More Grantham area 'Dozy Parkers' as councillors brand pavement parking 'dangerous'

As county councillors say they are sick of "dangerous" pavement parking, the Journal's 'Dozy Parker' campaign rolls on.

Followers of the Journal's campaign – which aims to raise awareness of inconsiderate parking in the Grantham area – will know pavement parkers are the worst offenders.

Three examples of pavement parking have been brought to the Journal's attention by readers this week.

In the first photo we have a 'Dozy Parker' in Corby Glen. The back-end of the vehicle covers the pavement, meaning pedestrians are unable to walk along it.

Then in New Beacon Road, Grantham, a van has parked squarely on the pavement.

More pavement parking in Slate Mill Place, with the snapper saying: "Here is a regular, parking on the pavement across a dropped kerb. This time with yellow ticket."

The topic of pavement parking was discussed at a full meeting of Lincolnshire County Council last Monday.

Reckless drivers often block wheelchair and pushchair users, councillors said, as they unanimously urged people to park better.

The meeting heard there have been 387 complaints about bad parking on pavements this year alone, with 20 of them relating to HGVs.

Councillor Rob Parker (Lab) raised the issue at the meeting and put forward a motion to work with Lincolnshire Police and enforcement teams to emphasise the importance of parking properly.

“Pavement parking is dangerous because pedestrians and families with pushchairs are forced into the road and oncoming traffic,” he said.

Nearly every councillor agreed it was a problem, but disagreed on how to solve it.

The motion was seconded by Coun Kev Clarke (Lab), who said: “Many times parents with children or people in wheelchairs feel safer walking down the middle of the road.”

Coun Jackie Brockway (Con) said the council should consult with planning authorities to ensure roads were suitable.

“We need to say to people planning new estates: ‘Have you thought these roads through? Have you considered how traffic will get through, how families with disabilities or several cars will cope?’,” she said.

The portfolio holder for highways, Coun Richard Davies (Con), agreed it was a problem but said there was no easy answers.

“Banning people from parking on pavements gets very expensive very quickly. By the time you’ve put up signs and arranged for patrols, you’re looking at £10,000 over the course of a year for a 100 metre stretch of pavement,” he said.

The motion was passed.

The government considered a pavement parking ban in 2020, but this has only been enacted in London.