In News

The Department for Transport have announced that they are holding a consultation on stopping vehicles from parking on pavements across the UK. The practice is already banned in London and if all goes to plan, could soon be stopped across England too.

According to statistics from the Department for Transport,  95% of wheelchair users and visually impaired people say that they have experienced problems navigating around vehicles parked on pavements. Parking on pavements for all vehicles is banned in London, but the rule only applies to heavy goods vehicles elsewhere in England. The consultation is part of new plans to make journeys for disabled people more accessible as part of the government’s drive to make travel easier for those with additional accessibility needs.

Speaking about the plans, Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, said: “Parking on pavements means wheelchair users, the visually impaired and parents with pushchairs can be forced into the road, which is not only dangerous by discourages people from making journeys.

“A key part of our green post-Covid recovery will be encouraging more people to choose active travel, such as walking, so it is vital that we make the nation’s pavements accessible for everyone.”

There are three options to stop parking on the pavement being consulted on, these are: extending the London-style ban nationwide, making it easier for councils to police the practice and giving councils the power to fine offenders. This consultation is the latest step in government plans to make access to transport easier by 2030. This year, in addition to the Everyone’s Journey Campaign which aimed to make public transport more accessible, they announced plans to get more people walking and cycling as well as funding to improve road quality.

The consultation has been welcomed by several charities. Research undertaken by Guide Dogs found that 48% of wheelchair users are less willing to go out on their own because of vehicles being parked irresponsibly. The same research found that 32% of those with visual repairments reported similar concerns. The published research also found that people with sight loss said that parking causes them a problem every week, with around half of those surveyed saying it created daily issues for them. One in five people reported being injured because of vehicles being parked on the pavement, while around a quarter of those asked said it made them feel lonely or isolated.

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