The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling for new powers to ban pavement parking, which is already illegal in London – Scotland passed new legislation to prevent it in December 2023. But in England, there’s no specific ban in place as yet – the actual rules vary from place to place, though you can be prosecuted for obstructing a path. The Government held a consultation on banning the practice in 2020, but this was never taken further.

Now it’s back on the cards. Councillor Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the LGA, said: “Pavement parking is one of the biggest complaints for pedestrians but three years on (from the consultation) councils outside of London still do not have the powers they need to tackle this scourge.”

The Government consultation suggested three possible options. One was to allow local authorities to impose new Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to ban pavement parking where it is a particular problem. The second would give extra powers to traffic wardens to issue Penalty Charge Notices for vehicles obstructing pavements. The third was a complete ban, as is already the case in London and Scotland.

Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF, said “Only a matter of time. This has been high on the agenda for people with disabilities for years. Bikes are less of a problem than cars, especially massive SUVs, but that’s not really the point.”

Written by Peter Henshaw

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