P-05-935 Ban Pavement Parking - Pavement Promise, Correspondence – Living Streets Cymru to Chair, 17.03.19
Dear Chair of the Petitions Committee
Thank you for your email of 24th February, I am pleased to provide a response as requested. Please find attached a report published by Living Streets Cymru in autumn 2019 A Step Towards a Pavement Parking Ban in Wales. Since the Welsh Government is currently awaiting the report of the Taskforce Group on Pavement Parking, of which Living Streets Cymru is a member, it is not possible to comment on any further progress with regard to addressing pavement parking in Wales at this time.
However, the UK Government recently announced (12 March) that it will consult on proposals to tackle pavement parking in September 2020. The consultation will test public support for a nationwide ban, alongside a new civil offence of obstructive parking which would give local authorities greater powers to clamp down on pavement parking.
The Government announcement followed its response to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee Inquiry report on pavement parking – published last year – which called on the Government to introduce a ban. The TSC findings were based on thorough investigation, including input from over 4,000 Living Streets supporters. The Committee’s report drew specific attention to the impact of pavement parking on loneliness.
Here is Living Streets’ summary of the UK Government’s response to each of the Transport Select Committee’s recommendations:
Recommendation 1 suggested that the Government address the isolating effect of pavement parking as part of its Loneliness Strategy. This has been accepted by the Government in full; it’s significant because it means that the Government acknowledges how harmful pavement parking can be.
Recommendation 2 called for a national awareness raising campaign; the Government has said it will raise the profile of the issue through consultation first and consider the need for a campaign as part of its next steps.
Recommendations 3 and 4 were about the use of Traffic Regulation Orders – the process used by local authorities to ban pavement parking on selected streets or a wider area. There is a need to make TROs simpler and cheaper by removing the need to advertise in local newspapers. A separate review of TROs has already been initiated through the TRO Discovery Project, any necessary change in legislation will not be achieved by spring 2020.
Recommendation 5 asked the Government to speed up the transfer of parking powers from the police to local authorities for those areas that have yet to ‘decriminalise’ parking. They are going to move forward with as much haste as possible.
Recommendation 6 followed on naturally, it required the Government to take action to ensure local authorities, police forces, as well as the public, have access to the right information about who enforces what. The Government accepts this recommendation.
Recommendation 7 asked the Government to consult on a new civil offence of ‘obstructive pavement parking’. The advantage with this approach is that civil enforcement officers could issue a fine without needing a TRO in place.
The Government has partially accepted this recommendation, stating that clarity is needed on defining ‘unnecessary obstruction’ - to avoid differences in enforcement across the country. It also wants to consult on dual enforcement, so that the police can intervene in extreme cases.
Finally, in Recommendation 8 the TSC agreed with Living Streets and supporting organisations and called on the Government to legislate for a nationwide ban on pavement parking. It viewed this as the long-term solution – which would need to be accompanied by an awareness raising campaign. The Government has also partially accepted this recommendation and will consult on a national ban (and obstructive pavement parking) in the summer.
Yours
Rhiannon Hardiman