Over the last few years, I’ve heard a lot from residents about the problems pavement parking creates. It especially affects wheelchair users, people with visual impairments and those with pushchairs, making it difficult for them to safely travel from one place to another.
Pavement parking is when a vehicle is partially or wholly parked on the pavement. It is not a criminal offence for a car to park on the pavement, but it is if the vehicle creates an “unnecessary obstruction of the highway” (which includes the pavement). As expected for criminal offences, only the Police can enforce, not the local authority.
Within Reigate & Banstead, pavement parking is particularly problematic in Redhill town centre and on narrow roads with narrow pavements across the Borough. In some cases, like on Grovehill Road in Redhill, it can be virtually impossible to get past without going into the road (see photo above taken by Jonathan White). However, it's important to recognise that on some streets where parking is in short supply, some degree of pavement parking is necessary to keep the road clear for free-flowing traffic and emergency vehicles. So, in some cases, there is no perfect solution.
Back in August 2020, a public consultation was carried out by the Department for Transport ('DfT') on possible solutions to improve the pavement parking situation. The three options were:
- Make it easier for local authorities to put in place parking restrictions that prohibit pavement parking in particular locations;
- Grant local authorities the power to enforce against “unnecessary obstruction of the pavement”;
- Introduce a London-style pavement parking prohibition throughout England.
In my view, the most appropriate options are 1 or 2.
Option 1 allows proper targeting of the restriction to hot spot areas and could work well in places like Redhill town centre, but the downside is the time and cost involved with putting in place the restrictions for each individual location, and the additional signage requirements.
Option 2 would allow local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to enforce against “unnecessary obstruction of the pavement” where they see fit. This gives a good balance of being able to enforce where appropriate, whilst recognising parking constraints and the need to keep traffic on narrow roads free-flowing. The other advantage is that no additional signage is required. For this option to be effective, clear guidance on what constitutes an "unnecessary obstruction" would be required.
Option 3 is effectively a blanket ban. This would create far more issues than it solves from parking displacement to blocked roads, and is not one I would welcome. In London, where they have such a ban, London Councils have had to introduce exemptions on specific streets where pavement parking is essential for traffic flow and parking (and all the additional signage that comes with it). This is time consuming and costly for the local authority.
The consultation closed in November 2020, but according to the website the DfT is still analysing the feedback. As it has now been over 3 years, I have written to the Rt Hon. Guy Opperman MP, the Under Secretary for Roads and Local Transport, to reiterate the importance of improving the pavement parking situation and requesting a time frame for a response on a recommended solution. I will update you when I hear back.
Photo of Grovehill Road and Station Road, Redhill by Jonathan White.
