UK drivers could soon be fined £70 for parking on pavements

DRIVERS who mount kerbs and park on pavements could soon be hit with a £70 fine.

London has had a ban on parking on pavements since 1974, the practise is still completely legal in the rest of country.

But the Local Government Association hopes to change this by asking the Government to give councils powers to enforce a ban that could see drivers prevented from parking on any part of the pavement, including kerbs.

Streets are becoming dangerously congested and pedestrians are being forced to step out into the street to get round parked vehicles. This is particularly dangerous for blind or partially sighted people and mums and dads with prams.

 

How does the pavement parking ban in London work?

Parking on pavements has been banned in London since the 1974 Greater London Council (General Powers) Act.

The act forbids motorists to park on urban roads in the capital with their car’s wheels resting on footways, grass verges or land between carriageways. There are exceptions to this rule in some areas.

These are clearly marked with special blue parking signs, showing a car with one wheel on the kerb.
Other times, parking bays drawn out with white lines extending onto footways to show that parking there is permitted.

In areas where it is not allowed, the law provides protection for certain circumstances, such as drivers who are unloading goods, putting out a fire or saving someone’s life. Those who break the rules can be subject to a fine.

The Law Says:

 Pavements are for people to walk on. Vehicles parked on the footway can cause an obstruction and inhibit the independence of many vulnerable people, especially older or disabled people with visual or mobility impairments. And when pedestrians, for example families with pushchairs, are forced into the road and into oncoming traffic, pavement parking is simply dangerous. Pavements are not designed to carry the weight of vehicles, and the added maintenance cost of repairing cracked and damaged paving adds an unnecessary financial burden to already cash-strapped councils.