Is it legal to park on footway?

[230K]

Hi

We had a lovely evening of weather here in Belfast and i decided to go a walk with 2 of my daughters. (1 & 5yrs) The 1 year old was in a sort of 3 wheel trike thing that dad pushes obviously.

When walking there were a few occasions when i had to go onto the road because cars were parked with 2 wheels up on the footway making the footway too narrow for this little trike and i didnt want to run the risk of scraping a car. This had the obvious dangers etc and it got my thinking...... Is it legal to park like this??? I fully understand why it has to be done because of narrow streets etc and cars being a whole lot wider than they were when the roads/footways were constructed etc etc.

So is it legal to park with 2 wheels on the footway????


230K

 

[Dieselman]

So is it legal to park with 2 wheels on the footway????

No.!

 

[Shude]

Strictly speaking it is illegal to park with any wheels on the pavement.

 

[230K]

Hi

Thats what i thought, seem to remember it in Highway code or whatever when learning. Do the Police actually do people for this??

230K

 

[ms500]

Plenty of people do, personally I wouldn't worry about whether it's legal or not.

Not like the police are going to be around, they're back at the station tied up with red tape.

 

[reflexboy]

Strictly speaking it is illegal to park with any wheels on the pavement.

Unless you are a BT engineer, because we can park anywhere!!

 

[andy_k]

it depends where you are. Some places allow it, some places turn a blind eye to it, some places prosecute for it.

signs like the one on the left are often used to say where it's OK

 

[Beetnik]

Not illegal per se - the offence is causing an obstruction so it's down to the judgement of the police.

I take the view that you should be able to get a pram past - if you can't then the boys in blue should issue a ticket.

 

[230K]

Hi

You dont notice it unless your walking and there were one or two that should be booked but then there were one or two hedges causing the same level of inconvenience for the gentleman with the pram.

230K

 

[Beetnik]

Hedges - report to your local council who should take enforcement action.

 

[scooter]

230k i also live here (newtownards) if it would of been a day that traffic wardens where working they would of found it illegal they don't care who they ticket
now i wouldn't park like that. you went round but alot of people would off tried to scrape it they should make it illegal (narrow roads no parking)

 

[robert.saunders]

Look out for double yellow lines too; if they are adjacent to the kerb, the restriction applies over the entire width of the highway - includes kerb, footway, verge etc. So, even if a vehicle is 4-wheels off the carriageway but against a waiting restriction a PCN can be issued.

Police can issue FPN for obstruction offences for footway parking generally; the "pram-rule" is a good test

 

[Swiss Toni]

Police can issue FPN for obstruction offences for footway parking generally; the "pram-rule" is a good test

In the few paradise areas where parking enforcement has not been de-criminalised (ie it remains the remit of the local constabulary and not the local authority) it tends to be Traffic Wardens rather than Police who issue such FPNs.

The Police tend to be occupied with other activities (which in my experience revolve around the 1% of society who are unable to manage their addictions, can't work out why theft/drugs/fighting result in them laid face-prone on the ground with their wrists in shackles behind their back). Whilst the DailyMail comments on how the country has gone to the dogs.




Peoples Republic of Peterborough isn't one of the paradise areas, is it?

 

[stevesey]

People often find their door mirror needs adjusting if I've walked past while they are parked on the pavement

 

[oldcro]

Be interesting if someone was to squeeze past with a pram and leave a long scratch along the side of the car.

 

[andy_k]

where we live it's more likely that

a, a bus will take the entire side off your car if you don't park with two wheels on the pavement

b, the local police will knock on your door and ask you to park on the pavement so as not to cause an obstruction on the road

 

[Frank O' Phile]

I remember seeing a whole road of cars parked half on, half off.

I was more suprised to find that the marked out spaces for parking were half on, half off. Obviously the council were encouraging resident s to park this way.

(It was in a leafy burb of North London IIRC)

 

[Gollom]

Serious comment:

I too park half/off half/on sometimes. But can I ask that when you do park like this to spare a thought for blind and partially sighted people..... I am an RNIB volunteer and it can cause problems

Curiously, the space left on the pavement is only part of the story. By being forced to the inside there is more of a threat from low hanging and protruding greenery!

 

[BTB 500]

In some parts of London it is definitely allowed. But I think you risk being ticketed unless there's specific signage / road markings to say it's OK.

Basically if you need to put two wheels on the kerb to prevent causing an obstruction to passing traffic then - technically - you shouldn't be parking there.

 

[Rory]

I've been walking neighbours dog for the last couple of weeks and people parking (especially vans) half on the pavements around the village is a real pain. The roads here aren't so narrow as to make it necessary either.

The other thing a few people do, which is even more ridiculous, is to leave a car sticking out of their drive completely square across the pavement. Many of the roads here (such as mine) have grass verges so youve got to walk across the grass, on to road, and then back across the grass again. With a push-chair it would be difficult. I should have got the dog to scramble over the cars!