New law means drivers could soon be fined £70 for parking on the pavement
The Department of Transport (DfT) opened a public consultation into whether "a change of existing pavement parking legislation should occur" in England and Wales.
Drivers across the country are being warned they could face a £70 fine in a matter of months for parking on the pavement.
In case you didn’t know, the Department of Transport (DfT) opened a public consultation last August – which is currently ongoing – into whether “a change of existing pavement parking legislation should occur” in England and Wales, and if this is passed into law, it could see the practice of pavement parking either banned nationwide, or see local councils awarded more power to tackle the issue.
According to the gov.uk website, the consultation is proposing three options:
Improving the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process, under which local authorities can already prohibit pavement parking.
A legislative change to allow local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction of the pavement’.
A legislative change to introduce a London-style pavement parking prohibition throughout England.
The news of the consultation nearing conclusion comes as recent research has revealed that a quarter of motorists said they were unsure of the rules around parking on pavements.
While many motorists may choose to park on a pavement just to avoid blocking a narrow road or simply for their convenience, this decision is what could see them risking a £70 charge as pavements are there to provide a safe footpath for pedestrians.
When the footpath is blocked by cars parking on the pavement, pedestrians often have to resort to using the road in order to get around vehicles.
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Other recent research by blind and visual impairment charity Guide Dogs indicated that 32% of people with visual impairments and 48% of wheelchair users are less keen to go out on their own because of antisocial pavement parking.
Drivers are being warned they could face a £70 fine for parking on the pavement / Credit: IPTC (Ronald Hudson)
Speaking on the proposed changes and how they will affect drivers in the coming months, Alex Kindred – Car Insurance Expert at Confused.com – said: “What may seem a small inconvenience to some, might be a huge hindrance to others, but it’s important to remember that pavements are there for the use and safety of pedestrians only, and therefore should be respected by all other road users.
“However, without a clearer understanding of the law around pavement parking, it’ll be hard to implement fines to drivers who break the rules.”
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He continued: “The current laws around pavement parking can be quite confusing, which is why it’s difficult at times to prosecute drivers, but with consultations ongoing for England and Wales, with Scotland already pioneering the way to make a big change, drivers should be wary that changes could come into force sooner rather than later.
“Councils will be given a bigger responsibility and penalty charges could be issued.
“The laws around parking on pavements is just one of many new driving laws coming into effect this year, with road user safety at the forefront of each.”
Featured Image – PublicDomainPictures
News
Police appeal after thieves steal 800 barrels of Guinness from HGVs in Cheshire
Emily Sergeant
Police in Cheshire are appealing for information after more than 800 barrels of Guinness were stolen.
Cheshire Police explained that, at around 7:45pm on Monday 31 August, a lorry entered an industrial estate in the Aston Lane area of Runcorn. The lorry is then connected to a HGV trailer containing barrels of Guinness, before leaving the site at 7:55pm and driving in the direction of the Mersey Gateway.
Then, at 9:12pm, a second lorry arrived at the same site in a different lorry and connected it to another trailer containing barrels of Guinness. The lorry left the site at around 9:30pm, in the direction of Rainhill and Watkinson Way.
The estimated total value of all the items stolen is approximately £205,000, police confirmed.
According to police, the trailers are described as white Tri-Axle Curtain side trailers with GXO company branding on curtains and rear doors.
The trailers also have unique ID numbers on their rear doors in the top left corner – with the numbers of stolen trucks being DL736 or DL542.
Both HGVs were believed to have been driven by men. The first man is described as white with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat, and the second believed to be wearing a cap.
Officers are now appealing to anyone with any information, or dashcam and video footage taken from around the time of the incident, to come forward.
“It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you’, but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,” commented Detective Sergeant McClatchy, from Cheshire Police.
“It is with this in mind that we have wasted no time in launching enquires to identify those responsible for the theft of £115,000 worth Guinness and the two trailers that housed the barrels.
“We will settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police via its website, or by calling 101 and using incident reference number IML-2408641.
Featured Image – Volker Repke (via Unsplash)
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Police seize convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A convoy of supercars has been seized by police following reports of dangerous driving on the M66 and M62 near Rochdale.
On Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were made aware that a group of individuals driving high-powered vehicles – such as Lamborghinis and Mercedes G-Wagons – were ‘driving dangerously’ at speed, weaving across lanes, wheel spinning, and slowing down to speeds of around 17mph on the motorway.
After finding the convoy of vehicles on the M62, police were able to stop two of Lamborghinis as they were coming off the motorway.
Officers then used specialist tactics to bring the remaining vehicles to a stop in Rochdale.
As a result of police intervention, GMP was able to seize five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, and on top of this, the drivers of the offending vehicles were prosecuted for a number of driving offences.
Police have seized a convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on the M62 near Rochdale / Credit: GMP | Wikimedia Commons
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command, said the force takes road safety ‘very seriously’.
“We will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads,” he began.
“Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
“People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted, and where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th February 2022 
