STORY
Local councils in England are set to be handed new powers to crack down on pavement parking, with ministers ruling out a single national ban in favour of a locally led system that allows restrictions to be introduced area by area.
Publishing its long awaited response to a 2020 consultation, the Department for Transport said it wants pavements to be safer and more accessible, particularly for wheelchair users, blind and partially sighted people, older people and parents with pushchairs who can be forced into the road by blocked footways.
Under the plans, local transport authorities would be enabled “at the next legislative opportunity” to prohibit pavement parking across their areas, with powers sitting with strategic authorities in areas that have them outside London. In the meantime, ministers say they will enable councils to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement, aiming to make it easier to act where problems are worst without requiring lengthy street by street legal processes.
The consultation, which drew more than 15,000 responses, found strong support for action, with 81% of individuals and 96% of organisations saying pavement parking was a problem in their area. Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said the approach is intended to balance safety and accessibility with local parking realities, with exemptions possible where authorities judge them necessary.