Aideen Blackborough was left lying in the road after being forced to manoeuvre her way around a vehicle blocking the pavement in Great Barr
Aideen Blackborough says her safety and the safety of her children is constantly being put at risk by people parking on pavements(Image: Living Streets)
A disabled woman from Birmingham has called for a ban on cars parking on pavements after falling out of her wheelchair while on the school run.
Aideen Blackborough, who has cerebral palsy, was left lying on the ground with her child watching on after trying to pass a vehicle parked on the pavement in Great Barr last year.
She says drivers parking on pavements continue to threaten her safety – and that of her children – every day as she is forced into the road and oncoming traffic.
Aideen explained she is regularly blocked by vehicles taking up the space meant for pedestrians.
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“I was just trying to take my child to school and get on with my day. The car shouldn’t have been there – I was so shaken and angry.
“As a mum and a wheelchair user, this practice puts me and my children in danger every day.
“I don’t understand why drivers think they can block pavements – they’re for pedestrians.”
Cerebral palsy is the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. It’s caused by a problem with the brain that develops before, during or soon after birth, according to the NHS.
Symptoms can include weak arms or legs, jerky movements, and random, uncontrolled movements as well as swallowing problems, speaking problems, vision problems and learning disabilities.
Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, has been campaigning against pavement parking for more than 50 years.
The scale of pavement parking in Birmingham is shown here on the Living Streets map where users have uploaded photos of cars blocking pavements(Image: Living Streets)
Over 1,500 people have added photos of vehicles parked on pavements to a map of pavement parking ‘hotspots’, in a campaign organised by Living Streets.
It shows dozens of streets in Birmingham where pavements have been blocked.
You can search the map below to see how your area fares.
While parking on the pavement is illegal in London and Scotland, elsewhere local councils have limited powers.
Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said: “We’ve been waiting for five years for the Government to respond to its consultation into pavement parking in England.
“That’s five more years of people being pushed into the road and oncoming traffic.
“Someone isolated in their home due to pavement parking could have lost out on around five million walking steps, with a catastrophic effect on their mental and physical health.
“We simply can’t wait any longer for action on pavement parking.”
Folkert Veenstra is an accessibility campaigner and Living Streets Trustee. He said: “Pavement parking forces wheelchair users like me into the road, dodging traffic just to get by.
“Parents with prams, blind and partially sighted people, older people with walking aids – we’re all being pushed into danger because pavements are blocked.
“I’ve personally faced this countless times: cars parked across pavements and dropped kerbs, leaving me no choice but to navigate into oncoming traffic. It’s frightening. It’s wrong. And it needs to change.”