Pavement parking a danger to pedestrians
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I've just seen your article on people who park on pavements. I live in Bangor, North Wales and the streets are really narrow, but the pavements even more so. In fact they are so narrow that you can barely get two thin people walking along side by side. |
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This morning, I was walking into town and I noticed a big white van parked half on the pavement. I stood for a moment - there were two men inside having a sandwich. Very considerate of them I thought, sitting there having lunch while obstructing the pavement. I hesitated for a couple of minutes. Should I risk my life by walking in the road? Or go the long way round? How about waiting for them to move? In the end, I decided they would be a while and walked between the van and the wall - so I basically had half a pavement. They could easily have seriously injured me... |
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I'd only walked a few steps when, to my horror, the van started moving. It pulled off the pavement out onto the road and as it did, the back swung round and almost hit me. I couldn't believe they hadn't seen me or even checked whether anyone was between them and the wall. They could easily have seriously injured me as I was trapped between the wall and the van. I am so furious because they just drove off without a care in the world and I was left standing on the pavement shaking. Ironically, there was a sign on the back of the van "How's my driving? If my driving is less than courteous, phone......" I was too shaken to get the number. Next time though, I'll take a photo of them and send it to the Police. By: Nicky B |
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Comments from visitors
Terry : You're not the smartest tool in the kit are you?
Read my posting and tell me how you think I knew that the driver of the offending vehicle was a woman before I saw her leave the shop and return to it?
Read my posting and tell me how you think I knew that the driver of the offending vehicle was a woman before I saw her leave the shop and return to it?
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Typical MikeP picking on women as usual i wonder if he is a wife beater?
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Who cares? booooooring liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Freddie : There was no room for me to pass on the pavement without squeezing past into the very narrow space between the side of the vehicle and the wall. No way was I going to walk in a busy road, specially with a dog on a lead. Whilst I might have foreseen that damage could occur, it was unavoidable.
"It is obvious that you intended it. " - Your interpretation.
"It is obvious that you intended it. " - Your interpretation.
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But it wasn't accidental was it! It is obvious that you intended it.
I'm not one of those that jumps on everything you say on here. I often agree with you but on this occasion you were out of order. There's no excuse and no justification. It's just wrong, simple as that!
I'm not one of those that jumps on everything you say on here. I often agree with you but on this occasion you were out of order. There's no excuse and no justification. It's just wrong, simple as that!
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"It doesn't give you the right to wilfully damage her car."
Any damage caused to her car was purely accidental and would not have happened if I had not been forced to squeeze past.
"You should feel ashamed of yourself!"
Should I? Well, I don't. Clearly I have no shame.
Any damage caused to her car was purely accidental and would not have happened if I had not been forced to squeeze past.
"You should feel ashamed of yourself!"
Should I? Well, I don't. Clearly I have no shame.
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So you decided to punish her by committing criminal damage to her car!
So who's the worst then? Her or you?
It doesn't matter how she parked or how rude she is. It doesn't give you the right to wilfully damage her car. You should feel ashamed of yourself!
So who's the worst then? Her or you?
It doesn't matter how she parked or how rude she is. It doesn't give you the right to wilfully damage her car. You should feel ashamed of yourself!
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I was in a shop the other day and a car was parked on the pavement outside, almost entirely obstructing the passage of pedestrians, who would have been forced to walk in the road. Need I add it was a Chelsea Tractor type, and that a parking area was available just a few yards further on? Rather than walking in the road, I pushed past it, knocking the wing mirror back, and regrettably the metal part of my dog's lead might just accidentally have come into slight contact with the shiny paintwork causing a scratch.
Inside the shop, a very rude woman pushed her way to the front of the queue at the paypoint, proceeded to harangue the cashier over the price of some item (is it the cashier's fault) and then as she left I noticed that she was the driver of the offending vehicle. A pattern of selfish ignorant behaviour.
Inside the shop, a very rude woman pushed her way to the front of the queue at the paypoint, proceeded to harangue the cashier over the price of some item (is it the cashier's fault) and then as she left I noticed that she was the driver of the offending vehicle. A pattern of selfish ignorant behaviour.
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anyone driving on the pavement should be SHOT!
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anyone who parks on the pavement & causes an obstruction is a complete AR*EHOLE!
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After complaining to the local council (Tamworth, Staffs) I was informed it is not an offence to park on a pavement. The offence is driving on the pavement which must be observed and evidence obtained that an offence has been committed???? Yes I did ask the obvious question. Result cars still park on and block our pavements.
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The answer to your problems is to start a pressure group, get yourselves in the local newspaper, and get local city councillors, and County Councillors involved, plus get your local MP on side, I assure you that things will change once you start doing this.
Work with local PCSOs and local street wardens, go through any local residents associations that there maybe in your area. If there isn't one, then start one, it is not difficult. Make use of any Civil Parish Councillors, that's if people have them in the areas where they live, and this route is open to them.
Work with local PCSOs and local street wardens, go through any local residents associations that there maybe in your area. If there isn't one, then start one, it is not difficult. Make use of any Civil Parish Councillors, that's if people have them in the areas where they live, and this route is open to them.
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local activist - 30-Oct-10 20:56
I come across loads of cars parked on pavements I have call council,police and do you know what jack all happens, its just not worth it police cant be bothered neither can council they always pass the buck. I have taken pics of these vehicles even would you beleive it a highways van all parked on the pavement not half on and half off, 1 of these days I will let their tyres down.
Itd about time somthing was done if not then im afraid people willtake law into their own hands we can only take so much.
Itd about time somthing was done if not then im afraid people willtake law into their own hands we can only take so much.
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Like Nicky B, we live in Bangor N.Wales and are equally annoyed. Unless otherwise marked, pavement parking IS ILLEGAL. Those who persistantly break the law of the land should pay the consequences. Perhaps fines will wake them up! First and foremost, footpaths are for pedestrians and are not to be obstructed. The driver is WHOLLY responsible, and maybe the owner of the vehicle. You commit a further offence driving on a footpath, which is compounded when the footpath is actively used. It is there for the SAFETY of people, NOT vehicles. If you also park the wrong way around, it means you commit another offence by setting off on the wrong side of the road. In the UK we drive on the left. Footpaths are not constructed for vehicles, so the Council should take a more effective approach to stop illegal parking. After all, they (meaning the council tax payer) have to maintain damaged footpaths. Don't feel bad, take the registration number and photo if possible, and REPORT THE VEHICLE. Lone voices are not enough to make change, it takes many voices for the authorities to sit up and enforce illegal parking. If no-one makes a noise cant this common problem, then little gets done to stop it. We are each responsible for our own actions, and this includes (some) inconsiderate drivers. The logical message to drivers is to obey the law by parking correctly. Good luck people, Onechance
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What people who park the pavement don't realize is that if you walk into their wing mirror and smash it they have absolutely no redress. We have frequent outbreaks of pavement parking where I live. Then the students come back to college, the pavements get crowded, mirrors get smashed and they go back to parking on the road. Of the two incidents I have witnessesed, one was entirely accidental, the other I was less sure but the guy stumbled on a piece of rough pavement before he took the mirror out.
The joke is that not only will the driver be unable to sue for damages, but if the pedestrian injures themselves and an ambulance is called, then the owner of the car gets a claim on their insurance for the ambulance. There is no issue of liability, the 1974 legislation says only that the ambulance authority must have a 'resonable suspicion' that the motor vehicle was 'involved' and the insurance company will have to pay. Heath brought it in because he found that insurance companies always found a way to avoid paying and fight any claim tooth and nail, so he put an end to their depradations on the tax payer.
The joke is that not only will the driver be unable to sue for damages, but if the pedestrian injures themselves and an ambulance is called, then the owner of the car gets a claim on their insurance for the ambulance. There is no issue of liability, the 1974 legislation says only that the ambulance authority must have a 'resonable suspicion' that the motor vehicle was 'involved' and the insurance company will have to pay. Heath brought it in because he found that insurance companies always found a way to avoid paying and fight any claim tooth and nail, so he put an end to their depradations on the tax payer.
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RodgerTheDodger - 16-Apr-10 12:43
I don't agree with pavement parking but on some streets in oxford if cars are not pavement parked on each side there would be no room for ambulance or fire engines
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jimmy mctoole - 4-Nov-09 16:58
Why don't our councils&police exercise their authority,I am disabled and use a mobility scooter
not by choice I can assure you,to go to our local shops, was tolded that after April things would
improve the problem of pavement obstruction, when their army of CEOs take control,if anything it
is worse,and when you bring their attention to it,the reply never changes, quote:we will look into it,
but nothing is done about it. can anyone come up with a legal method for pedestrians to have their
legal right back ot use the pavements without not having to go in the road to pass. I will add I still
hold a licence,and I do park parallel to the kerb, in the direction of the traffic.
not by choice I can assure you,to go to our local shops, was tolded that after April things would
improve the problem of pavement obstruction, when their army of CEOs take control,if anything it
is worse,and when you bring their attention to it,the reply never changes, quote:we will look into it,
but nothing is done about it. can anyone come up with a legal method for pedestrians to have their
legal right back ot use the pavements without not having to go in the road to pass. I will add I still
hold a licence,and I do park parallel to the kerb, in the direction of the traffic.
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Thatcham Tony - 18-Oct-09 13:09
I too think it is a very Intelligent Posting,Nicky B.I would comment myself but Mike Pratt Has Said it for everybody.I live in croydon,Which part of south London Are you From Mike?
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A very Intelligent posting,Nicky B.Things are very bad here in south London regarding pavement parking.On every single street there seems to be a car parked so closely to the wall that a cat would find it difficult to squeeze through.One has to walk on to the road to get by.This would not seem such a Huge problem except for Drivers who Insist on emulating Nigel Mansell on Amphetamine.
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Pedestrians walking side-by-side coming towards me and occupying the full width of the pavement expecting me to step out onto the road to pass them by really annoys me.
I walk on the inside closest to the wall and if no space is made for me to pass I have no option other than to walk into one of them near the wall.
The person I end up walking into walked into me equally as much so cannot prove I caused it any more than them, so I am no more to blame here. However there was a space for them to pass me by but nothing for me to pass them by so I think this is where the blame lies for them blocking my path.
I am quite happy to walk into someone who obstructs my path - especially where they make no effort to pass to the side of me and there is adequate space for them to.
I walk on the inside closest to the wall and if no space is made for me to pass I have no option other than to walk into one of them near the wall.
The person I end up walking into walked into me equally as much so cannot prove I caused it any more than them, so I am no more to blame here. However there was a space for them to pass me by but nothing for me to pass them by so I think this is where the blame lies for them blocking my path.
I am quite happy to walk into someone who obstructs my path - especially where they make no effort to pass to the side of me and there is adequate space for them to.
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