Leek visually-impaired man calls for pavement parking law

Tony Green and his dog Peegee said he wanted people to be more considerate

A visually-impaired man said he wanted a new law introduced to stop cars parking on pavements.

The Guide Dogs charity began a petition urging the government to be tougher on dangerous pavement parking.

Tony Green, from Leek, Staffordshire, said he and his dog Peegee often encounter obstacles and wanted people to be more considerate.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said in October it would publish the outcome of a consultation "in due course".

Mr Green said his level of vision was very low and, although his dog dealt with obstacles well, he can sometimes get nervous having to navigate around them and have to go into the road.

"It's not just people like me with Peegee walking down the road, you know [there's] people in wheelchairs, people with pushchairs and things like that. You don't want to be wheeling youngsters into the road either," he said.

Narrow pavements and streets, particularly with terraced houses caused him problems especially when parked on, Mr Green added.

In 2019, a group of MPs called for a ban on pavement parking and the government announced a public consultation the following year.

Narrow pavements, narrow streets, particularly with terraced houses caused him problems, he said

It is has been banned in Scotland since 2021 and London made it illegal in 1974.

Local authorities have powers to stop pavement parking, a DfT spokesperson said.

"In 2020 we launched a consultation to better equip councils to take action. The response will be published in due course," they added.

Clive Wood, regional policy and campaigns manager at Guide Dogs, said hazards were very common for blind and partially sighted people.

"It's simple ask, I just want to get from one place to another without putting myself and my guide dog at risk," he said.

He added a new law should limit pavement parking in specific areas where it was the "exception not the norm".

The powers authorities have were very limited and bureaucratic, Mr Wood added.

Staffordshire County Council said it always encouraged people to park responsibly and not to block pavements.