Regulations regarding on footway parking
Discussion
Does anyone know if there are any regulations related to the placement of on-footway marked parking bays?
Basically, where I live in SW London we have a problem during office hours with people parking inconsiderately. Come 9:30 there are usually no parking spaces left and the office workers start to get creative when abandoning their cars (on corners, on footpaths, across driveways).
To hopefully improve the situation the council have added double yellow lines on the corners to clarify where drivers shouldn't park, and extended some of the on-footway marked bays to create some additional parking. One of these bays now passes in front of my door meaning there is now less than a metre between the marked bay and my front door (assuming the car is parked within the bay and doesn't overlap the lines).
My problem is that the front door to my flat exits directly onto the footway, and I've had problems with access to my flat when cars parked illegally on the footpath (especially when I use my bike). Now that cars are permitted to park on the footway close to my door there's a good chance that I'll have additional issues with access to my flat. I did raise this during the council's consultation period but clearly to no avail.
I'm assuming I'm on a hiding to nowhere but I'm curious if there are regulations or guidelines that govern on-footway parking bays.
Basically, where I live in SW London we have a problem during office hours with people parking inconsiderately. Come 9:30 there are usually no parking spaces left and the office workers start to get creative when abandoning their cars (on corners, on footpaths, across driveways).
To hopefully improve the situation the council have added double yellow lines on the corners to clarify where drivers shouldn't park, and extended some of the on-footway marked bays to create some additional parking. One of these bays now passes in front of my door meaning there is now less than a metre between the marked bay and my front door (assuming the car is parked within the bay and doesn't overlap the lines).
My problem is that the front door to my flat exits directly onto the footway, and I've had problems with access to my flat when cars parked illegally on the footpath (especially when I use my bike). Now that cars are permitted to park on the footway close to my door there's a good chance that I'll have additional issues with access to my flat. I did raise this during the council's consultation period but clearly to no avail.
I'm assuming I'm on a hiding to nowhere but I'm curious if there are regulations or guidelines that govern on-footway parking bays.
Not aware of any street regulations.
1m sounds tight.
Try a wheelchair if you can - if it fails to have reasonable access then I would imagine your discussion with the council will get more attention.
Mostly governed by building control regs and therefore not applicable to streets but the standards talk about 800mm clear width, 1500mm clear for right angle approach, 1500mm square on entrance to buildings. You can use these arguments as to why the gap is not reasonable. Might not work so well if you have steps on the front door!
1m sounds tight.
Try a wheelchair if you can - if it fails to have reasonable access then I would imagine your discussion with the council will get more attention.
Mostly governed by building control regs and therefore not applicable to streets but the standards talk about 800mm clear width, 1500mm clear for right angle approach, 1500mm square on entrance to buildings. You can use these arguments as to why the gap is not reasonable. Might not work so well if you have steps on the front door!
speedking31 said:
Does your door open outwards or inwards?
Inwards, otherwise I'd be hitting people walking past. V8forweekends said:
What problems?
The problem I have most regularly (but still only a hand full of times a year) is trying to get the bike in through the door, but I've had issues when carrying large boxes/bags or moving furniture. The worst example, thankfully a one off, was when someone parked so badly on the footpath I couldn't get out my front door (I opened the door to find the rear window of a Discovery in my face, if I'd had a bit of flexible pipe I think I cold have syphoned fuel from their tank through my letterbox, but as she explained to me it was okay because she was picking her kids up from school).Those mildly annoying occasions have been few and far between, mainly because it was illegal to park on the footway, but now that there's a marked bay outside my door I suspect this is going to become a more regular occurrence. Hence my question about guidelines relating to parking spaces close to doors.
gforceg said:
GoodDoc said:
...but as she explained to me it was okay because she was picking her kids up from school).
That line sums up so much about modern life.Nicely worded on your part OP.
Swervin_Mervin said:
An "on-footway" parking bay? Never seen one of those.
It's a Victorian side street so was never designed to have cars parked on both sides of the street while still allow access. Where there are marked bays cars are supposed to park with two wheels on the footway. The problem is outside the marked bays you can't park on the footpath, and that means if you get two drivers parking by the kerb on opposite sides of the road they block entry to anything bigger than a large family saloon.rivercatch said:
Not aware of any street regulations.
1m sounds tight.
Try a wheelchair if you can - if it fails to have reasonable access then I would imagine your discussion with the council will get more attention.
Mostly governed by building control regs and therefore not applicable to streets but the standards talk about 800mm clear width, 1500mm clear for right angle approach, 1500mm square on entrance to buildings. You can use these arguments as to why the gap is not reasonable. Might not work so well if you have steps on the front door!
You definitely struggle to get a pushchair down there, as it's a short cul-de-sac most parents take to the road. It's exactly 900mm from the marked bay to the building. The front of the Alfa is parked where the bay use to end, the newly extended bay passes my front door (which is open) and the double yellow lines are new as well.1m sounds tight.
Try a wheelchair if you can - if it fails to have reasonable access then I would imagine your discussion with the council will get more attention.
Mostly governed by building control regs and therefore not applicable to streets but the standards talk about 800mm clear width, 1500mm clear for right angle approach, 1500mm square on entrance to buildings. You can use these arguments as to why the gap is not reasonable. Might not work so well if you have steps on the front door!
GoodDoc said:
You definitely struggle to get a pushchair down there, as it's a short cul-de-sac most parents take to the road. It's exactly 900mm from the marked bay to the building. The front of the Alfa is parked where the bay use to end, the newly extended bay passes my front door (which is open) and the double yellow lines are new as well.
That is absolutely f
king ridiculous.justanother5tar said:
GoodDoc said:
You definitely struggle to get a pushchair down there, as it's a short cul-de-sac most parents take to the road. It's exactly 900mm from the marked bay to the building. The front of the Alfa is parked where the bay use to end, the newly extended bay passes my front door (which is open) and the double yellow lines are new as well.
That is absolutely fking ridiculous.Move the end of the parking space back to where it was.
Roo said:
justanother5tar said:
GoodDoc said:
You definitely struggle to get a pushchair down there, as it's a short cul-de-sac most parents take to the road. It's exactly 900mm from the marked bay to the building. The front of the Alfa is parked where the bay use to end, the newly extended bay passes my front door (which is open) and the double yellow lines are new as well.
That is absolutely fking ridiculous.Move the end of the parking space back to where it was.
Swervin_Mervin said:
An "on-footway" parking bay? Never seen one of those. 
Loads near my old place.People seemed to buy cars of exactly the right size to fit between the lamp-posts and the trees.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.455885,-0.323122...
The regulations don't appear to require a minimum width of footway. However, the guidance in the Traffic Signs Manual suggests a minimum of 1500mm.
The regulations do however require the bays to be marked in a certain way, and it's not like your ones. They should be marked as per walm's google map link, with dashed lines all round the bay; not just on the footway.
The regulations do however require the bays to be marked in a certain way, and it's not like your ones. They should be marked as per walm's google map link, with dashed lines all round the bay; not just on the footway.
walm said:
Swervin_Mervin said:
An "on-footway" parking bay? Never seen one of those.
Loads near my old place.People seemed to buy cars of exactly the right size to fit between the lamp-posts and the trees.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.455885,-0.323122...
Basic said:
The regulations don't appear to require a minimum width of footway. However, the guidance in the Traffic Signs Manual suggests a minimum of 1500mm.
The regulations do however require the bays to be marked in a certain way, and it's not like your ones. They should be marked as per walm's google map link, with dashed lines all round the bay; not just on the footway.
Here there are no bay markings at all - http://goo.gl/NKetpo - LB Bromley. Scroll left and right to see the relevant blue signs.The regulations do however require the bays to be marked in a certain way, and it's not like your ones. They should be marked as per walm's google map link, with dashed lines all round the bay; not just on the footway.
walm said:
Swervin_Mervin said:
An "on-footway" parking bay? Never seen one of those.
Loads near my old place.People seemed to buy cars of exactly the right size to fit between the lamp-posts and the trees.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.455885,-0.323122...
Judging by the age of the houses in the shot the OP provided I suspect that this road falls into that category.
I understand all pavement parking is an offence in all the London Boroughs unless it is shown to be allowed by a small blue sign showing a car parked up on the pavement.
If there isnt a sign then those markings are illegal.
I would suggest you put this up on pepipoo.com in the council parking forum to get the full sp on what and whats not allowed
If there isnt a sign then those markings are illegal.
I would suggest you put this up on pepipoo.com in the council parking forum to get the full sp on what and whats not allowed
Red Devil said:
Here there are no bay markings at all - http://goo.gl/NKetpo - LB Bromley. Scroll left and right to see the relevant blue signs.
You can have signs, and no bay markings, as per your link.But where you have bay markings they need to go round the entire bay (ie all four sides) if the bay straddles the road and the footway.
(Also, i can't see that the sign in your link with the crossed out car and arrow is permitted. In any case, there's no need for such a sign in your example because the double yellows prohibit parking, whether it be on the road or the pavement.)
rs1952 said:
walm said:
Swervin_Mervin said:
An "on-footway" parking bay? Never seen one of those.
Loads near my old place.People seemed to buy cars of exactly the right size to fit between the lamp-posts and the trees.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.455885,-0.323122...
Judging by the age of the houses in the shot the OP provided I suspect that this road falls into that category.
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