Selfish pavement parkers top of the hit list for Sheffield Council’s new leader

Coun Bob Johnson, who will become Leader in January, has spent months tackling the problem in his current role as Cabinet member for transport.

It culminated in him putting blockades on Sheaf Street after cars repeatedly blocked the footpath and he warned he would also put mobile cameras on yellow lines outside schools.

He wants councils to have more discretion as to where they enforce pavement parking – tackling repeat offenders or where there’s a danger to pedestrians and cyclists.

Currently councils have little power to deal with the problem, which is often the responsibility of local neighbourhood policing teams.

Under new proposals by the Department for Transport, councils would be able to respond to complaints directly and take enforcement action.

Coun Johnson said: “Pavement parking is a growing problem and we need to find a solution to tackle this in a practical, realistic way.

“One of the main causes in the city is the lack of parking space outside homes, with some communities in Sheffield consisting of up to 50 per cent terrace housing.

“We know that implementing a complete parking ban in areas such as this would be unfeasible and changes need to be made sensitively, so we are asking for powers to respond to the feedback from residents and tackle persistent and dangerous parking as quickly and effectively as possible.

“Alongside our response to this consultation we continue to develop our strategy for improving the problem and will explore initiatives such as a ban on pavement parking in the city centre, where we are introducing new measures to support walking, cycling, and by improving public transport infrastructure.

“I hope the Department for Transport takes our comments on board and uses this as an opportunity to overhaul the current regulations so we can do much more to tackle this widespread issue.”

Sheffield South West Neighbourhood Policing Team recently said they did not think the £30 fines were high enough to deter repeat offenders.

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