Southwell Town Councillor urging people to ‘think parking’ after spate of motorists parking on pavements

A town councillor is urging the people of Southwell to be more considerate when parking after highlighting the difficulties disabled people can have.

Jamie Bostock is appealing to those who drive in and around Southwell to be mindful of people who use wheelchairs, mobility scooters, or parents with pushchairs after seeing a rise in people parking their cars on pavements, making accessibility difficult.

“It’s important in an area like ours as a lot of people retire to Southwell, and consequently people have more limited mobility,” Jamie said.

“It’s not just cars parked on pavements that makes accessibility difficult, it can be things like overhanging hedges or people leaving their wheelie bins on the footpath which makes it hard for people in mobility scooters to get around.

“A lot of our local businesses also use A-frames outside their shops, which can also make things difficult.”

Jamie has also pointed out that some uneven pavements, or road surfaces that are in need of repair, also make accessibility difficult for those who use mobility scooters.

The Highway Code states that parking on the pavement is not illegal outside of London, but people “should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it".

Now Jamie is urging all drivers in Southwell to “think parking” and consider all users when parking their cars, as parking on pavements and blocking paths could see people having to drive their mobility vehicles into the road to go around obstacles.

“It could also be hard for people who are visually impaired, or on crutches, who would struggle with obstructions on pavements, and what we want people to consider is if everyone thinks about the little things that that can improve access around Nottinghamshire as a whole,” Jamie added.

“We want people to feel free to come to our town, but how can we tell people to shop locally when they struggle with accessibility?

“We want to make Southwell the go-to place for people to enjoy, and to do that we need people to think about others.

“You never know if you could be in this position to need a wheelchair one day.”