YEP Letters: July 5

Parking on pavements: your views

The authors of a new survey claim a majority of people in the UK would not support a ban on pavement parking. That’s despite proposed shake-ups in England Wales and Scotland that would see parking with two wheels on the pavement banned. At present the rules say that it is only illegal in London to park on a pavement - although it is grey area for the rest of the UK as you can still get a fine in some circumstances. However the Department for Transport is considering a review of current traffic legislation which could make the whole of the UK the same as London while the Transport (Scotland) Bill will introduce a ban in Scotland. We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

Mick Roberts

Just keep walking, if it’s over the roof, go for it, if you have a pushchair, push your way through, people with cars pay car tax not pavement tax, I’m a car driver and would never block pedestrians’ right of way.

Dave Ryalls

Motorists think they own the road already. They don’t (check the Highway Code). Keep the pavements, full width, without obstacles, for pedestrians please!

Janette Ridsdale

Pavements are for pedestrians, not vehicles. 
Once vehicles are on pavements they don’t care how much space they take up. People should also be made to cut 
their hedges and trees so they don’t hang over pavements as this takes over pavements and when a car parks on pavement and leaves plenty of room you cannot get by because of both.

Danielle Durham

I can never get past cars on our street with a pram, I have to go on the road and you can’t always see if anything’s coming because I live on a crescent.

Emma Vespa Cox

If there is not enough room for a fire engine or ambulance to get down a road then I think parking on the pavement should be allowed in that instance.

Joanne Holmes

This annoys me so much, so many people do it in my street. Why should me and my son have to put our lives in danger having to walk on the road? Use your drives, they are empty.

Janet Nicholson

I was brought up on a council estate and we used to have a path plus a grass verge. Take away the grass verge if it’s there for more parking or force people to make parking space for all their cars on their own land and if it’s a council house make the council pay for it doing.

Anne Risley

If by parking on the road you would cause an obstruction then you need to find somewhere else to park!

Jeff Blackburn

Mounting a pavement and driving on it is illegal, so is causing a obstruction, to park on a pavement you must first mount it and drive onto it and will be causing a obstruction.IIf the authorities wanted to they could enforce the laws already in place,so why have a law for parking on a pavement? Creating and implementing new laws costs time and money, public money. Enforcing the laws already in place will not only save some money, it will generate money from the fines imposed on the selfish, inconsiderate people who park on pavements.

Robert Norville

I wonder if there is a compromise, like saying you can park on pavements but: a) parking rules of the road must be obeyed and b) there must be at least 3ft wide of pavement or something.

Craig Brannan

The majority of pavements are wide enough to facilitate both pedestrian and car, which is fair enough if the road is narrow and it doesn’t cause obstruction to buggies and wheelchairs. However, if the pavement is narrow then fine the idiot car driver. Cars have got wider over the years so if you live on a narrow street with no off-road parking buy a suitable car or move house, if the house doesn’t have any parking and you have a car, don’t buy the house. But if a buggy can get by but you have to walk in single file, get over yourselves, we’ve managed for a good 80-100 years with parking.

Jackie Golphin

The road is for cars the pavement is for pedestrians, people that park on pavements are inconsiderate.

Sallie Fitzgerald

It’s more annoying when they have a empty drive but still park on the path and block the way!

Stephen Brook

the country needs to stop being anti car, by reducing width of roads, slashing number of parking spaces. 
We pay a lot of tax from car related taxes yet get very 
little of it spent on car-related things and it’s time people on bikes paid for the roads they use.

Mark Rhodes

Blame the people who build the the housing estates with narrow roads.

Harold Mart

Should never be allowed in the first place and well as parking on grass verges.

Gordon Lander

We don’t need a ban, it’s already illegal. Paths are for people not parking.

Dawn Roberts

It’s not okay at all, there are roads built for cars and pavements for people.

I don’t know what drivers are thinking, it’s not okay to park on a pavement partially or fully just to protect your status symbol from being scratched. Park elsewhere. If you are not disabled then it’s just simply rude, arrogant and lazy.

Philip Stogden

It’s OK if it is not blocking access or preventing people using the path with a wheelchair/ pushchair etc.

Let us know what you think

THE Yorkshire Evening Post wants you to share your views with other readers. Email your letters to [email protected].

Please keep letters under 300 words.