this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2024
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[–] [email protected] 30 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I think it already is. It just doesn't get enforced.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I think it is illegal to completely obstruct a pavement to the point that wheelchairs, pushchairs etc can’t get past.

But parking your car and leaving a bit of a gap is apparently fine.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (2 children)

When I had driving lessons, it was taught that most people think that's the rule, and in real life it practically is the rule, but it's on the books as illegal to put your car on the pavement at all, and you'll be penalised for it during the parking parts of a driving test.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I think the specific offence is driving on the pavement, which parking obviously requires, but I could be wrong.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

From the highway code:

244

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.

Law GL(GP)A sect 15

Signs explicitly permitting it are rare.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence. See an explanation of the abbreviations.

Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under the Traffic Acts (see The road user and the law) to establish liability. This includes rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/introduction

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I know you’re not allowed to put an HGV on the pavement, but I thought everything else was ok.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

From the highway code:

244

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.

Law GL(GP)A sect 15

Signs explicitly permitting it are rare.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Law GL(GP)A is the Greater London (General Powers) Act, it has no bearing on what happens outside of London. "Should" instructions in the Highway Code are guidance for best practice and are not enforceable in and of themselves.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Because rich cunts see the fine as the parking fee...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

We have the same issue in Germany. :( Car drivers just get away with absolutely everything unfortunately.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's not the rule.

So what happens is this, someone says you're allowed to park on the pavement as long as you don't obstruct the road, then someone else says no and quotes the highway code. Then you point out that the only thing you're not allowed to do is park on the payment in London, and elsewhere you should basically not do it if you can avoid it.

No one is going to get arrested for parking partially on the pavement outside of London unless you've been a complete dick about it, or if it's unnecessary. For where it's necessary as long as there's no other parking restrictions then you should be fine as long as pedestrians can get past.

The highway code is fine in principle, but the people who wrote it have never been further north than Bedford.