Cheshire East councillors are considering a clampdown on pavement parking to make walking around streets of Nantwich and other towns easier.
MPs in the House of Commons transport committee are calling for a new law to ban parking on pavements across England, in line with rules which have existed in London since 1974.
And at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, Cllr Suzie Akers Smith, Cheshire East Council’s champion for walking and cycling, suggested the authority could take the lead on the issue.
“It is recommended that legislation happens quickly but it could take years,” said Cllr Akers Smith.
“Pavement parking has a considerable impact on people’s lives and their ability to safely leave their homes.
“If we as a council are 100% committed to creating a safe environment for people to be more active using our pavements, can we grab the bull by the horns and be the first council to create a borough-wide enforcement that would keep our pavements free?
“This step, I believe, will receive significant support and would help to improve activity levels to improve the health, fitness and general wellbeing of our residents – including reducing carbon emissions if people are encouraged to walk more.”
She believes pavement parking can pose a risk of social isolation, as residents with mobility or visual impairments, or parents with pushchairs struggle to move past vehicles.
It is an issue that Cllr Sam Corcoran, CEC Labour leader, is only too familiar with.
He said: “I have had comments from members of the community who are disabled, going around in motorised wheelchairs, that this does cause problems.
“And on a personal note, having pushed a double-buggy around town, it is very irritating if you’ve got the pavement blocked by cars.”
Labour Cllr Brian Roberts, cabinet member for highways and waste, suggested that CEC could consider introducing measures to make life easier for pedestrians.
He said: “I very much welcome these recommendations.
“I’ve spoken a number of times to officers [about it] – both in highways and also in other sectors of the council.
“I look around and I see many, many incidents of abuse on our pavements and our footpaths.
“But it’s not always intentional – there are incidents where residents have to probably park with two wheels on the pavement because if they can’t, the free flow of traffic on our streets would stop.
“In these incidents I think that should be controlled.
“I have raised issues such as a white line on the pavement to allow free access for pedestrians, mobility scooters and mums with buggies etc.
“So I think there’s a lot to be done and we will be reviewing that proposal.”
However, independent Cllr Toni Fox, cabinet member for planning, warned the problem would not be easy to tackle because CEC’s requirements for parking at new developments are “not as high as they should be” causing more people to park on roads.
She added: “It is a complex issue and it’s not going to easily be resolved, but it is something we are aware of and that we will be looking at.”
Thank you to anyone who responded to the article, I am in Nantwich today looking at the pavement parking prolem on the streets mentioned amongst others. There will be solutions to this problem, if they have banned pavement parking t in London since 1974, it obviously can be done. Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to provide further feedback.
Welsh Row and Marsh Lane are an utter disgrace yet nothing is done, park on the Barony and nothing is done. Are our councillors doing anything, oh yes cutting back on funding for things the borough needs.
More hot air blown by our super councillors. Look at Marsh Lane which still has large hgv works traffic passing through daily against all the signage in place to tell them not to! What have you done there?? Nothing!
I never park on the pavement as their is always sufficient space on the road. It seems to have become a trend to park on the pavement, which I agree should be illegal & the offenders should be prosecuted. Drivers nowadays don’t give a damn about anyone but themselves, no thought for pedestrians, mothers with prams, disabled people, blind people, etc, etc .Unfortunately some drivers don’t give a toss where they park, just look around & see for yourself.
Have you ever tried to drive down Welsh row on a Friday and Saturday night, when people park on the pavement because there to lazy to park up to get there take aways.?
Once again it’s common sense and cursity to leave enough room for push chairs or pedestrians to get past as a minimum, however if all cars park on the road on some of the narrow streets emergency vehicles will not be able to get through.
Red routes, parking permits for residents, Loading Bays for delivery vehicles, Taxi Bays for taxis, bus lanes. Just some ideas that you’d need to start your very own miniature London, but a great opportunity to make some money to reinvest back into the community
How about introducing rules to make it illegal to park on barony Park as well while you are at it
Are the council going to make the streets around Crewe residential parking only? Particularly in the St Clair Street/ Gresty road area. Your building a huge bridge across the railway. Which the residents will have to park even further away from where they live. Our vehicles are regularly vandalized as it is. The police are not interested in sorting this out. The only way to stop people parking with 2 wheels on the pavement is to just block the roads up.
Just park on the Barony they won’t bother you there.
If it’s not actually banned by law, how (and by whom) will this be enforced? Sounds good but, as usual, that’s as far as it will go. Fine words, unsupported by effective actions.
well that’s about right isn’t it, councillors are going to clamp down on the residents of Nantwich, but anyone who trucks up towing a caravan can park on the park and the councillors don’t do anything!
Excellent. So often there’s just no need for it either – plenty of room to park your car for free on the road.