Parking and obstructions on pavements
Contents
Overview
The Council has a responsibility to keep the roads and footpaths safe to use.
Parked vehicles
Illegally parked vehicles cost the Council thousands of pounds a year in damaged paving, damaged grass verges, and cause serious problems for pedestrians particularly the disabled.
Vehicles parked on pavements are:
- A hazard to pedestrians causing an obstruction which may result in them having to step off the pavement onto the highway thus putting themselves in danger
- A hazard by restricting the width of the pavement making it difficult for someone with a pushchair of wheelchair to pass safely
- A hazard due to the damage caused by driving on and off the pavement - broken flags etc
Legal action
The Council cannot take any legal action against such pavement parking as it has no enforcement powers. However, if there are waiting restrictions (yellow lines) on the highway adjacent to the pavement then a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) may be issued, since a vehicle parked in this manner is in violation of the traffic regulation order.
Waiting restrictions cover the highway from centre of highway to the boundary of the adopted highway.
If there are no waiting restrictions on the highway adjacent to the pavement, then the police could charge the offending motorist with obstruction.
Where there are persistant pavement parking problems the Council could, subject to investigating the problem consider installing bollards at the kerb edge.
Other obstructions on pavements
Roadworks, skips, building materials, hoardings and advertising boards that block the pavement are likely to considered to be causing an obstruction to pedestrians.
Depending on the nature of the blockage will dictate who would deal with the problem.