• Contact us and join in with our campaigns: join[at]livingstreetswirralchester.org.uk
• Join the national Living Streets organisation: www.livingstreets.org.uk
The police and local authorities are standing back because of vehicle traffic congestion and a belief that easing matters on the highway itself is the prime consideration. This is a short-sighted and inconsiderate approach.
We want the local authorities and police to accept that the minimum width of pavement available for pedestrian use should be what is needed for a double buggy, a wheelchair, or a buggy plus child walking beside - and to act so that this minimum standard is enforced.
We want the local councils to do more to protect pedestrians:
• accept that the problem of widespread obstruction of pavements exists
• adopt a zero tolerance attitude to antisocial parking
• put more resources into education of problem drivers
• mark parking bays more clearly e.g. to restrict parking to one side of the street in narrow roads
• use the white box system used by Lewisham Council and other councils to regulate pavement parking to an acceptable compromise where there is no alternative
• put more resources into trimming of hedges and overhanging branches
Wirral Council should ensure that its website is accurate and up-to-date
We want the police to raise the priority level from the current low priority they give it because
• pedestrian casualties figures in the UK are amongst the worst in Europe
• it is a matter of concern to many residents as shown by the number of letters to the local papers
• turning a blind eye reinforces the belief of some drivers that vehicle drivers are the only legitimate road users
• pedestrians are becoming increasingly frustrated at the danger they are being exposed to (together with the loss of amenity) and are resorting to taking action themselves (see below) - this cannot be a good thing
• there seems to be an increasing tendency for drivers to drive along the pavement to avoid obstructions (e.g. vehicles turning right) - condoning pavement parking will encourage this
We want the police to:
• accept that the problem of widespread obstruction of pavements exists
• issue more tickets for the worst offenders, and issue more warning notices to others
• Complain to your local police station
Find your local station from www.merseyside.police.uk/html/wirral/stations/index.htm
• Complain to Wirral Council - go to the Pavement Parking page, and click on the 'Request Service' button at www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100011/200083/475/content_0001074.html
• Write to your Councillors: Find who your local Councillors are from www.wirral.gov.uk/members/search.asp
• Request information you need from www.wirral.gov.uk/asp/request.asp
• Email us your photographs of the worst cases and we will add them here:
• We will name and shame companies whose vans are a danger or a nuisance
Chester
Photo: Frances Laing
On the Way to the Nursery:
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Heswall
West Kirby
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We don't recommend the following:
• carrying Vaseline and generously smearing the pavement-side wing mirror
• smearing mud
• windscreen stickers - a Greek group use Day-Glo orange depicting a donkey in a car above the message, "I park wherever I want."
• deflating tyres - a French group known as the Deflated discovered that this is legal in France so long as no damage is caused
• super-glueing the petrol cap or keyholes
• scratching cars
• car vaulting (going over cars blocking pavements), originated in Germany, but may damage cars
• sticking a knife in a couple of the tyres
These have all been reported in internet articles e.g:
www.weeklygripe.co.uk/a278.asp
www.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/world/europe/09athens.html
www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=296578
but it should not be necessary to have to resort to these measures - local councils and police forces have a duty to defend the rights and safety of pedestrians, and they should fulfil this duty. It is a reflection of the irritation felt by pedestrians and of the current poor performance of police and council services that people are even contemplating such measures. It is time they improved.
You might:
• leave a notice on vehicles parked inconsiderately or dangerously such as the Living Streets notice which you can download from its website or from here.
Living Streets asks that you do not use any kind of adhesive to stick these flyers onto cars, but place them under the windscreen wiper instead.
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