Ban pavement parking altogether, or just in certain zones – that’s the debate splitting the opinion of UK motorists ahead of a parliamentary debate this week.
A poll conducted by the RAC found that 83 per cent of motorists believe more needs to be done to tackle the issue of pavement parking in the UK. The practice is illegal in both London and the entirety of Scotland, however the law remains somewhat vague for the remainder of the UK as to what is and isn’t allowed, and in which areas.
With this in mind, the RAC discovered that two-in-five of the motorists they surveyed (42 per cent) support a blanket ban on pavement parking. Conversely, an almost identical proportion (41 per cent) believe providing councils with more power to ban parking on the pavement in designated areas is the correct way forward.
As of the time of writing, councils outside London and Scotland are able to ban pavement parking via a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), although these can be difficult and time-consuming to implement given the consultations and legal challenges that typically take place.
Nevertheless, the Liberal Democrats, fronted by Helen Maguire MP, are set to bring a debate regarding the issue to Westminster. This comes after Labour MP Marsha De Cordova introduced a private members bill to the House of Commons in June which, if passed, would create an amendment to the Highways Act 1980.
