Pavements for people – making our voice heard on pavement parking 

We welcome the government’s consultation about pavement parking.

Brighton & Hove has long lobbied for more powers to deal with the problem.

Pavements are for people and vehicles parked there can reduce the independence of many vulnerable people.

Enforcement

Pavement parking is difficult to enforce. As knowledge of this loophole has spread, increasing numbers of drivers are blocking access, parking behind taxi ranks, school keep clear zig zags and anywhere else not covered by yellow lines.

It is also damaging pavements and grass verges across the city, which are unsightly, a trip hazard and expensive to repair.

Councillor Pete West, lead member for transport, said: “We’ve had ongoing issues in Brighton & Hove. Vehicles parked on pavements and verges force people to go into the road and prevent access for disabled people and carers with buggies. 

“There have even been instances of people driving their vehicles along pavements which is extremely dangerous.

“We need a citywide ban on pavement parking to deal with this or powers to tackle obstructive pavement parking. The council has run trials in collaboration with local residents and put in some pavement bans on individual streets. We’d like to extend that learning throughout the city, with enforcement powers that work.”

Lobbying government

Last year Brighton & Hove submitted written evidence to the Transport Select Committee on pavement parking. We called for powers to tackle the issue of pavement parking.

We spelt out the dangers of vehicles driving onto and manoeuvring on the footway to access unregulated ‘spaces,’ and blocking the way for pedestrians.

During the consultation we will be asking for powers to put in and enforce a universal ban on pavement parking or in the short term new powers to tackle obstructive parking.

The council has introduced pavement parking bans in a small number of streets. Extending them to a wider area isn’t possible because each section needs a traffic order and signage which has proved too costly to implement.

For example, the pavement parking ban on one side of Portland Road in Hove cost more than £5,000 so the council will be asking for clarification during the consultation on the signage required.

Monitoring its effect also showed that the problem was displaced to other areas just outside the ban.

Other ways the council has been lobbying the government has been through the city’s MPs and the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee. 

The government’s consultation on managing pavement parking is open until 22 November.