Group may be set up over Bristol pavement parking

The council said five years ago a strategy was needed

A new task force could be set up to look at ways to tackle pavement parking in Bristol.

It has been proposed that a group of city councillors should draw up a new plan focusing on pavement parking but also wider issues around "how space beside the kerb" is used.

Suggested ways of using space along the side of streets include trees, small parks and bicycle storage.

Councillors were asked to create the task force on Thursday.

The group, made up of members of the transport committee and led by councillor Rob Bryher, would develop a "comprehensive" strategy to address parking issues across the city, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

The Green-led administration has previously argued pavement parking puts pedestrians in danger.

It was reported five years ago that the city council’s overarching transport policy noted that a specific parking strategy was needed, but one has yet to be created.

A council report prepared ahead of this week's meeting said: "There is a need to maximise the use of kerb space, given increasing demands for car clubs, cycle hangers, scooter parking and electric vehicle charging, all set alongside a range of other uses such as pocket parklets, trees and commercial use through licensing."

The London Borough of Lambeth is currently proposing a similar strategy, turning a quarter of the space along the side of streets into places for trees, benches and bicycle storage.