Blind woman's anger after pavement parking fall

Mel Griffiths says she has a near permanent bruise on her arm from car wing mirrors

A blind woman was left feeling like she "didn't matter" after a parked car blocking half the pavement made her fall over.

Mel Griffiths was walking down Carmel Gardens in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, on 11 October when her guide dog swerved because there was not enough space on the pavement.

This made the 60-year-old trip on a low wall and fall, leaving her with cuts and bruises on her hand and knees.

Mrs Griffiths said getting past "inconsiderately" parked cars was a daily problem and she was often forced into the road or suffered bruises squeezing past.

"I felt angry, I felt upset. I felt like I didn't matter," she said.

"There's times now when blind people are too fearful to go out because of the fear of not being able to walk along the pavement safely.

"I swear I've got a permanent bruise on my mid-forearm where I clip the wingmirror as I go by.

"It's getting worse, there seem to be more vehicles on the pavement now and less regard for how they're parked."

'Consider space'

Mrs Griffiths said she accepted cars need to avoid blocking the road but believes the solution is parking somewhere else and walking rather than on the pavement.

She added her husband Gavin, who is also blind, recently broke a tooth walking into something overhanging from a van onto the pavement.

"My message is to take a look at what space you've left when you've parked your car," she said.

"Is there space for a big wheelchair or mobility scooter to get through?

"Can you open your door widely when you get of your car? If you can't then you've blocked the pavement."

Pavement parking is illegal in London, but in the rest of England the Highway Code only advises against the practice.

According to the RAC, you can be fined if you are judged to be parked in a dangerous position or "causing an unnecessary obstruction of the road".

The Guide Dogs charity is calling for a crackdown on pavement parking.

Chris Theobald, campaigns manager, said: "Streets with pavement parked vehicles are dangerous and stressful to navigate, particularly for people with sight loss.

"Guide dogs are trained to take their owners to the kerb when they encounter an obstacle they can't get past but no one should run the risk of injury just to get down the street.

"We urgently need a clear law to tackle pavement parking, so our pavements are safe and accessible for all."