Steve Darling MP shows support for Guide Dog’s call for safer pavements

Steve spoke with people with volunteers and staff from Guide Dogs about the challenges anti-social pavement parking cause.

Cars parked on pavements are problem for everyone, but are particularly dangerous for people with sight loss, who can be forced to walk in the road with traffic they cannot see.

Pavement parking is already against the law in London, and similar rules are coming into force in in Scotland. The law in the rest of the country is complex and patchy.

Guide Dogs is calling for a clear law across rest of the country, to ensure that everyone can walk their streets safely. Three quarters (74%) of councillors also support Guide Dogs’ call for a new law.

Steve Darling MP said: “As a guide dog user myself, I am only too aware of the impact that blocked pavements have on pedestrians. Parents with pushchairs and wheelchair users are also severely affected.”

Eleanor Briggs, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns at Guide Dogs, said: 

“Cars blocking pavements are a nuisance for everyone but can be dangerous for people forced into the road, especially wheelchair users, people with pushchairs and people with sight loss.

We know cars blocking the way undermines people with a vision impairments’ confidence to get out and about independently. This is why we’re calling for a clear law that would empower local councils to tackle this problem.”