Pavement Parking: Options for change
Pavement Parking: Options for change
The day started so well, the short commute across the landing to my home office was traffic free and uneventful and I was soon catching up on my e-mails. The sun wasn’t quite up yet and the autumn mist was hanging over the fields while the horses munched on the dew laden grass. Early mornings are my favourite time of the day.
Coffee drunk, e-mails completed it was time for my daily run. After just 1km my mood changed, did I take a tumble? Spot of cramp? Forget to start my Garmin? Nope, I came across the first car parked on the pavement. Why do we think it’s acceptable to park on the pavement? Next time you’re out and about take a few moments to spot how frequently we, (and I’m guilty of this) seem to think it’s acceptable to park on the pavement or curb.
The mentality in the UK is that the car is king and we must do everything to make sure we don’t disrupt the flow of traffic. Town centres that were designed in the1960s were ruined for pedestrians as this same principle was applied - and these town centres turned out to be a disaster and town planners are now trying to fix the “mistakes” of their predecessors.
I was running, but what about those with disabilities or children? Why should they have their limited space taken up by cars parked off the road?
It’s not always possible for cars to park 100% on the road, but the go-to mindset when parking is to make the vehicle as small as possible so as not to inconvenience other road users - this needs to change so that pedestrians and not those polluting the environment are given priority.
The UK government is holding a consultation on “pavement parking.” The open consultation closes on November 22 so why not express your views and let’s re-claim our pavements.
What are your thoughts?
Further Reading
For further details and to sign a petition visit Living Streets:
https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/
You can read further regarding the consultation here:-
And did you know that from 2021 it will be illegal to park on the pavement in Scotland - will the rest of the UK follow?
And while you’re on the government website why not read up on the Highways act 1835 and the Road Traffic Act 1988. These are the acts that ban the use of electric scooters on the road and footpaths. Want to change things? Then put away that 1835 quill pen and send an email to your MP with your thoughts on why the law needs to change.
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