Angry residents back calls to ban Manchester pavement parking

One family said it can be "absolutely impossible" to walk on packed pavements

Worried residents are backing an MP's campaign to ban "dangerous" pavement parking near their homes.

Hafsa, from Moss Side, Manchester, has described "worrying" squeezes and occasions where cars have not seen her four-year-old son as they go to school and started to reverse as he passed.

A wheelchair user in the city also said she fears being hit by a speeding car after being forced to use the road.

The city council said it is trying to extend powers to stop pavement parking.

Afzal Khan, MP for Manchester Gorton, recently presented a petition to Parliament calling on the government to stop pavement parking altogether.

He said it was an issue for people with disabilities or young children, and can also exacerbate problems with dangerous driving.

Hafsa said it can be "absolutely impossible" to walk on the pavement with her young son.

Carolyn Davis and her mother, Pam, said the parked vehicles are forcing them on to the road

"Even if you can get past if you look at the size of cars now with them being so high, they can't see little kids," she told BBC Radio Manchester.

"If someone is sat in their car you are wondering if they are going to set off or not, or reverse.

"It has happened a number of times where people have started reversing and not seen him."

Carolyn Davis and her mother, Pam, who uses a wheelchair, said their walks can be "really dangerous".

"I feel as if cars have priority but it's a footpath," Ms Davis said.

"It only needs one speeding driver as we step out into the road, then we're done for."

A spokesman for Manchester City Council said the authority "takes concerns around pavement parking seriously and appreciates the frustration it can cause for all of the city's residents".

He added: "For several years the council has lobbied central government to grant local authorities expanded powers to prevent pavement parking.

"However to date the government has not responded to these calls."

John Leech, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Manchester, said one solution could be the council preventing developers from building new roads too narrow.

"We are not providing enough off road parking spaces in new developments," he said.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "In 2020, we launched a consultation to explore options for tackling pavement parking and to better equip councils to take action, and we'll publish the response as soon as possible."

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