PLANS to outlaw parking on pavements to improve access and safety for pedestrians – especially people with sight and mobility issues – are being considered by the government. It is an issue which has been raised frequently in Westbury by local residents.
Just recently, The Avenue and The Crescent were pinpointed as hotspots for problem parking.
One resident said, “It doesn’t help with the council letting flats be built with no parking at all. The council want them to buy parking permits for the town car parks, but people are not buying them as they are parking in the streets nearest them. The Avenue and Crescent have become a nightmare for residents – at times even their drives are blocked.”
Another resident put it down to planning authorities approving plans without adequate parking.
“They never allow for visiting parking and assume a family household only needs one vehicle,” the resident said on Facebook.
“When we bought our house from Redrow we asked why there wasn’t more parking, to be told they had planned more, but the council wanted it reduced as it was near to town and railway station, so would discourage more vehicles. That didn’t work.
“They never consider vehicles like bin lorries’ or fire engines’ ease of access either. So many new estates have really tight turns which must be a nightmare when cars are parked on one side.”
Another resident said that blocking the highway was an offence and should be reported to the police.
However, a reply was posted saying, “That is just pushing the problem to another department. It needs to be addressed further up the line.
“Double yellows have been added to one side of the road, but that then condenses parking even more, so now people park on the grass areas. In theory, if you wanted to park legally, you’d need to park down Station Road or in the train station car park at a cost.”
Three years ago Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service urged vehicle owners to be more considerate when parking, after experiencing difficulty attending emergency calls.
The plea came as part of a fire service campaign called “Are we getting through’ targeting poor or inconsiderate parking as, when responding to a 999 call, every second that the emergency services are delayed could have serious, life-threatening consequences.
The Government’s public consultation opened on 31st August following the Scottish Government’s new ruling which will ban “antisocial’ parking there from 2021.
Statistics show that a third of people with visual impairments and almost half of wheelchair users weren’t as willing to go out because of the issue – leading to decreasing independence and increasing isolation.
Three options are included in the consultation: a London-style nationwide ban on pavement parking; improving the traffic regulation order process to make it easier for councils to prohibit pavement parking in their areas; and giving councils powers to fine drivers who park on pavements.
Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking has been campaigning for an end to pavement parking and believes all options are steps in the right direction but a nationwide default ban, with the ability to allow pavement parking in certain circumstances, would be much simpler.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said, “Parking on pavements means wheelchair users, visually impaired people and parents with push chairs can be forced into the road, which is not only dangerous, but discourages people from making journeys.
“A key part of our green, post-Covid recovery will be encouraging more people to choose active travel, such as walking, so it is vital that we make the nation’s pavements accessible for everyone.”
