Pavement parking could be banned in Hastings, Bexhill, Rye and Battle in nationwide move

A 12-week consultation due this summer will consider how a nationwide ban on pavement parking enforced by local authorities might work, allowing for any necessary exceptions for pavement parking where needed, and how a tailored approach may be required in rural and suburban areas.

It will also include options such as allowing authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to crack down on unnecessary obstruction of the pavement. Currently, outside London, only police have this power.

The proposals form part of the Government’s response to the Transport Select Committee’s report into pavement parking. Published last year, the report was founded on input from more than 4,000 Living Streets supporters and drew specific attention to the impact of pavement parking on loneliness.

Stephen Edwards, director of policy and communications, Living Streets said: “Pavement parking forces people with wheelchairs, buggies and those living with sight loss into the road and into oncoming traffic. The most vulnerable pedestrians continue to be put at risk of injury and isolation every day that this dangerous act continues. We’re regularly contacted at Living Streets by disabled and older people who feel trapped in their homes because there isn’t enough room on the pavement for wheelchairs or mobility scooters.

“Clear pavements need clear laws, but currently regional differences cause confusion. We need a nationwide default ban, with the option to allow pavement parking in certain circumstances, as is currently available in London. This would be much easier for everyone to understand.”

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