Parking on pavements MEGATHREAD

[Grissom 10]

Things are better in London than here by looks of things...

 

The prohibition of parking on footways was introduced under The Greater London council (General Powers) Act 1974. Vehicles which are parked with one or more wheels on the footway are considered as contravening the regulations and therefore subject to enforcement with the issuing of a Penalty Change Notice (Parking Ticket)

 

example is £80 fine in Kingston in non-exempted areas :

 

http://www.kingston.gov.uk/pavementpkg.pdf

 

[Deepak_S7 10]

I hate cars parked on the pavement

 

They make it very tricky to pass if you have a relative in a wheelchair or a pram

 

It is very selfish

 

They also make it difficult to walk past if you are carrying an indelible marking pen at night

 

Allegedly

 

Deepak

[Meaks 11]

It seems that parking, rather than driving (although surely one follows the other?), on a pavement is only prohibited by local Acts of Parliament in certain areas and so will probably differ depending on location. Some areas have 'exempted' areas where pavement parking is allowed indicated by signs.

 

The City Council's Decriminalised Parking information suggests that parking on a pavement is only a contravention if the road itself has yellow lines.

 

Pavements and verges are part of the public highway and are covered by any yellow lines in the carriageway alongside them. Parking on a pavement or verge in order to avoid parking on yellow lines is therefore still a contravention.

[itsmewhy 10]

thanks for the replies guys.

[fr8neck 10]

I hate cars parked on the pavement

 

They make it very tricky to pass if you have a relative in a wheelchair or a pram

 

It is very selfish

 

They also make it difficult to walk past if you are carrying an indelible marking pen at night

 

Allegedly

 

Deepak

 

Many people

 

finding themselves so obstructed

 

will take their keys from their pocket

 

and inadvertently scrape paint off the obstruction

 

purely by accident

 

I am led to believe.

 

fr8neck.

[Meaks 11]

Can you find the actual statute underpinning the advice 'Meaks'? i.e. the offence and it's penalties.

 

Can't locate the Highways Act online (I think because its pre-1988, or possibly because I'm tired and have had enough gin), but the Road Traffic Act is available via HMSO.

 

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880052_en_2.htm#mdiv34

 

Its doing my head in now looking for more information on penalties but I think it must fall under Careless or inconsiderate driving in which case penalties are up to £2,500 fine, Discretionary ban and 3-9 points.

 

Of course this relates to driving, not parking.

[Parapou 10]

Well I'm finding contradictory information too. It seems that driving on the pavement can only be enforced by the Police and is a fixed penalty ticket of ?£50, not sure how up to date.

 

But if vehicles are for sale or being worked on while on the pavement, then £100 fine under environmental registration and council enforce. Perhaps Deepak's indelible marker could be used write 'For Sale' on them.

[Pseudonym 10]

The smart-alecs who would intentionally damage a vehicle because it is parked partially on the pavement and who advise other weak-willed idiots to do the same, are moronic, cowardly, low-life scum, in my estimation.

 

Agreed, wholly obstructing the pavement is reprehensible, though rarely do cars park in such a way that pedestrians, prams, etc., are unable to get by. In my own case, myself and my neighbours park about a foot onto the pavement on each side of the road, this is to avoid obstructing the road any more than necessary and to minimise damage to our vehicles by traffic trying to squeeze through a narrow gap and also, in our case, hopefully lessening the possibility of parking restrictions being imposed on us.

 

Any clever little cretinous half-wits who consider themselves fully justified in 'accidentally' scraping a pram against, or otherwise marking a parked vehicle because they cannot get two prams past at once, or are forced to move a few paces to one side when walking by, deserve their backsides kicking, preferably by an irate owner, wearing hob-nail boots!

 

Consider that when I park in the road, level with the kerb, I run a very high risk of losing my off-side wing-mirror, as has happened before... To those of you who don't own cars, let me explain that this is not just a matter of replacing the glass, in most cases, it means a whole new assembly and if they are electric mirrors, as many are, on a foreign-manufactured vehicle, there may not be much change out of several hundred pounds.

 

As you will see, I and many others are caught between a rock and a hard place... We either run the risk of considerable expense caused by other careless drivers... Or we risk incurring the wrath of self-righteous dopes who think that damaging the property of another is fully-justified... Whilst there are idiots about who haven't yet grasped the concept of 'Live & Let Live', we just can't win!

 

If the pavement is wholly obstructed by a careless or inconsiderately parked vehicle, then report the matter... Every vehicle carries a number plate which identifies the owner to the authorities... Nothing gives you the right to damage that vehicle intentionally!

 

Hopefully, after reading this, some of you may better understand just why so many cars park part-way onto the pavement, in many cases, they have very little choice in the matter.

[Meaks 11]

Maybe if you have nowhere to sensibly keep a car, you shouldn't be allowed to have one?

[WallBuilder 10]

I had a problem with a vehicle doing exactly this on Abbeydale road outside a bank. All four wheels on the pavement and so close to a wall that you couldn't get past. I rang the council to ask who was responsible for fining such idiots and was told if the vehicle has parked like this to avoid yellow lines then the council can dole out a fine. If it is just causing an obstruction though it is a police matter. I popped into my local station to get clarification and was told the police would only consider it an obstruction if there wan't room to get a wheelchair past. They also kindly told me that if I took a photo of the offending vehicle with it's registration and printed it off then they'd quite happily accept this as evidence.

Two thoughts came to mind why do the parking wardens and police not both be allowed to ticket and therefore fine people who park on the pavement regardless as to the road markings

and roads are for vehicles, pavements are for people and I couldn't care two hoots if you get your precious wing mirrors knocked off.

I swear one of these days I'm going to be blocked by a vehicle and end up climbing straight over it, it makes me so cross.

[Pseudonym 10]

Maybe if you have nowhere to sensibly keep a car, you shouldn't be allowed to have one?

Maybe, prior to putting forward such a poorly thought-out suggestion, you should consider the fact that when I first kept a car at this address, it was a very quiet, seldom-used road.... Until it led to many new, comparatively recently-built houses and then became a bus-route and a popular thoroughfare...

[Pseudonym 10]

....why do the parking wardens and police not both be allowed to ticket and therefore fine people who park on the pavement regardless as to the road markings

The police used to issue warnings to owners of vehicles parked partly on pavements... It seems that they no longer do so... Perhaps, unlike you and others of your ilk, they have the sense to realise that causing the odd pedestrian to have to deviate from a straight line in order to walk past, is considerably less important than obstructing the flow of traffic?

 

....I couldn't care two hoots if you get your precious wing mirrors knocked off.

I swear one of these days I'm going to be blocked by a vehicle and end up climbing straight over it, it makes me so cross.

Just as I, in turn couldn't care two hoots if you get your block knocked off by an irate motorist, whose vehicle you've just damaged... In fact I confess that I'd rather enjoy the spectacle.