Pavement parkers getting off scot-free

PEDESTRIANS are still running the gauntlet of pavements blocked by parked vehicles – three years after it was banned by Holyrood.

Blame for failing to implement the law – which has left some wheelchair users trapped in their homes – has been placed on successive Covid-19 lockdowns and confusion over which roads all 32 local authorities need to assess before they can target thoughtless motorists.

But cost implications for cashstrapped local authorities, who will be able to exempt certain addresses from the law if their pavements are wide enough for pedestrians to pass parked vehicles, have also been blamed for a postcode lottery of different approaches to the legislation.

The Scottish Mail on Sunday even found one local authority which confirmed it had no intention of taking the steps necessary to enforce the law, saying the costs involved would not justify it.

Stuart Hay, of charity Living Streets Scotland, said: ‘I hear heartbreaking stories from disabled people unable to get out of their house.

‘They might have a medical appointment but can’t make it to the bus stop as a neighbour is blocking the pavement with their car.’

It is illegal to drive on the pavement, except to access a driveway, but it is not illegal to park on one.

Last night, Sandra White, former Nationalist Glasgow MSP, said: ‘I was in the city’s Shawlands the other day and the amount of cars parked on the pavement there is shocking.

‘Some people told me they were practically climbing on the bonnets of cars.’

A Transport Scotland spokesman said £2.4 million has been made available to councils to assess their streets. He added: ‘The Scottish Government has been working to ensure our roads and pavements are accessible for all.’