Laws allowing local authorities to ban pavement parking in London should be rolled out across the country to help save lives, councils say.

According to the LGA, communities across the country are warning about safety issues of pavement parking.

Although the ban on pavement parking has already been in place in the Capital for the past 40 years, the practice is generally allowed elsewhere. Yet according to the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales, communities across the country are warning about the safety issues of pavement parking, including residents in Essex, who have warned it is “only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or even killed”.

Local authorities can use existing Traffic Regulation Orders to ban pavement parking on certain roads but the LGA says it’s a time-consuming, expensive and bureaucratic process.

Transport spokesman Cllr Martin Tett said: “Local authorities need this power to respond to concerns raised by their communities, for example if a street is becoming dangerously congested or pedestrians are being forced to step out into the street to get round parked vehicles. This is particularly dangerous for blind or partially-sighted people and mums and dads with prams.

“Councils would carefully consult with communities before banning pavement parking and this is done sparingly in response to concerns which they have raised. This will enable them to better protect vulnerable pedestrians and provide a more consistent approach for all road users.”

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