Popular City In UK To Ban Cars From Parking On Pavements, Violators To Pay Fine

Popular City In UK To Ban Cars From Parking On Pavements, Violators To Pay Fine

Edinburgh is set to completely ban cars from parking on the pavement.

Also, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs will also be banned under the new plans drawn by the city council.

There will be an exemption for delivery drivers when the regulations come into force on December 11.

Anyone who mounts the curb while parking will pay £100 fine.

London is the only city across the UK where parking on the pavement is illegal – but in other cities police can take action if another driver is causing an obstruction.

In 2021, the Scottish government followed suit when passing a law to allow local authorities to prevent pavement parking. Ministerial approval will go through in December, leaving all councils free to enforce the ban.

Parking had become one of the key issues for Edinburgh residents, with the council describing it as a “persistent issue” on over 500 streets around the city. A strong majority of residents (68%) support the parking proposals, with pavement parking from cars and vans, particularly causing trouble for disabled people and parents with pushchairs.

“Parking on pavements is a nuisance for everyone, but potentially dangerous if you are a wheelchair user forced onto the road, pushing a buggy, or have sight loss and can’t see traffic coming towards you,” said Niall Foley, lead external affairs manager at Guide Dogs Scotland. “When cars block the way, it undermines the confidence of people with a vision impairment to get out and about independently.”

Director of Living Streets Scotland Stuart Hay added that Edinburgh has taken the “right approach to the enforcement of pavement parking, recognising that footways are for people, not parking spaces for cars”, the BBC reported. Living Streets is a charity that promotes everyday walking.

Edinburgh is the first Scottish city to lay down the enforcement of pavement parking.