Drivers who park their cars on pavements have been branded “selfish” and “idle”.

The strong words have come from one of Carlisle’s leading councillors, who has backed a planned move to make this type of parking illegal across England.

David Morton, who represents Belah on Carlisle City Council, said: “If you have narrow streets there is a problem but there are a lot of streets which are not narrow and cars are abandoned on the pavement.”

The Department for Transport (DfT) is working with groups including the charity Guide Dogs for the Blind to see if a nationwide ban on pavement parking can be introduced.

Current laws on this subject are complicated.

There is no national ban on pavement parking but it is illegal in London where people can be fined up to £100.

It is illegal though to drive on the pavement, including to park a car. This is a criminal offence which needs to be prosecuted by the police and there is concern in Government about how much this is being enforced across the UK.


David Morton Mr Morton, a Conservative, who has a vision problem and a guide dog, highlighted Kingstown Road as one place where he thought this was a particular problem. 

He was keen to say he “could fight his own battles” and thought there were particular issues for parents with prams or buggies and people with mobility scooters.

“If they (drivers) are putting other people to inconvenience they should suffer the inconvenience of getting a fine.”

He suggested that on narrow streets parking could be banned on one side of the road but allowed on the other to ensure there was a flow of traffic.

Mr Morton added: “They (people who park on pavements) are idle and they are selfish.”


Janet Willis Councillor Janet Willis, who holds the environment portfolio at Cumbria County Council, in charge of on-street parking in the area, said: “I think it would be difficult to enforce given the number of cars in the rural and remote places that we have got.”

She added that cars could be an obstacle for blind or partially-sighted people but pointed out so could other objects.

“It could make it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through places,” she added.

A DfT spokesperson said: “We are currently considering the rules around pavement parking, including whether more can be done to make it easier for councils to tackle problem areas in a consistent way.

“Work is ongoing and no decisions have been made.”