Parking across dropped kerbs preventing wheelchair use

Johno100

Aretnap wrote: »

Of course it's just as likely that the person parking across it is not the occupier (why would he not park in his driveway if he has one?) and just a random person taking the proverbial. But I believe councils won't usually act on complaints about blocking private driveways unless they come from the householder - otherwise they don't know whether or not it's the householder who's parking there.

Perhaps there are a number of vehicles in the household, or it is a visitor or tradesman parked there with the permission of the householder.

Sillym00

Thanks for the info Aretnap. I can see it makes sense since yes, at some point it was paid for purely for the drive. I have no dropped kerb outside my house though the front garden is an empty unofficial driveway installed by a previous tenant. Very frustrating for me as I have to go all the way down the road to the one and only dropped kerb to double back on myself and go as far again to the left to get to the only dropped kerb on the opposite pavement. My upper body strength is pathetic so every extra metre in my chair is agony! Having looked at having one installed outside the house I simply can't afford it so will have to make do.

Out of interest, am I right in thinking that it's never legal to block a pavement? Where houses are set back from the road and the pavement runs along sort of cutting the driveway in half (I don't know if that makes sense) is it acceptable for those parking to block the pavement? I've seen houses where three cars park nose to tail an inch from the house to almost hanging over the kerb, surely that can't be right?

I'm aware I probably sound like I have too much spare time and I'm easily frustrated!

Johno100

Sillym00 wrote: »

I'm sure most will ignore it but I wonder how many might park without thinking about it and next time think twice if given a little reminder. When I drove before being disabled I would have considered myself as thoughtful and considerate of others but I'd never looked at it from a wheelchair users perspective so probably unwittingly made someone else's life harder through my ignorance.

Ideally I'd 'fine' the inconsiderate drivers a day in a wheelchair to see how fun it can be...

I wouldn't call someone parking legally outside their own property either ignorant or inconsiderate.

Sillym00

Johno100 wrote: »

I wouldn't call someone parking legally outside their own property either ignorant or inconsiderate.

Yes perhaps strong words but my ignorance clearly shows because I was ignorant of the fact the dropped kerb leading to a driveway belongs to the drive. I will chastise myself thoroughly and fine myself to a day in my wheelchair

Aretnap

Johno100 wrote: »

Perhaps there are a number of vehicles in the household, or it is a visitor or tradesman parked there with the permission of the householder.

Potentially of course, though IME those situations tend to be the exception rather than the rule. If every driveway in the street has a car parked across it then it seems likely that at least some of them are people taking the mick.

agrinnall

Aretnap wrote: »

Potentially of course, though IME those situations tend to be the exception rather than the rule. If every driveway in the street has a car parked across it then it seems likely that at least some of them are people taking the mick.

Most of the times it happens outside my house it is inconsiderate parents parking up at start or end of the day to ferry their kids to and from the nearby primary school. I'm on a working group of residents, the council and the school to try to minimise the impact (and increase safety) but it's a slow and not very satisfactory process.

Retrogamer

I'd raise the issue to the local council about lack of dropped kerbs to help you cross junctions, roads and the likes.

Doesn't_Know_Much

As far as I'm aware it's a civil offence to obstruct a dropped kerb. As I understand it, the rules are slightly different for dropped kerbs which serve to allow people to access their own driveway and those which exist purely for the benefit of people in wheelchairs and those pushing prams etc.


I don't use a wheelchair myself but because I am legally disabled and often use a walking stick I'm more atuned than many to the needs of wheelchair users, therefore I have no compunction whatsoever about putting notes on windscreens.



At the end of my street there is a dropped kerb which is purely for wheelchair/pushchair users AND which has double yellow lines across it AND is only a few metres from the corner of the street, so parking their is a double hazard yet there is a different vehicle there at least four nights out of seven.


It's reached the point now where I'm so sick of writing notes by hand that I'm going to print and laminate some, and come Monday I'm contacting my local council to see what the situation is regarding photographing these vehicles in order to report them. I have no question about the legality of either photographing them or putting notes on under the wipers, and the location means it's easy to take pics showing the street name, the dropped kerb they are blocking AND the double yellow lines.



So far, over the last few months, I have put a note on about two dozen vehicles, each time saying something along the lines of:


By blocking a dropped kerb you are endangering the lives of people in wheelchairs by forcing them to have to stay in the road longer, searching for another place to access the pavement. I am sure you would not consciously want to endanger the life of someone who cannot walk, but intent is irrelevant if someone ends up dead as a result of your inconsiderate actions. Your vehicle has been photographed in case of such an eventuality.



Please be more considerate in future.


---


My only real concern is that I only live fifty metres away so I'm always a bit anxious about being confronted by the driver because I suffer with chronic anxiety, but there are times when my moral duty is more important than my personal insecurities. So to my mind there is no question at all about your right to put a note on their windscreen.