Backing for pavement parking ban after councils demand new powers

A majority of people – almost two-thirds (62%) – have given their backing to calls to make it illegal to park on pavements.

The research, from Startline Motor Finance, comes after the Local Government Association (LGA) demanded new powers to enforce a ban in England. 

The survey showed that 28% think that parking on pavements is “just lazy”, while 23% believe that motorists should leave the way clear for pedestrians and 21% labelled it “annoying”.

However, a similar proportion (24%) said that it is often possible to park on pavements and still leave space for pedestrians and 14% defended themselves by insisting they only park on the pavement to drop someone off or pop into a shop.

Pavement parking is currently only banned in London, where councils have powers to exempt certain roads. 

In Scotland, a nationwide parking ban has just started to be enforced by some councils and a consultation is also set to take place in Wales on introducing restrictions on pavement parking.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “We asked this question following the introduction of a more zero tolerance approach to pavement parking in Scotland and our research shows it would be popular with the majority of people right across the UK.

“The research clearly shows quite a lot of annoyance around pavement parking and drivers not leaving enough space for pedestrians to get by, which is understandable, although there is some pushback from drivers who believe you can pavement park responsibly.

“Our suspicion is that many people don’t realise that parking on the pavement is illegal almost everywhere unless signage says it is allowed, and there is probably an argument for making the situation clearer, which is effectively what the Local Government Association is demanding.”

The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research.