I rely on my guide dog to get me to work each day. It is very frustrating when I
PAVEMENT PARKING NOTICE ENCLOSED WARNING
THE ENCLOSED INFORMATION MAY CAUSE YOU TO CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS AND BREAK BAD HABITS
Parking notice 12.3.14.indd 1
13/03/201
Typset Bitter Brandon Grotesque ITC Officina Sans Source Sans Pro UK Numberplate Printed on Fedrigoni Splendorgel Printed & bound by Ripe Digital Ltd. Emma L Brown www.emmalbrown.com
Introduction
03
The law
07
The plan
15
Wheelchair & mobility scooter users
19
Pram & buggy users
31
Blind & partially sighted people
43
A possible solution?
55
Reception
63
Introduction
Pavement parking is a problem in many parts of the uk. It can affect anyone, but there are some groups of people who are more likely to be affected and for who it can be significantly more problematic. According to a 2013 survey carried out by YouGov Plc, 54% of drivers admit that they park on the pavement, and 22% of uk drivers hadn’t considered that parking a vehicle on the pavement could put pedestrians in danger by forcing them to use the road. I decided to find out more about the laws around pavement parking, talk to the people most affected by pavement parking and do something to try to make a positive difference.
The law
Rule 244 of the Highway Code states: You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs. Law GL(GP)A sect 15 This rule suggests it is illegal to park on the pavements anywhere in the uk unless signs specifically permit it. However, the rule is not as black and white as it would seem. The Bristol City Council website states that pavement parking is illegal, with no further information, so I emailed bcc’s parking services to find out more. Question: Who enforces the law against parking on the pavement? Bristol City Council: Parking on footpaths is enforced by both the Council and the Police dependant on the circumstances. q: What are the criteria for issuing a ticket/ penalty for parking on the pavement? bcc: The police can issue a Fixed Penalty Notice for any vehicle that is parked on a pavement. The Council can only issue a Penalty Charge Notice if either of the following circumstances are applicable:
a. If there is a Traffic Regulation Order (tro) in place specifically for the location of the contravention that specifically prohibits parking on a pavement. b. If there is a parking restriction i.e. a double/single yellow line that is marked on the carriageway adjacent to the pavement. The legal power that allows the Council to issue a Penalty Charge Notice to vehicles that contravenes the parking restriction extends across both the carriageway and the pavement up to the building line. Please note that the Council cannot issue a Penalty Charge Notice specifically for parking on a pavement unless a tro is in force that allows it. There are a number of locations around the city centre where tros have been implemented in response to problems. However, currently city wide ‘blanket’ tros for parking on pavements only exist in London. This legislation has not yet been rolled out across England & Wales. Currently it is too impractical and expensive to introduce a tro for each street in Bristol for this contravention. q: What are the current penalties for parking on the pavement? bcc: The Council can issue a Penalty Charge Notice for £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days). If necessary the offending vehicle can also be removed to a car pound. 09
The vehicle would be released upon payment of £140 (£105 release fee plus £35 Penalty Charge Notice). Please note that the removal of a vehicle would depend on the situation and the problems that the vehicle is causing. q: How many tickets have been issued for parking on the pavement in Bristol over the last year? bcc: 44 Penalty Charge Notices have been issued since August 2012. This relatively small amount is due to the limited amount of locations where tros are in force. If the law allowed for the Council to introduce a city wide blanket tro the number would be much higher. Please note that, as highlighted previously, many vehicles that are parked on a pavement have received a Penalty Charge Notice for the adjacent parking restriction. I do not have the facility to ‘draw out’ these Penalty Charge Notices from the remainder. q: Are there any exceptions or areas where pavement parking is permitted in Bristol? bcc: I have highlighted the circumstances in which the Council can issue Penalty Charge Notices. Outside of these circumstances the Council is unable to take action. However, this does not mean that the remainder of the vehicles parked on pavements in Bristol are doing so legally.
11
In summary, unless a Traffic Regulation Order is in place, the council are powerless to enforce penalties for pavement parking which isn’t adjacent to an existing parking restriction. In which case, the power to enforce the law lies with the police. It is clear from secondary research in the form of news articles, internet forums, charity campaigns and small action groups, that the police in many areas of the uk do not enforce rule 244 of the Highway Code.
The plan
With the information from Bristol City Council and the statistics from the recent YouGov survey in mind, I started to think of possible ways to make a difference, albeit on a small scale. I decided that educating drivers on the impact of their actions may be the best way to make a difference whilst the law is not enforced by the police or nationwide tros put in place. In order to educate others, I first needed to educate myself further, and speak to those most affected. I spoke to friends, family, friends of friends, and people online in order to gather research, based around people’s experiences of pavement parking.
Wheelchair & mobility scooter users
Living with a physical disability can strongly affect a person's sense of freedom and confidence; wheelchairs and mobility scooters provide a lifeline to independence for those who have difficulty in walking or are unable to walk. Far too often, however, these people face unnecessary problems when getting around locally which severely affect their independence. When users of wheelchair or mobility scooters encounter a vehicle parked on the pavement, leaving insufficient space to pass, they are forced to find an alternative route. In order to pass the obstruction, they must then find a dropped curb which may require them to turn around; this can create problems as it can be a challenge to turn around in the space available. The wheelchair or mobility scooter user then has the option to continue their journey either on the opposite side of the road or, if the other pavement is also obstructed, in the center of the road itself. Travelling down the center of a road in a wheelchair or mobility scooter can be an extremely vulnerable and scary position 21
for a person in a vehicle that, if electrically powered, can only travel of speeds up to 4 mph (class 1 & 2) or 8 mph (class 3). Sometimes, vehicles parked on the pavement can block access to property, in which case there is no way around the obstruction. There is no doubt that vehicles parked on the pavements can cause very frightening and dangerous situations for wheelchair and mobility scooter users. These situations heighten the user's sense of vulnerability, which in turn can damage their confidence and sense of independence.
I don’t go around town in my wheelchair much but when I have come up against pavement parking it is often where the road itself is narrow and the vehicle is being parked partially on the pavement so it does not block traffic. In such circumstances the footpath is usually narrow too and means I have to go into the road to get past the obstruction. I myself then become a traffic hazard because I move slowly and will not be able to get back on the pavement until there is another dropped kerb. — Neil 23
There’s no way I could go out by myself either on my scooter or my wheelchair as I wouldn’t be able to use the pavements. Most vehicles are parked on the pavements around where I live and so close together on either side of the road that an ambulance, fire brigade, or a four wheel drive would find it impossible to get through. If we go to the restaurant in the village and use the wheelchair, my husband has to push me up the road as we can’t use the pavements. Some block the pavements altogether. Therefore, if I could go out myself, with being deaf, I’d be at risk on the road as I can’t hear the traffic behind me. I’ve actually sold my mobility scooter due to the above problem – I wasn’t getting the use out of it as I should. — Ally
I’m affected by vehicles blocking the pavements weekly. It makes me frustrated and angry as it’s physically difficult to get down the pavement and back up again without assistance. People who park on pavements are putting lives at risk. — Matt
Pavement parking is one of the big issues that can stop me from going out and being independent. It makes me feel unsafe as I have no guarantee that I will be able to get around the streets safely on my own. — Katy
A lot of pavements have a camber or uneven surface which means a car parked on the pavement reduces my options of which part of the path to use. If the driver sees me coming along in the wheelchair then parks on the path anyway, or if the driver is sitting in the car, it is more upsetting because the driver is aware of the immediate effect on me. Words like vulnerable and unsafe come to mind as do thoughts of wishing I’d stayed at home. — Sarah
27
The parking of vehicles on pavements not designed to bear their weight leads to an earlier than need be deterioration in the pavements condition; this sees wheelchair users facing horrendous accident causing surfaces on which they are expected to propel themselves as they go about their daily lives. Between the camber of many pavements and the state they are in I tend not to venture very often out in my wheelchair. — Claire 29
Pram & buggy users
In 2011, there were 723,913 live births in the uk. As most children tend to stop using buggies around the age of three, it can be estimated that, at any one time, up to 2.1 million (approx.) children are transported in prams or buggies; this creates a large number of adults who rely on using prams and buggies. If vehicles even so much as partially block a pavement, it can prevent a pram or buggy user from completing their route in a safe, straightforward manner. As pavement parking often occurs in areas where parking is at a premium, buggy users often have to go back on themselves some considerable distance before there is a gap in parked vehicles large enough to pass through in order to continue their journey. Once a suitable gap in parked vehicles has been found, pram and buggy users can continue to the opposite pavement or, if pavement parking occurs on both sides, in the middle of the road. It is unsafe for anyone to walk down the middle of a road, but, if an incident should happen, the risks are far greater for young children. Often, children in buggies 33
will have older siblings who will walk next to the responsible adult on journeys – this means another child, whose movements are difficult to control, can also be forced into a dangerous situation. Furthermore, forcing adults to take young children into the road more often than should be necessary is counterintuitive when trying to teach children the importance of road safety.
When my children were young nobody parked on the pavement, but I have had to avoid parked cars on the pavement when pushing my granddaughter. It’s very irritating as you either have to risk it and push the buggy into the road to get around the car, or anticipate the obstruction and cross the road before you get to it and walk on the opposite pavement which might not be where you want to be. Either way you have to leave your preferred course temporarily and risk being on the road while you avoid the car. It is very annoying and I feel particularly sorry for people with a buggy and another small child walking beside them. — Christine 35
Mondays are the worst around here because you’ve got cars on the pavement and everyone’s got their bins out; it’s awkward because there’s not enough space to get past. It’s horrible having to take my fourteen-month old daughter into the road because you get a lot of speeding lunatics around here. It’s scary, but what are you going to do? You can’t just stand there and wait for them to move. — Hannah
37
There’s one road I walk down which always has cars parked on the pavement all down one side, and the pavement’s really narrow so you have to swerve around everything and sometimes walk down the middle of the road to get past. It’s frustrating because you have to stop and figure out how to get around the obstruction, which can be dangerous because if you’ve got to walk down the middle of the road with your child it’s not that safe. Sometimes you have to backtrack quite a long way if there are several cars parked, and you have to turn back to find a way around. I don’t really know why people park on the pavement – it’s probably because there’s not enough space to properly park two cars on both sides of the road, but if that’s the case then they shouldn’t be parking there. If people
considered others when they parked they would probably try to find a more suitable space – there could be one further down the road or in an adjacent street that’s got more space. Drivers should bear in mind that people need to use the whole pavement and it’s not all about car drivers – there are pedestrians and disabled people who need space. — Becky 39
On the main road which leads up to our house, which is one of the main runs from one town to another, people park all the way up it; because it’s a main road, they like to get off the road, so you end up with 10 inches of space to get by, which is fine if you’re a single person. But you get to the point when you have to push a buggy and pull a toddler on a scooter up the main road, and you’ve got cars coming straight towards you. It’s one thing having a kid on a scooter on the pavement, but if they go out into the road and do something you’re not expecting, then it’s dangerous. Also, you can’t teach them to cross a road properly if you always have to go onto the road. — Rebecca
41
Blind & partially sighted people
There are currently 1.86 million people in the uk with sight loss. It is predicted that this figure will rise to 2,250,000 by 2020, and double to nearly four million by 2050. Sight loss has a significant impact on an affected person’s daily life, compromising their sense of confidence and independence. People with sight loss might not see an obstruction on the pavement, causing an unexpected collision. Knocking into a vehicle which is parked on the pavement can be painful and disorientating to a person with sight loss, and also has the potential to cause damage to the offending vehicle. People with sight loss may not have sufficient vision to be able to safely judge whether or not it is safe to step out into the road when attempting to pass an obstruction. Once in the road, people with sight loss are at a heightened risk of being hit by moving traffic as they have reduced awareness of their surroundings, and so are less able to sense approaching danger. Being able to get out and about without fear of being put in dangerous situations is 45
extremely important for people with reduced vision; vehicles parked on the pavement jeopardise the liberty of those with sight loss, and can further affect a person’s sense of freedom and self-reliance.
I have to go out in the road to get past parked cars. I’ve tried squeezing through the gaps but I was attacked when I did that not long ago, so now I don’t go through if I can only just squeeze through. I get narrowly missed by cars. Sometimes I struggle to get my trolley, the four wheel sort you lean on, up and down the kerbs. Motorists can be very inconsiderate. On one occasion, a car pulled onto a pavement completely blocking it on a main road. He was talking on his mobile. There was no sign that he had broken down. I had to get out into fierce oncoming traffic and motorists were unwilling to leave me space and were sounding their horns at me. What was I supposed to do? Stand there for however long it took the man to make his phone call or finish browsing the web? — Anne 47
Pavement parking affects me every time I walk anywhere. As my eyesight is so restricted, I have virtually no way of knowing that a vehicle is parked on the pavement until I hit it with my cane or walk into it myself. It's always a shock to hit a vehicle I didn't know was there. I get an unpleasant burst of adrenaline as I do a crash stop, then I have to discard my mental map of the space around me and rebuild it.
If the vehicle is badly parked, then my reaction ranges from irritation to fury, depending on how stupid the driver has been. My hands often take hard knocks, especially on things like wing mirrors, but I wear impact gloves with Kevlar knuckles to protect them. Apart from that, I usually manage to stop before I get hurt, but things can get nasty on slippery pavements – when the weather is wet or icy, for example. There have been times when I ended up leaning on the vehicle or even falling across the bonnet. That hurts, and it can be downright dangerous in terms of injury or falling into the road. It's not good for the vehicle, either, given the potential for dents and scratched paintwork. I routinely find coloured splodges on my cane or my gloves where I've taken yet another scrape of paint off something. It's not safe for me to walk along the road, because both my hearing and my eyesight are severely damaged. I only do that when I'm with someone else or there's absolutely no other option. I'd much rather cross to the other side and continue on the pavement there, if possible. — Luke
49
When I’m walking to work, people often park on the kerb right on a bend in a busy road. This means either I have to walk out into the busy road, which is really dangerous, or my guide dog Bess has to try and take me a different way which involves stepping into people’s gardens. I don’t like doing that, but when people park so dangerously I don’t have a choice. — Jo
I rely on my guide dog to get me to work each day. It is very frustrating when I encounter vehicles parked on pavements forcing me to walk in the road. This is dangerous not only for blind people but also for others. Unfortunately it happens very frequently. — Richard
I often go out with a shopping trolley in one hand and a dog in the other. I am partially sighted, not blind, but the dog takes me out for walks. The trolley is because I have great pain if I carry anything. I hate having to manoeuvre the trolley and dog around an obstacle, particularly if I am having a painful and lack-of-energy day. I have occasionally fallen across a badly parked vehicle. I get very cross. Unfortunately some people do not have enough imagination to understand what a nuisance their parking is. — Frances
53
A possible solution?
I knew I would need to create something that would grab the attention of drivers who park on the pavements. The one thing no car owner wants to find on their windscreen is a parking ticket, which seemed the perfect choice of object to re-create in order to spark initial interest. I designed a folding notice, which resembles a parking ticket from the outside, that includes information about who is affected by pavement parking, how they are affected and a link to the blog www.pavementsforpeople.tumblr.com.
The blog includes some information and a poll which asks if your parking habits have changed since receiving a pavement parking notice. The blog also lists an email address (pavementsforpeople@gmx.co.uk) as a form of contact. Once printed, the pavement parking notices were packaged using pvc sheeting, sealed with a high-frequency welder with tabs which can be pulled apart for access to the contents. By sealing the notices within pvc casing, the notices stuck to glass and were waterproof.
57
Thirty-four vehicles on four roads received pavement parking notices between 04:14 and 04:39 on a Tuesday morning. This time of day was chosen as, if seen placing the notices on vehicles, there was potential for a volatile or dangerous situation. As the weather was windy and later forecast to rain, I decided to place each notice with one corner or edge underneath a windscreen wiper to ensure they stayed put. The colour, make and registration of all vehicles which received a notice were recorded through quick camera phone photos. I later returned during daylight hours to rephotograph the vehicles with a dslr.
1. 04:19 — Just about to receive a notice 2. 10:21 — The re-visit
1.
2.
59
60
Fhhh NEY Toyota
Yhhh RET Ford
Xhhh FGT Volkswagen
Whhh EYT Kia
Phhh OWF Ford
Ehhh 441J Rover
Ahhh HPF Ford
Khhh NBZ Audi
Whhh GZU Nissan
Lhhh LXZ Volkswagen
Whhh HDE Honda
Vhhh KBM Peugeot
Whhh LJC Citroen
Yhhh JNP Vauxhall
Whhh OBM Ford
Fhhh MZX Vauxhall
Whhh OHZ Peugeot
Lhhh YSU Audi
Whhh XCY Renault
Fhhh WHZ Citroen
Chhh WDY Ford
Dhhh UAL Peugeot
Dhhh UDH Land Rover
Rhhh DJN Volkswagen
Thhh JRL Suzuki
Lhhh PFY Renault
Rhhh XWC Nissan
Whhh KPR Vauxhall
Yhhh LZT Vauxhall
Whhh HTJ Ford
Whhh KLA Fiat
Ohhh VGF Volkswagen
Whhh JDW BMW
Hhhh UOY Nissan
61
Reception
At the time of print, the poll has received three responses, all stating that since receiving a pavement parking notice their parking habits have not changed. One person, Gareth, sent an email to explain his stance.
Good morning, This morning I received one of your parking notices for parking on the pavement. We have no option but to park on the pavement on Sion Road due to the lack of available parking outside of our house. Whilst we attempt, where possible to leave a sufficient space for pedestrians, we also must consider the space for vehicles driving down Sion Road. This includes emergency vehicles. Two days ago, a fire engine could not get to an emergency on our road as a car had parked too far over and did not leave sufficient space for the fire engine to get through. Whilst I can imagine that covering the pavement is a nuisance for pedestrians, especially those with disabilities, access for emergency vehicles must take priority over pedestrians. The answer maybe to widen the pavement on this road? Regards, Gareth
65
Whilst I can understand Gareth’s point, I get the impression that he feels he is entitled to park on the road he lives on, regardless of the effect on others. He is aware of the effect pavement parking has on pedestrians, including those with disabilities, but continues to park on the pavement on Sion road rather Whilst I can than understand Gareth’s point, I get find another road, which would not cause the impression that hefor feels he is to entitled problems others, park on nearby. to park on the road he lives on, regardless Whilst I believe that all drivers must take of the effectresponsibility on others. Hefor is where aware of thechoose to park, they effect pavement parkingshould has onalso pedestrians, the council be held accountable including those withenforcing disabilities, but continues for not pavement restrictions where to park on the pavement on Sion road rather parking becomes an issue. On Sion road there than find a wider road to park are two small areasonofnearby. grass which could, in Whilst I believe all drivers theory,that be reduced in must ordertake to widen the responsbilitypavement, for where they choose to park, or even the road itself. However, as the council should also heldisaccountable. most of theberoad lined by houses, widening Sion road hasthe double-yellow painted pavements inlines these areas would only down one side, but not Widening narrow thethe roadother. further. the pavements would If the narrow road is the not road wide further, enough for and pavements are required on both sideswhen of cars are emergency vehicles to pass the road as buildings line both sides. If the road parked without mounting pavement, is not wide enough for emergency vehicles to their and people are unwilling to change pass when cars are parked side, notpotential parking habitsdown unlessone they face mounting theconsequences, pavement, perhaps both perhaps onesides side of the road should be painted double yellow lines? yellow lines? shouldwith be painted with double 67