Motorists urged to become more responsible parkers

5:00pm Saturday 9th February 2013 in Local

A DUDLEY Guide dog owner is urging motorists to become more responsible when parking their cars.

A poll commissioned by the Guide Dogs charity found 58 per cent of all West Midlands drivers admit to parking on the pavement, but don’t think of the danger they pose to people with sight loss.

The charity is now calling on all councils in the country to ban pavement parking and make the streets safer for everyone.

Guide dog owner, Karl Denning, said: “Parking of vehicles on pavement is a constant problem around Dudley. I have been in contact with my MP Ian Austin regarding the matter, he has written to both Dudley Council and West Midlands Police. The council has said even though they control parking control they state it is a road traffic offence. West Midlands Police have said they will deal with it on a case by case issue.

“So far I have injured my knee trying to get between two parked cars overhanging and parked on pavement close to my home.

“I have always thought it would be a good idea to get police and council to do a blindfold walk.”

Tony Cook, Engagement Manager for the Guide Dogs’ Shrewsbury Mobility Team, said: “Cars parked on pavements are an everyday nightmare for blind and partially sighted people, as well as other vulnerable pedestrians. Imagine how terrifying it is to step into a road when you can’t see on-coming traffic. Too often people with sight loss are forced out into busy roads because an inconsiderate motorist has blocked the pavement. It’s an unwanted barrier to the freedom and independence a guide dog brings.

Comments(6)

SueJW says...
2:47pm Sun 10 Feb 13

I so sympathise with the guide dog owner who has a constant battle with cars parked on pavements. I too get fed up of having to go into the road when walking my dog because of inconsiderate car drivers who think it is perfectly fine to leave their vehicle parked partially or even wholly on the pavement. I would totally welcome a patrol who could give on the spot fines for the perpetrators. This problem seems to be getting worse, when passing cars on my dog walking route they are mostly parked with at least the passenger side two wheels parked on the pavement. I very rarely pass a car that is correctly parked in the gutter.

Report this post »

Pensnett Wammel says...
8:32am Mon 11 Feb 13

The same applies to people with pushchairs and prams having to swerve into the road, up and down gutters, to manouevre around vehicles taking up the footpath.

Report this post »

parkuser says...
11:36am Tue 12 Feb 13

I complained to the police a few years ago when a car was parked with all four wheels on the footpath for several days whilst the owner changed the engine,
The police sent out an officer to check and he said it was fine as he was "able to squeeze past"
I later brought this up with the officer in charge of transport at Dudley who said they have to balance whether it's more of a problem for drivers to block the road or the footpath depending on the amount of foot traffic in a particular area
I constantly see police officers walk or drive by offending vehicles without a second look
I gave up complaining about this

Report this post »

SueJW says...
12:37pm Tue 12 Feb 13

That's the trouble. They rely on people giving up complaining. We complained about the line of people parking on double yellow lines outside our house. They said they would add our street to their parking patrol. We have seen the parking patrol man once!!!

Report this post »

SueJW says...
12:40pm Tue 12 Feb 13

Apparently, in Oxford the police do not tolerate parking on the pavement at any price. Offending motorists are dealt with.

Report this post »

Nucspark says...
3:09pm Tue 12 Feb 13

Parking on pavements is always going to be a problem, for some more than others. A WPC in a village in Somerset had the right attitude in my opinion. If you think you need to park on path to keep the road clear, should you be parking there in the first place.
As I understand it:-
In most of the country (apart from London) parking enforcement is generally the responsibility of the police, unless the car is parked on or across single or double yellow lines in which case it is the responsibility of the local authority.
 
The Town and Police Clauses Act (1847) makes it an offence to obstruct the pavement and so the police do have the power to take action where they see an offence committed. In addition, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984) gives police officers the power to arrest any person in order to prevent an obstruction to the highway. However, it seems that the police rarely take action against obstructions. It could be argued that their failure to do so means that they are not complying with their duty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. However, there is no real definition of obstructing the pavement so the police in each area tend to interpret it for themselves.

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree