Pictures show 12 months in pavement parking hotspot as government urged to take action

Pictures show the problem of pavement parking in one area of Liverpool city centre as campaigners call on the new government to take firm action against the problem.

The ECHO has consistently highlighted the issue of drivers parking across pavements in Liverpool and around the region, which causes major issues for people with disabilities and parents with prams amongst others. Liverpool in particular has seen a steep rise in instances of pavement parking in recent years.

One ECHO reader sent us a selection of images to show how the problem is reoccurring on a continual basis in one part of the city centre in particular. The pictures, taken across the past 12 months, show cars and vans parked brazenly on the pedestrian pavement in an area of Victoria Street.

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The images come as a campaign for the government to take action against pavement parking steps up. Living Streets, a charity promoting pedestrian safety has urged its supporters to spread its message today, four years on from the day when the previous government's consultation on the issue of pavement parking came to an end.

Writing to the ECHO, Living Streets supporter Beryl Duke said: "Friday November 22 marked four years since the previous government’s consultation on pavement parking in England closed. Cars parked on, and sometimes hogging the whole pavement, will be a familiar sight to many.

"Pavement parking is dangerous especially for families with young children, people with sight loss and disabled people. A recent poll found that 87 per cent of parents have had to walk in the road because of a vehicle blocking the pavement. It damages pavement surfaces too.

"Living Streets has been campaigning on this issue for over 50 years and it's high time we saw an end to the problem. Pavement parking has been banned (with exemptions) in London since the 1970s. Scotland adopted a similar approach to London which came into force earlier this year. The Welsh Government has indicated they will take action on pavement parking – but England is way behind.

She added: "We hope your readers will join Living Streets and supporters like me, in urging the new Government to deal with the troubling legacy of pavement parking once and for all. Everyone will be the better for it."

The new Labour Government is considering taking stronger action against pavement parkers which could see an existing ban that is active in London extended around the country. This would see councils given new powers to slap drivers with a £70 fine for pavement parking.

The situation was raised at a recent meeting of the government Transport Committee, with Transport Secretary Louise Haigh stating: "I completely recognise how important it is for accessibility. We’re considering what options we have available, because we want to make sure that any measures are not burdensome on local authorities and are done in the most effective way, but I am really committed to responding to the consultation as quickly as possible.."