That sets the alarm bells ringing, fair enough if you're really blocking the path but local councils are going to use this as a massive cash raiser.

How many millions of people park on the path (but not blocking the path) outside their own house?

It's to do with the number who DO block pavements enough to stop a double buggy being pushed through - not the number who don't cause an issue.

The anomaly that we, as a society, have more cars than parking spaces can't be used to discard common decency.

Sarcasm mode ON: Of course this fine will ONLY be used in those circumstances. The council would never dream of using this to hammer people parked outside their homes.

There are all sorts of reasons why pavement-parking is now endemic.

More people drive, and fewer people walk, than in the time when pavements were set aside.

There are now so many owner-drivers that space simply isn't available to park all the cars off-road.

Many houses have garages, but they are often filled with junk or converted into living space, partly because cars have got too big to put inside.

People are too lazy or inconsiderate.

So it is all understandable. But as the road is (theoretically) reserved for traffic, the pavement is reserved for pedestrians (not really cyclists either). Buggies and invalid carts must have right to a safe passage too. Perhaps we need a Japanese rule, where anyone intending to own a car must first show that it will have off-road parking space?

Edited by Andrew-T on 31/03/2017 at 18:40

In rural communities, small market towns and villages--the reason why people park on pavements is that there are insufficient car parks.

Or, equally true, there are too many cars - which as has been said, keep getting bigger and more demanding of parking space.

The assumption is always that everyone is entitled to a parking space, and if there isn't one available, the pavement will have to do. One way to control this is to allow the situation to become so intolerable that enough people find another way to reach their destination, but I can't see that happening soon. A few decades ago, when fewer people could afford cars, they used to share transport. They still could, but it's just a bit inconvenient.

Too many people, too many cars - parking "entitlement" only occurs when you buy, so own, enough land next to your house to park the car(s) - too many people think it's the "authorities" job to provide them with parking spaces - the roads are for driving on, pavements for walking on, neither for parking.

The problem is stupidity on both sides of the equation Some people will be booked when the pavement is sufficiently wide and parking partially on the pavement eases traffic flow. Then there are those who will block the pavement with total disregard to others. Pavement parkers were the bane of my life in my late mother's latter years. Because of advanced Parkinsons she was confined to a wheelchair and cars blocking the pavement meant going up and down kerbs, and into the road!