Greenwich pavement parking: Full list of streets authority will not enforce

Following many reports of vehicles blocking pavements across Greenwich borough dating back years without any action taken, a full list of where the council will not enforce pavement parking has finally been revealed.

It’s took some doing. They previously claimed they wouldn’t supply one.

And it includes dozens of areas.

Firstly it should be noted pavement parking in London has been illegal since 1974 except in very specific circumstances whereby it’s marked out on bays in the road alongside signs. Greenwich Council’s Highways Department usually ignore that.

Click here to see what should apply to London councils.

The weird thing is this list includes some roads that do have markings, though presumably they are allowing vehicles to block paths outside of those designated areas.

@Royal_Greenwich What is the point of pavements such as these in the Borough? pic.twitter.com/rMHegoMdmg

— @lxtwin@mastodonapp.uk, Just in case (@lxtwin) April 10, 2023

The list is long and also includes roads where schools and nurseries are located ensuring pavement parking hinders pupil safety. If a parent or child requires a wheelchair or using a buggy then tough luck.

While in some cases it may make sense to permit footway parking London rules mean it should be clearly marked and signed.

If not, you end up with this with cars blocking the entire path. Which is fine apparently.

If there’s a temporary need to allow it, for example to ensure a sufficient width for construction vehicles requiring access or other works then fine, but these streets appear to be exempt for many, many years with no way for residents to know what is or not allowed.

There’s also streets that are marked as exempt where homes have driveways – including space for multiple vehicles.

Greenwich Council state it may also because there’s a lack of parking nearby, but in some case on streets I know very well it’s a case of walking a few metres. And if there’s a need for a disabled bay then clearly mark that.

What Greenwich Highways been doing for some time is allowing a free for all. That hardly helps disabled drivers either as they can not be guaranteed of a parking spot.

In addition failing to enforce footway parking in so many areas created a culture where it’s seen as ok, even away from those streets in the until now secret list (and given no signage or marking how can people know?) so the problem is seen almost everywhere.

Couple that to a parking department that barely ever visits areas as it is and vehicle dominance rules many streets and towns in the borough.

This also results in thousands of pounds being spent on street clutter all over the borough in a ineffective way to stop cars going onto pavements rather than effective enforcement – and in turn that clutter is not only an eyesore degrading streets and towns borough-wide but can also block pedestrians.

Not that it achieves much.

Greenwich Council have now stated they will conduct a review.

Then again for many years while failing to obtain revenue from poor parking they mentioned a “parking strategy”, which they cut and pasted each year in reports before councillors to explain poor performance. It never seemed to amount to much.

It’s also revealing this has gone on for so long to the detriment of pedestrians whilst the authority draw up strategy after strategy their own actions directly contradict.

Whether it’s a strategy on Healthy Living and encouraging people to walk and stay active, or the Transport Strategy from 2022, it’s all contradicts stated goals.

On and on it goes across numerous reports and strategies.

It’s so urgent they’ve not embraced a law from 1974 (!) in London.

Time and again we read extracts like this: “Support and enable people to be more active and less sedentary in their everyday lives.

Improve the physical environment to enable people to achieve and maintain a healthy weight”.

Yet little changes.