Parking consultation welcomed by local councillor

Local Lib-Dem councillor Sam Al-Hamdani

After local Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani wrote to the Home Office calling on them to progress the national consultation on pavement parking last month, he has welcomed its launch.

Mr Al-Hamdani said: “For so many people, this causes major issues for them, whether it is getting past in wheelchairs, or trying to manage prams on unnecessarily blocked pavements.

"It should not be the case that disabled residents, or parents with young children should be forced out into the road because of a badly parked car.”

The consultation puts forward three options: to improve the process by which local councils can introduce restrictions; giving them the power to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction of the pavement’; or introducing a London-style pavement parking ban across the country.

The local councillor continued: “Oldham has a combination of narrow streets and insufficient off-road parking in many places, so it is clear that the third option would cause more problems than it would solve.

“However, it is important that we make people more aware of the problems that pavement parking causes, and give local authorities the tools to respond when it is necessary.

"I have already had residents commenting on the problems that it causes them – some with disabilities, some who are parents or grandparents; all of whom struggle when the pavement is carelessly blocked.”

The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking and is open until November 22.

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