• Contact us and join in with our campaigns: join@livingstreetswirralchester.org.uk
• Join the national Living Streets organisation: www.livingstreets.org.uk
If concerned about illegal / antisocial parking:
• Complain to your local police station
Find your local station from www.merseyside.police.uk/html/wirral/stations/index.htm
• If not satisfied, Merseyside Police say they have a commitment to be the best police force in the country, and that to achieve this, they need to know what the public think - so give feedback to https://www.merseyside.police.uk/secure/your-voice-counts.php
• 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
• Send an email to the company if a pavement is obstructed by a company vehicle with identifying markings. You can use our template:
Subject: Pedestrian Safety
Dear Madam/Sir
I am contacting you because one of your company vehicles has recently been seen parked partially or wholly on a pavement without any good reason for it being there.
Date: .........
Time: .........
Reg No.: .........
Location: .........
It is unacceptable to park vehicles on pavements because they are an intrusion into pedestrians' space. They lead to pavements becoming cracked, broken and uneven as pavements have not been constructed to take motor vehicles. They obstruct pedestrians and can be a particular hazard to those with pushchairs, in wheelchairs and with disabilities.
They also confuse the road safety message that children should stay on pavements and not go on the road - vehicles on pavements turn the pavement into part of the road.
In future, please can drivers of your company vehicles consider pedestrians.
Suggestion: Could you please make it company policy that vehicles must not be parked on the pavement.
I look forward to receiving your response.
For more information on pedestrian safety, please look at these websites:
www.livingstreets.org.uk
www.livingstreetswirralchester.org.uk
Dear Madam/Sir
I am contacting you because one of your company vehicles has recently been seen parked partially or wholly on a pavement without any good reason for it being there.
Date: .........
Time: .........
Reg No.: .........
Location: .........
It is unacceptable to park vehicles on pavements because they are an intrusion into pedestrians' space. They lead to pavements becoming cracked, broken and uneven as pavements have not been constructed to take motor vehicles. They obstruct pedestrians and can be a particular hazard to those with pushchairs, in wheelchairs and with disabilities.
They also confuse the road safety message that children should stay on pavements and not go on the road - vehicles on pavements turn the pavement into part of the road.
In future, please can drivers of your company vehicles consider pedestrians.
Suggestion: Could you please make it company policy that vehicles must not be parked on the pavement.
I look forward to receiving your response.
For more information on pedestrian safety, please look at these websites:
www.livingstreets.org.uk
www.livingstreetswirralchester.org.uk
• 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.
We don't recommend the following:
• carrying Vaseline and 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 the authorities improved.