Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Pavement Parking

Thursday 15 May 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Liz Twist asked about pavement parking issues affecting visually impaired individuals, calling for action on the problem.
  • Rebecca Paul thanked the Minister for addressing pavement parking and highlighted its impact on her constituents in Redhill.
  • Mr Paul Kohler acknowledged the Minister's previous work on the issue and noted the need for broader measures beyond existing London regulations to address pavement parking impacts on children walking to school.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett
Environment
Context

In 2018, Liz Twist held an Adjournment debate on pavement parking after meeting visually impaired constituents Margaret and Laurel. They demonstrated that pavement parking prevented them from using pavements safely, undermining their independence and confidence and putting them at risk of injury.

Question

Back in 2018, I had an Adjournment debate on pavement parking after meeting my then constituents Margaret and Laurel, who are both visually impaired. They told me—in fact, they demonstrated to me—that pavement parking prevented them from using pavements safely, which undermined their independence and confidence, and put them at risk of injury. My Blaydon and Consett constituents continue to raise this issue, but we saw little action under the last Government. What progress has the Minister’s Department made on responding to the consultation and on providing guidance to local authorities?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

I welcome my hon. Friend’s question. The previous Government failed to act and, like her, I am determined to tackle pavement parking. That is why I have met representatives of Guide Dogs, Living Streets, Sustrans and Transport for All to discuss this very important issue, which is absolutely fundamental to the safety and accessibility of our public realm. I can assure my hon. Friend that I am on the case, and I look forward to setting out the way forward very soon.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific details or timelines for responding to the consultation or providing guidance to local authorities.

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Q2 Rebecca Paul Con Reigate
Transport
Context

The Government published a consultation entitled ‘Pavement Parking: Options for Change’ on 31 August 2020.

Question

I thank the Minister for her response, and I am really pleased to see that she is committed to addressing pavement parking. It is absolutely essential that it is addressed for my constituents in Redhill, where it is a real problem. As the Minister will know, Guide Dogs has been running a campaign for many years on addressing pavement parking, given the impact it has on those who are visually impaired. Given the Minister’s enthusiasm for solving this problem, can she please give us an idea of the timescale for delivering a solution—not the recommendations, but a solution—so that those with visual impairments and my constituents can navigate pavements safely?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

I thank the hon. Lady for her support in acting to tackle what is a nuisance not just for disabled people, but for children walking on the pavement and for parents pushing buggies and prams. It is really important that we get this right. I am working speedily with my officials to do so, and I look forward to being able to announce the outcome of the consultation and our next steps shortly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a specific timescale for delivering a solution to address pavement parking issues.

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Q3 Paul Kohler Lib Dem Wimbledon
Transport
Context

Regulations prohibiting pavement parking already exist in London, but enforcement remains an issue. At All Saints’ primary school in south Wimbledon, for example, pavement parking is a long-running issue, forcing parents and children into the road and obvious danger.

Question

I thank the Minister for her answers and for all she did on this issue in her previous role as Chair of the Transport Committee. Regulations prohibiting pavement parking already exist in London, but that alone will not solve the problem. At All Saints’ primary school in south Wimbledon, for example, pavement parking is a long-running issue, forcing parents and children into the road and obvious danger, and it is proving very difficult to solve. Has the Minister considered how the public can be better educated and restrictions enforced? Are the Government planning to create a new offence of obstructive parking, as the Minister recommended in her previous role?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

I thank the hon. Member for his question, and he is right to raise the impact that pavement parking has on the ability of children to walk safely to school, which we want to encourage. There are many things we can do, and he is right to say that part of the mix is communication and publicity to explain the dangers that pavement parking poses to pedestrians.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide concrete plans or specific actions for improving education on pavement parking rules or creating a new offence of obstructive parking.

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