Brighton & Hove City Council has welcomed new government plans that will give local authorities stronger powers to crack down on dangerous and anti-social pavement parking.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced changes that will make it easier for councils to introduce pavement parking restrictions across wider areas, rather than being limited to individual streets. The move is expected to help keep pavements clearer and safer for pedestrians, including parents with buggies and pushchairs, wheelchair users and people using mobility scooters.
Currently, restrictions on pavement parking can only be introduced on a street-by-street basis and involve a lengthy and complex legal process. The proposed changes aim to simplify this system, allowing councils to act more effectively where pavement parking causes ongoing problems.
Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport and City Infrastructure at Brighton & Hove City Council, said the announcement was long overdue.
He said: “This is very welcome news from the government and will help us tackle a persistent problem we’ve been wanting to address for some time. Parking on pavements causes genuine safety and accessibility problems, blocking access for pedestrians and especially for disabled people and those with mobility issues.
“Over time, it also damages pavements, which then have to be repaired at public expense. These new powers will give us greater ability to restrict and enforce pavement parking across the city, keeping pavements clear and safe for everyone.”
The council says it is now awaiting further details and guidance from the DfT on how the new powers should be used, including how enforcement can be applied in a fair and proportionate way.
Councillor Muten added that he looks forward to working with council officers once the guidance is published, with the aim of creating safer, more accessible streets for residents and visitors across Brighton & Hove.
Further guidance from the Department for Transport is expected to be published later this year.
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