Do you have an opinion on cars parking on pavements?

Yes indeed, it makes me hopping mad. It's often because a driver can't be bothered to walk a few yards. It's just about tolerable if it's a couple of wheels on the kerb, or for deliveries, but fully obstructing the pavement to pedestrians is not only infuriating but potentially dangerous especially for children, elderly or infirm.

I've seen mothers with buggies and young children, and the elderly forced into the road because of a drivers' selfish behaviour. This in turn annoys other motorists being held up by pedestrians.who have no alternative but to step into the road.

To be honest I thought it is already illegal to park on pavements.I live at the very end of a small cul de sac & quite a few of my neighbours park on the pavement at all times but their cars are so large that if they didn't then nobody would be able to drive through to the end,including me.As it is it is doubtful emergency vehicles could get through most of the time which is worrying.I also have problems with folk who constantly park across the entrance to not only my garage but that of my next door neighbour who is a fire officer & needs full access at all hours.For some reason these folk are completely oblivious to the sight of the garages or just ignorant.What is even more galling is that they nearly all have small drives & garages attached to their houses but simply can't be bothered to use them,preferring the pavements instead.My garage is in a separate small block with a dropped kerb,something else that it is supposedly an offence to block.I am 65 & most of the offenders are about half my age & should certainly know better

Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. I live in a cul-de-sac so obviously no passing traffic. There is a school within 400 metres which, with the number of parents who are incapable of walking their child to school means that every street nearby becomes a hazard twice a day with cars parked on pavements, parked both sides of the streets and on yellow lines. The most illogical part of this is that there is a gated off, council owned, hardcore area opposite the school which could easily be turned into a car park to get these people off the road. There are days when trying to negotiate through this total chaos is art form in itself with the "parking" leaving little room for error - add to this kids running all over the place and the crossing warden popping out into the road every few seconds and you can imagine the scenario. Our cul-de-sac is shaped like a letter T. The top of the "T" is a blind junction. There are cars regulasrly parking on the blind spot which causes an obstruction. I have almost had 2 children off their bikes and almost collided with cars coming from either direction. They are regularly reported to the Police but, as yet, we have still to see any reaction apart from once, when the Police turned up, couldn't find the owner and promptly left with "it's causing an obstruction". It doesn't take much to send the odd patrol unit up the street and slap a ticket on a windscreen or get the tow wagon - but it appears even this is too much for "the boys in blue" until someone gets mangled. For my part I'd gladly slap a fine on every one of the vehicles involved in the above until they got the message.

I am in UK and certainly have an opinion in this. As far as I am aware it is against the law but the police etc. appear to ignore this. My father is almost 92 and has a powered wheelchair which he can only manage to get out in when they weather is really very good. On two occasions he has been completely stuck owing to vehicles being parked on the pavement and has now lost his confidence going out over the embarrassment and amount of help he required to set him free of these obstructions. To me these people are utterly selfish and do not think of anyone but themselves. I can see too how it must effect mums with pushchairs as they have to take their, and their child's life in to their hands and walk on the road to negotiate such vehicles on the pavement. People who are fit and do this because they don't want to park their car where they perhaps require to walk a few yards to their front door should be ashamed of themselves. Here is UK is someone is disabled the local council will put a special parking bay in front of their door so naturally you assume those doing this are fit and abled bodies.

The problem on the street where I exist [I can't honestly say live], it is difficult to say the least.

The road is so narrow, very few garages [maybe 4], and most cars/vans park partly on the pavement. If they did not, the emergency and utility vehicles would not be able to get through.

Years ago, the Council did build a car park to replace some derelict houses - but there was so much damage to vehicles caused by the local yobs, no one used it, other than to dump rubbish and to abandon old cars on it.

I have to manoeuvre around the cars sometimes, and it can be annoying if not dangerous when people have to walk into the road to get passed the parked vehicle.

But what is the answer? It's beyond me, so I try not to let it bother me too much, as I can see the drivers and pedestrians viewpoints, but no solution.

Keep death off the road! Drive on the pavement/sidewalk.

One of your answers illustrates the increasing problems between US English and British English. In the USA the pavement is the road and the British English pavement is the sidewalk in the USA.

Living in a non-English speaking country, I remember two neighbours having a heated discussion, in English, about these two words. One, who had learnt British English said, 'the children should play on the pavement.' The other, who had learnt her English in the USA was appalled. I went out and sorted out the problem.

I object to people parking on the pavement, the sidewalk or even the trottoir. They often force people with push chairs/buggys and wheelchair users to go onto the road.

I don't like it,some inconsiderate drivers seem to think it's their own lay-by. The pavement is a pedestrian way,not an extension of the road.

If the people concerned also have a drive,then I'd fine them,If they park as to make it impossible for two people walking side-by-side, fine them.

I'd never realised until recently that guide dogs walk at the side of their owner,so will need the space.

I appreciate that part kerb parking may be necessary in some instances, but have the nous to leave space for people who need it

Yes because it causes obstructions for people with wheelchairs, mothers pushing buggies and blind people who use a cane but not a guide dog. It is downright dangerous for a mother to push her baby out into traffic to get round a car that is obstructing the pavement.

Another thing that drives me mad is people cycling on the pavement. Since when did this become accepted practis? .It is downright dangerous, especially for the hearing impaired and is usually done because the cyclist has no lights on their bike.

There is a village near me and when passing through it I often see cars parked on the pavements because the main road is narrow and when lorries or buses stop, it causes tailbacks.

I don't mind cars parking on pavements as long as they still leave enough room for prams or wheelchair uses to get by.

I use a handicapped scooter, it is very difficult to navigate when cars are blocking the sidewalk, or blocking the handicap ramps @ the corner {the ramps allow me to cross the street with out having to go down someones driveway or try to get the scooter up or down the curb} in California It is illegal to block either the sidewalk or ramps, yet people still do it..I have come very close to tipping over on the scooter trying to get around cars that are encroaching onto the sidewalk..My other gripe is cars without handicap plates/placards using handicap spots in parking lots.