What is illegal parking regarding foot paths and driveways.

[mercmancdi]

I have cars parking about 3-6 metres on footpath to right of my driveway entrance, unfortunately there’s a brow of a hill about 30 metres from my entrance but with the cars parked there I am well over the middle of Rd before I can see if any cars are coming , it’s a bit risky getting out having to take a gamble , but my big problem is what is legal
the police look and seem to agree they are parked illegally but do nothing about it , when I email them they don’t answer I assume it’s because they don’t want to put it in writing. I live in rural area and the police are not about much , what is the real law about parking on foot paths and near legal entrances , another problem is as the kerbs are dropped at my entrance vehicles use dropped kerbs to pull up onto footpath and at high speed so even if you try to walk a grandchild out onto the footpath for a walk you nearly get wiped out , I got my drive done legal around 25 yrs ago but the few neighbours I have parking there cars here stupidly tried to open illegal driveways and they were told to close them up. Not my fault. Any sensible suggestions. This is what I have to drive around .these photos are taken standing on the Rd when sitting in my car I see little at all but you can see the top of the hill which the cars come over in a flash. .

 

[markjay]

No idea what the law says in NI, but down here in London you'll certainly get a ticket for that (I did..), though not from the police but from the council's traffic wardens. The offence is one of obstructing a pedestrian footpath.

Have you thought about writing to the local council, instead of complaining to the police? It's the council's footpath. A disabled person or a mother with a pushchair would have to go into the road, for example.

 

[markjay]

Found also this:

https://m.facebook.com/PoliceArmaghBanbridgeCraigavon/photos/a.390441237658321/3663431850359227/?type=3

So it looks like an offence in NI as well.

 

[merc estate]

Check it out with your council, different councils different rules but it should be free to push a pram of wheelchair.

 

[MrGreedy]

Worth reporting to the council that as you walked down the path with a baby in a pram you had to go out into the road to pass the cars parked on the pavement, and had a near miss with a car coming over the hill. You might find that gets a better response.

 

[milleplod]

If you look at the phraseology in the NI link, it's a request/advice, nothing more. Unless there's very specific legislation in place, usually local, then 'obstruction' is a difficult thing to deal with - it can't be theoretical, so saying 'you wouldn't be able to get a pushchair past that car parked half on the pavement' won't cut it. The offence is only committed at the point when somebody is actually trying to get a pushchair past the car.

Pete

 

[st13phil]

unfortunately there’s a brow of a hill about 30 metres from my entrance but with the cars parked there I am well over the middle of Rd before I can see if any cars are coming

A practical measure could be to install a wide-angle mirror opposite your drive entrance in order to give you an unobstructed view of the road as you pull out - but that would rely on the cooperation of whoever owns the land opposite.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , I have a similar issue where I live but the local council and my local councilor's don't want to know.

I want the council to install double yellow lines at the cross roads but my journey has just started !

No official will take responsibility for the problem.

 

[markjay]

If you look at the phraseology in the NI link, it's a request/advice, nothing more. Unless there's very specific legislation in place, usually local, then 'obstruction' is a difficult thing to deal with - it can't be theoretical, so saying 'you wouldn't be able to get a pushchair past that car parked half on the pavement' won't cut it. The offence is only committed at the point when somebody is actually trying to get a pushchair past the car.

Pete

That may be the case in NI, I do not know.

As said, here in London you get a ticket for obstructing a pedestrian footpath even if there a 10' gap left, it's 11pm, and you're parked in an industrial area where there's no one about at that time (ask me how I know....).

 

[merc estate]

Markjay i am sure i heard you get the ticket from here.
Our council is pretty good at giving fines, but god help you if you want anything done. It took me 2 years to get a dropped kerb at over 2 grand, what a fight with idiots, but i wasn't giving in, but trim a tree you have more chance of seeing god. did it myself in the end. Its nice to be paying them to sit at home for the last year and a half on full pay !! you have started me off now.

 

[markjay]

Markjay i am sure i heard you get the ticket from here.
Our council is pretty good at giving fines, but god help you if you want anything done. It took me 2 years to get a dropped kerb at over 2 grand, what a fight with idiots, but i wasn't giving in, but trim a tree you have more chance of seeing god. did it myself in the end. Its nice to be paying them to sit at home for the last year and a half on full pay !! you have started me off now.

You trimmed a tree belonging to the Council...? Now that's also a fine

 

[merc estate]

Ha let them come round here, i'll trim his nose hair next time. We had a tree root breaking up a garden wall he came round and said it wasn't the tree and said go through your house insurance, i told him i will go through the councils insurance not mine i dug around the root, then they would not admit it but came around dug up the pavement and cut the root off, then the made a complete mess of laying the pavement it was sticking up 2.5 inches, when i got him back he said its not a trip hazard so onto councillors and MP, and funny enough he was back the next day telling me everyone was on his back over this. Ha Ha and hey presto a fantastic job now. The moral of the story, Sh*t heads will tell you anything if they think they can get away with it, they work harder to not work, than do the job properly. JUST don't put up with there nonsense and lame excuses. See i told you not to start me off.

 

[mercmancdi]

No idea what the law says in NI, but down here in London you'll certainly get a ticket for that (I did..), though not from the police but from the council's traffic wardens. The offence is one of obstructing a pedestrian footpath.

Have you thought about writing to the local council, instead of complaining to the police? It's the council's footpath. A disabled person or a mother with a pushchair would have to go into the road, for example.

Yea guys had a councillor out said he had trouble getting out of the next exit up from me and he would certainly be doing something about it but never heard from him since and not answering mail. But there’s an election coming early next yr so he will be back at my door looking votes , guess if nothings done you know the welcome he will get on my doorstep.

 

[mercmancdi]

Ha let them come round here, i'll trim his nose hair next time. We had a tree root breaking up a garden wall he came round and said it wasn't the tree and said go through your house insurance, i told him i will go through the councils insurance not mine i dug around the root, then they would not admit it but came around dug up the pavement and cut the root off, then the made a complete mess of laying the pavement it was sticking up 2.5 inches, when i got him back he said its not a trip hazard so onto councillors and MP, and funny enough he was back the next day telling me everyone was on his back over this. Ha Ha and hey presto a fantastic job now. The moral of the story, Sh*t heads will tell you anything if they think they can get away with it, they work harder to not work, than do the job properly. JUST don't put up with there nonsense and lame excuses. See i told you not to start me off.

Thats the problem you try to resolve it nicely but you get treated like dirt , then it starts to get on your nerves to the point it would effect your sleep
forgive me I have even thought about setting all my bins out up the foot path but have been told it’s illegal to leave a bin on a public footpath when it’s empty.

 

[mercmancdi]

A practical measure could be to install a wide-angle mirror opposite your drive entrance in order to give you an unobstructed view of the road as you pull out - but that would rely on the cooperation of whoever owns the land opposite.

I have a mirror up but can’t get it right as the cars come over the hill in seconds , I look in the mirror then look left and start to go but vision is not good enough if it was a straight bit of Rd where I could see further the mirror would be great

 

[markjay]

Buy some traffic cones, and place them on the pavement. No one will know who put them there or why, but no one will park there either.....

 

[mercmancdi]

Buy some traffic cones, and place them on the pavement. No one will know who put them there or why, but no one will park there either.....

Like that idea and buy spray yellow paint and mark rd they will think someone is coming to dig it up lol.

 

[mercmancdi]

I could put 2 cars of ours on the footpath , might as well park ours there as letting someone else ,,, but knowing my luck I would get booked or clamped lol

 

[chic0821]

Get a loan of a pram & walk past them. If they happen to have large scores down the side, they won't park there again

 

[merc estate]

Go and see your MP, they give the councillors a kick up the ****.