Wirral campaigners call for tougher rules around pavement parking

Local campaigners are urging the government to bring in a complete ban on people parking on pavements.

The practise is already outlawed in London under Rule 244 of the highway code which states:

"You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it."

"Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs."

But campaigners want the government to go further and make the "MUST NOT" section of the rule apply to the rest of the country as well.

Edward Lamb is the treasurer for local campaign group 'Wirral Pedestrians' he said:

"The number of cars on our roads has exploded."

"I think since about 1990. It's gone from 20 million to 40 million cars registered in the UK."

"We've kind of reached this point where we're saturated with cars and we've got nowhere to store them except for the pavements. So it's time it's really time to push back on that."

"There are instances where people are killed on pavements."

"About 40 to 50 people per year in the UK are killed whilst walking along on the pavement by drivers."

"A tightening of the rules and a kind of more awareness from the police and more pressure on motorists, I think would be very handy.

"There is a particularly serious case in Nesten where a young girl was killed as a van driver reversed his van onto the pavement to park."

"Right at the point where she came by on a scooter, now that is very rare but it happens and it shouldn't happen at all, to be honest."

The Department for Transport has previously stated that they are looking to change the law and that drivers should prepare for the rules to change 'soon' although they haven't said exactly when.