Parking on the pavement could soon land you a £70 fine

Councils are toying with a new parking ban idea, which could see motorists fined £70 for parking on the pavement.

Ministers are said to be looking for new ways to make the streets safer and encourage more people to walk. As it currently stands, drivers cannot park on the pavement in London unless it is expressly permitted by a local authority. If this ruling came to pass, it would extend this law across the UK, as well as hand out a hefty fine to discourage offenders.

(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

The law could make pavements freer for pedestrians, with disability groups in particular said to have expressed approval at the proposed scheme. However, the plan is already stirring up controversy, with road safety campaigners expressing concern that while the idea has good intentions, it could be abused my local councils looking to drum up extra funds. AA president Edmund King said:

"The concern would be that local authorities will be able to ban pavement parking without looking at the consequences – and without studying the alternatives. Getting rid of pavement parking is fine – but only if you then remove some of the redundant double-yellow lines in order to create space elsewhere."