enough their cars are mostly on their driveway this week. Posting a photo and asking for their details (they replied) elicited a pile of abuse about the home owners dangerous parking from local residents

 

[mjr]

The road leading to our road is a nightmare for pavement parking - but if people didn't then it would be pretty much impassable

I don't believe that, or the other similar claim. Motorists might have to park on one side only and some people might have to park further away, but the road would remain passable with vehicles parked correctly.

But too many motorists are too lazy to do so and don't care about walkers and wheelers enough.

 

[mjr]

Personally I would make pavement parking subject to extremely stringent enforcement and swingeing fines/recovery costs; it would only take a few 'enforcement actions' in each area to get it into the knuckle-draggers thick skulls what will happen to their pride and joy ...

I would simply except pavement parked vehicles from all criminal and civil damage law and allow walkers to bend or bash them out of the way. The most obstructive vehicles would be "dealt with" first and ones genuinely in no-one's way will be unharmed. If any exist, which I doubt. All pavement parkers are daffodils.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I would simply except pavement parked vehicles from all criminal and civil damage law and allow walkers to bend or bash them out of the way. The most obstructive vehicles would be "dealt with" first and ones genuinely in no-one's way will be unharmed. If any exist, which I doubt. All pavement parkers are daffodils.

That's a good idea. But in some places - and with some vehicles - it will be impossible to do enough damage to clear a way through, unless an 'abnormal accompaniment' (such as a sledgehammer ...) to a pedestrian's daily perambulation can be overlooked, which I doubt

 

[mjr]

That's a good idea. But in some places - and with some vehicles - it will be impossible to do enough damage to clear a way through, unless an 'abnormal accompaniment' (such as a sledgehammer ...) to a pedestrian's daily perambulation can be overlooked, which I doubt

If we're amending the law, we can overlook anything we want.

Maybe no path would be cleared... but it could be fun for those blocked to try!