RAC: Drivers divided on how to tackle pavement parking in England – but most want action

• UK Government due to announce next steps on tackling problem pavement parking in England; Westminster Hall debate taking place this week
• Drivers favour initial warning letters for contraventions

Eight-in-10 drivers (83%) want the Government to take action to tackle pavement parking in England, but they're split on how best to approach the problem, new RAC research shows.*

Forty-two percent are supportive of an outright ban on parking on pavements in England, while a virtually identical proportion (41%) instead want to see councils given powers to ban the practice on specific roads more easily than they can today.

Ahead of the Government publishing its proposals for tackling pavement parking,** the findings confirm the problem is widespread. Most drivers (66%) say they see vehicles either partially or fully parked on pavements close to where they live. Of these, a third (33%) report seeing vehicles blocking pavements every day, with a further 30% witnessing it happening on most days. Just 5% of motorists said they never see vehicles blocking pavements.

Of all those motorists who witness vehicles blocking pavements, 44% say they often see pedestrians having to walk into the road as a result, with the same proportion (44%) seeing this happen occasionally. Just 12% of this group say they never see pedestrians having to do this.

When asked what they'd consider to be the most appropriate penalty if any form of ban was introduced in England, 44% of drivers said first-time offenders should be sent a written warning letter, followed by a fine for any future contraventions. Almost one-in-five (17%) think an immediate fine is appropriate, while a similar 16% believe a written warning followed by a fine and three penalty points for future violations is appropriate. A further 5% favour an immediate fine and three penalty points, while a fifth (18%) don't think it should be deemed an offence in the first place.

A pavement parking ban has existed in London since 1974, with offenders fined between £140 and £160 depending on where in the city they park. In Scotland, a ban was introduced in 2025, with drivers facing a £100 penalty, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days. Outside Scotland and London, no such general ban exists. Currently, councils in England must consult on and implement separate Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to ban pavement parking on specific roads – a process that can be costly and time consuming. 

A previous Transport Committee – chaired by the current Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood – highlighted the problem in a report in 2019 and noted that previous action to tackle it had been “slow and … not improved people's day-to-day lives.” *** The last government consulted on plans in 2020, but a response was never published. However, in July the current Government signalled its intention to do so.

RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “There's no doubting pavement parking is a serious problem in some communities that needs tackling, but it's still the case that it's been more than five years since the previous government signalled its intention to tackle the blight in England. No pavement user should be forced into walking or wheeling into the road because of someone parking inconsiderately.

“A clear majority of drivers agree and want to see an end to needless pavement parking that causes accessibility problems, but when it comes to the solution, the jury is out.  

“The same proportion of drivers want to see an outright ban on all roads as want councils to be given powers to more easily ban the practice on specific roads. This probably reflects the fact that not all UK streets are the same – after all, some drivers will put a tyre or two on the kerb on narrow residential streets to ensure other vehicles can still pass them, while not blocking pedestrians using the pavement. It's also important to realise that even with an outright ban, councils would presumably still have to allow pavement parking in some places to ensure streets remain passable.

“Any future government policy therefore needs to strike the right balance between stamping out pavement parking that causes a danger to people walking or wheeling, and ensuring some of England's streets don't end up being inadvertently blocked by parked vehicles. 

“An England-wide ban, plus a simple process for councils to exempt certain streets, is one option. The other is to take away the red tape councils currently need to get through to enforce pavement parking bans on specific streets. 

“We look forward to seeing the Government's proposals in due course which we hope will put an end to poor parking practices that put pavement users in danger.”

Several Members of Parliament have been active in raising awareness of the problem. Liberal Democrat MP Helen Maguire is holding a Westminster Hall debate about the issue this Wednesday 3 September, while Labour MP Marsha De Cordova introduced a Private Members' Bill to the House of Commons calling for the law around parking on footways and verges to be amended.

Chart for embedding: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/urlBr/1/

Chart for embedding: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/J8aGC/1/

ENDS

Notes to Editors

*  Research conducted with 1,709 drivers, with survey closing on 6 July 2025. Responses were rim-weighted to be nationally representative of UK motorists in age, gender, socio-economic groups and all UK regions.

** Parliamentary question answered on 17 July 2025: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-07-17/68999

*** Transport Committee: Pavement parking, Thirteenth Report of Session 2017–19