Driving on pavement - is it illegal
Discussion
Speaking to a good friend of mine just now, he says he has to drive on pavement everyday as part of his route home as road is physically too narrow due to parking bays placed on road.
From what I understand I thought this was illegal and could land him in seriously hot water.
I’ve asked him to send across a video of said road, so will upload that shortly.
Is always thought this was against Highway Code and only could drive on pavement to access and exit driveway.
From what I understand I thought this was illegal and could land him in seriously hot water.
I’ve asked him to send across a video of said road, so will upload that shortly.
Is always thought this was against Highway Code and only could drive on pavement to access and exit driveway.
Pistonheader101 said:
I was expecting to see a video showing loads of room that I could roll my eyes at and mutter about a lack of driving and/or parking skills... But I'm really not convinced that road is wide enough for parked cars AND a car passing. At the start you can see the 3 series is right up to the kerb, as is the Audi thing.Is this a tiny backroad that only residents would be expected to use? Got a map link?
donkmeister said:
Pistonheader101 said:
I was expecting to see a video showing loads of room that I could roll my eyes at and mutter about a lack of driving and/or parking skills... But I'm really not convinced that road is wide enough for parked cars AND a car passing. At the start you can see the 3 series is right up to the kerb, as is the Audi thing.Is this a tiny backroad that only residents would be expected to use? Got a map link?
yeah will try and get some more information from him and a google maps location.
Obviously not suitable for firetrucks etc, so maybe they'd park at the end of the road and use a long hose?
But bringing the it back the original point - is driving on the pavement against the highway code even with this poor road planning in place?
Obviously not suitable for firetrucks etc, so maybe they'd park at the end of the road and use a long hose?
But bringing the it back the original point - is driving on the pavement against the highway code even with this poor road planning in place?
Sometimes it is something that may be necessary to get past an obstacle but it should be an absolute last resort and at very, very low speed.
I remember being parked across from the shops near home and my wife, at the time heavily pregnant decided she had to go in the newsagents, she didnt want me to go, I waited in the car across the road in the parking area. Anyway she comes out and walks towards the car, at the same time some cock in a Range Rover, rather than wait mounts the pavement and carries on at barely abated speed. The front of the newsagent was fairly open but the next property had a fairly big hedge and my wife was just about to step to the side of the road when she saw the Range Rover and stopped. The car coming the other way had blocked the Range Rover but he had realised he was potentially in trouble, so went on the pavement the other side and scuttled off.
Was a very scary moment that has made me really think that driving like that is the ultimate s
theads trick, still see it and it really annoys me but the video seemed a sensible reaction to an awkward situation.
I remember being parked across from the shops near home and my wife, at the time heavily pregnant decided she had to go in the newsagents, she didnt want me to go, I waited in the car across the road in the parking area. Anyway she comes out and walks towards the car, at the same time some cock in a Range Rover, rather than wait mounts the pavement and carries on at barely abated speed. The front of the newsagent was fairly open but the next property had a fairly big hedge and my wife was just about to step to the side of the road when she saw the Range Rover and stopped. The car coming the other way had blocked the Range Rover but he had realised he was potentially in trouble, so went on the pavement the other side and scuttled off.
Was a very scary moment that has made me really think that driving like that is the ultimate s
theads trick, still see it and it really annoys me but the video seemed a sensible reaction to an awkward situation.Yes it is illegal. Highway Code rule 145: https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/general-rules-tech...
Also states the legislation the applies
Also states the legislation the applies
Yes, driving along the pavement is illegal. You are only allowed to drive across it via a dropped kerb to access property.
I'm not sure what that means for this particular road though, I suspect common sense would prevail, and even the most jobsworth cop wouldn't try to apply the law. . Otherwise, if cars were parked in the bays, it would only be legal to ride a bike, or drive a 60s bubble car down there. One of those Renault Twizy things would probably also fit too...
I'm not sure what that means for this particular road though, I suspect common sense would prevail, and even the most jobsworth cop wouldn't try to apply the law. . Otherwise, if cars were parked in the bays, it would only be legal to ride a bike, or drive a 60s bubble car down there. One of those Renault Twizy things would probably also fit too...
QuickQuack said:
That's got to be a Photoshop! 
Darlington Council explains why it painted parking bays on both sides of narrow road
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/16998864.da...
bigandclever said:
How very dare you
Darlington Council explains why it painted parking bays on both sides of narrow road
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/16998864.da...
If they both parked on the pavement there would be plenty of room, illustrated by the car in the backgroundDarlington Council explains why it painted parking bays on both sides of narrow road
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/16998864.da...
Excellent traffic calming too
Sometimes, just no markings makes more sense, people tend to work it out for themselves.
I think they’ve achieved the same here though. Like zero markings it is a system that 100% leaves it to the users to work out a system that works for them.
In this case the locals wanted permanent residents only parking to lock out football fans and the like and that’s what they’ve got. The council have basically blocked it all off for the residents and given them total self rule over their parking using the standard set of markings at their disposal so not costing any extra money or actually causing any confusion for those not meant to be parking there.
It looks absolutely mental until the article explains that it is simply private parking for a group of residents who have been given self determination over how they use that space for themselves.
The residents have had no issues in 15 years and what that tells us is that on of those PH nutty neighbours hasn’t yet bought a property there to exert misery on all around them.
Arguably, the OP’s road has been marked out in a way to favour residents and logic would dictate not using it as a ratrun. It’s hard to see in the video but it looks like there are garden gates onto that pavement and I personally wouldn’t want to run the risk of driving down the pavement when a child does the daft, random things that all children do. I would accept that the council has essentially used its available options to make that little bit of road ‘private’ and give it a swerve.
The next likely step by the council is to put bollards at one end to reinforce the message with the obvious drawback for those who live there.
People have cars. People need to park their cars and not every home in the UK has a driveway and in the ideal world it is nice where possible and practical to help people park near their home. The asvanatahe of using resident parking bays is that you also get to control the number of cars per household this further protecting the resident group as a whole. That’s just part of being civilised. The other part of being civilised is to read those situations when they occur and make the choice to not use it as a ratrun regardless of your legal right to do so.
In this case the locals wanted permanent residents only parking to lock out football fans and the like and that’s what they’ve got. The council have basically blocked it all off for the residents and given them total self rule over their parking using the standard set of markings at their disposal so not costing any extra money or actually causing any confusion for those not meant to be parking there.
It looks absolutely mental until the article explains that it is simply private parking for a group of residents who have been given self determination over how they use that space for themselves.
The residents have had no issues in 15 years and what that tells us is that on of those PH nutty neighbours hasn’t yet bought a property there to exert misery on all around them.
Arguably, the OP’s road has been marked out in a way to favour residents and logic would dictate not using it as a ratrun. It’s hard to see in the video but it looks like there are garden gates onto that pavement and I personally wouldn’t want to run the risk of driving down the pavement when a child does the daft, random things that all children do. I would accept that the council has essentially used its available options to make that little bit of road ‘private’ and give it a swerve.
The next likely step by the council is to put bollards at one end to reinforce the message with the obvious drawback for those who live there.
People have cars. People need to park their cars and not every home in the UK has a driveway and in the ideal world it is nice where possible and practical to help people park near their home. The asvanatahe of using resident parking bays is that you also get to control the number of cars per household this further protecting the resident group as a whole. That’s just part of being civilised. The other part of being civilised is to read those situations when they occur and make the choice to not use it as a ratrun regardless of your legal right to do so.
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