Pavement Parking

Pavement parking is currently a major problem in the Elm Grove area of Brighton, and it’s a Living Streets campaign.www.livingstreets.org.uk So I put on my Living Streets hat, and was pleased to see that my letter on the subject is the lead in today’s Brighton Argus. It’s going to be interesting to see the comments. 
“We need to be clear that nobody has “the right” to park their car on the pavement: pavements are for pedestrians, not cars. The problem is that, in many areas, like Elm Grove, there is not enough space on the street to accommodate all the drivers who want to park there. This does not mean that rather than finding somewhere more suitable to park, and continuing their journey on foot, drivers should simply drive up onto the pavement and park there. Cars which block pavements make it difficult, and potentially dangerous, for pedestrians, particularly people with mobility problems, or with children in pushchairs. Cars on pavements also cause damage which costs money to get repaired (and makes walking more hazardous). Health and environment experts say that it’s important to reduce car use, by enabling and encouraging more people to walk as part of their daily routine. This means that we need not just connected street networks and 20 mph speed limits, but uncluttered pavements. It’s clearly essential that everybody works together to try to ensure that a practical solution is found to this situation, whether in Elm Grove or anywhere else in Brighton and Hove. It’s equally clear that the current situation cannot continue.”