Bolton West MP Chris Green has backed a national campaign to end problem pavement parking at a House of Commons event.
The MP heard from guide dog owners how parked cars blocking the pavement force them to walk in the road, into the path of traffic they cannot see. They heard that some guide dog owners face these dangerous situations on a daily basis, risking their safety every time they go shopping or make the school run.
Research by YouGov for the charity Guide Dogs shows that 54% of UK drivers admit to parking on the pavement, with more than a quarter (29%) of those doing so a few times a month or more. More than half (55%) of these drivers do think about the impact on people with sight loss, but park on the pavement anyway.
Pavement parking particularly affects people with visual impairments, parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users and other disabled people. According to a Guide Dogs survey, 97% of blind and partially sighted people have encountered obstacles on the pavement, and 9 out of 10 have had problems with pavement parked cars.
Chris said: “No one should be forced to brave traffic by cars parked on the pavement.
“Blind and partially sighted people should be able to walk the streets without fear. Although sometimes it is difficult to find an alternative, more people need to be aware about other pavement users such as those with visual impairment including those with guide dogs and parents with prams.”