Should motorists be banned from parking on the pavement?

Tougher rules could be applied to motorists in Wales who park their vehicles on pavements.

The Welsh Government said it is investigating ways to clamp down on the practice, which campaigners say is "dangerous".

Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, said it was "not about penalising car users, but redressing the balance of power in our urban environment".

A recent survey by Living Streets Cymru, a charity campaigning for a pavement parking ban, found that more than a quarter of over 65s in Wales are prevented from walking on their local streets because of blocked pavements.

Parking on the pavement has been illegal in London since the 1970s

Parking on the pavement is not currently illegal outside of London. Although according to the RAC, you can still get a fine for doing so, making it a fairly grey area of the law.

The Scottish Parliament recently agreed in principle that a new law to ban it should be passed in Scotland. Campaigners say the Welsh Government should follow suit.

"If we all viewed our streets through the lens of an older person, a wheelchair user or someone living with sight loss, we would quickly understand how dangerous pavement parking is - forcing them into the road and oncoming traffic", said Rhiannon Hardiman from Living Streets Cymru.

Nathan Foy, who uses a guide dog, says pavement parking regularly forces him to walk out into the road

Nathan Foy, from Cardiff, has congenital sight loss and uses a guide dog.

He says parking on the pavement where he lives is a major concern.

"We rely on our dogs to keep us safe on a pavement, but of course if a car parks on a pavement we then have to go into the road" he said.

"That's a tricky arrangement for me then, because obviously I can't see the traffic coming and I'm relying on judging where it is. And the dog can't really help with that."

He would like to see a complete ban on pavement parking.

"It would benefit so many people, not just blind and partially sighted people, but if anybody is using any kind of mobility aid they need the full width of the pavement. People using prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs, anything."

But some motoring groups say a complete ban on pavement parking would go too far.

"Obviously antisocial motorists should not block pavements, they are crucial for pedestrians, for partially sighted people, for parents with buggies", said Edmund King, President of the AA.

"But there are some streets that are so narrow that if a car is partially parked on the pavement, emergency services can't get through. So I think we need a bit of a balance.

"What we would suggest to the Welsh Assembly is that rather than an outright ban they should do an analysis of the roads and if there are some residential or city centre roads where partial pavement parking wouldn't be a problem then mark it out and allow it there - but otherwise, yes, it should be outlawed".

  • What are the current rules on pavement parking?

It's been illegal to park on the pavement in London since 1974.

The Highway Code says drivers "MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it."

But, outside of London, the situation is less clear. The Highway Code states drivers "should not" park on the pavement - which, as the RAC explains, is advisory and not backed up by legislation.

Though depending on the local authority, in certain cases you can still get a fine for doing so.

Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, acknowledges that the legal situation is complicated.

But, he says, the Welsh Government could consider introducing fines for motorists who park on pavements.

"We have to think carefully about how we do that, so we are setting up an expert group to look at reducing the speed limit to 20mph but also restricting parking on pavements, possibly by introducing fines. But we now need to spend the next several months understanding the detail of what we can do and what we can't do."