People fail to get on their bikes due to delays in pavement parking ban
A BAN on “discriminatory” pavement parking should be enforced more quickly in Scotland as people are being put off walking and cycling in their communities, according to a study.
The analysis from walking and cycling charity Sustrans, which surveyed nearly 10,000 Scots in a Uk-wide survey, says it supports action to halt parking on pavements.
The (Scotland) Act 2019 bans pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs, and gives local authorities the relevant powers to enforce these new provisions.
But secondary legislation and further guidance is needed for local authorities to enforce the law, and it is expected to consider whether to exempt any areas of pavement from a ban.
Last year it was estimated that the enforcement will not start until 2023, some four years after the act banning pavement parking was approved by MSPS.
The Walking And Cycling Index, the nation’s biggest ever survey of walking and cycling in our cities found that 68 per cent believed that banning pavement parking would help them walk or wheel more.
And Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, which commissioned the UK’S largest study of active travel in urban areas, says the parking practice discriminates against the disabled.
The study found most people in Scotland (55%) would like to see more government spending on walking, wheeling and cycling, while only just over one in five cycle at least once a week.
The survey also found that people walk or wheel more frequently than any other mode of urban transport. Some 58% of people in Scotland walk at least five days a week.
But the results reveal a gender divide – showing men are more than twice as likely (29%) than women (13%) to cycle at least once a week, while fewer women think cycling safety is good (39%) compared with men (45%).
Stewart Carruth, interim director, Sustrans Scotland, added: “Walking and wheeling should be the most accessible and desirable form of transport. It’s of huge importance to people, especially during the current cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency.
“The evidence is clear – the people of Scotland want the option to walk, wheel and cycle to where they need to get to. They want to travel in environmentally friendly ways and don’t want outdated and unmaintained pavements, crossing points that make walking and wheeling unsafe or inaccessible, and vehicles parked on pavements getting in their way.”
The study also found that 70% of Scots think wider pavements would encourage them to walk or wheel more.
Results also show that 64% of people in Scotland would like more government investment in public transport. Nearly four in five supported the creation of more 20-minute neighbourhoods, where amenities and services, such as shops, green space and GPS, are located within a 20-minute return walk or wheel from where they live. But the research found that 42% of households are not within this distance to a GP.
The survey results come from Scotland’s seven cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Perth, the largest number of Scottish cities ever featured in the analysis.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The Scottish Government has been working to improve parking legislation in Scotland, to tackle the impact of inconsiderate and obstructive parking and ensure that our roads and pavements are accessible for all.
“The national pavement parking prohibition has already been legislated for in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, having gained cross party support in the Scottish Parliament.
“We are now developing secondary legislation to allow for enforcement by local authorities.
“Local authorities will be required to assess their footways to determine which, if any, may be appropriate to be exempt from the pavement parking prohibition.”
The evidence is clear – the people of Scotland want the option to walk, wheel and cycle to where they need to get to