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Devonshire Road - Parking on the Pavement
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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #1
18-03-2008 12:40 PM

Just walked back from Honor Oak Park Station down Devonshire Rd on the rail side.
Seems nearly every car is parked on the pavement. On a number occasions had to stop to give way to fellow pedestrians coming from the other direction.
I drove for 23 years and never parked on pavement. Surely the fact that the road is not very wide is no excuse. If that is the case do not park there.
I wonder what the council's attitude is because they never seem to penalise any offenders.

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Johnc


Posts: 138
Joined: Jan 2007
Post: #2
21-03-2008 05:41 PM

Its a thorny issue and has been mentioned on the forum before. I live in Devonshire road and am a non driver. I can see both sides of the argument - pedestrians v potential car damage, but the bottom line is that it is an offense but its up to the council to enforce this. If enough people complain i'm sure they will do something since it i would bring money in.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #3
24-03-2008 01:20 PM

I agree. But why oh why do people park on the pavement. Would they object if all the pedestrians walked down the middle of the road.

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #4
24-03-2008 03:41 PM

They park on the pavement because the road is too narrow. They will only stop if the rules are enforced.

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Kendal Paul


Posts: 3
Joined: Mar 2008
Post: #5
25-03-2008 09:07 PM

Careful! I used to live on Westwood Park. I lobbied to stop the pavement parking there. In response, Lewisham Council gave the residents on the street a vote on whether or not to permit footway parking, and, not surprisingly, the vote was in favour. So now there are parking bays marked on the pavements...

Interestingly, the vote caused real debate in some households, with requests for additional votes for each resident - parents and children were voting against each other! And the vote in favour was surprisingly modest - I reckon with a determined campaign it could have gone the other way. Still, if it had, I very much doubt the rabidly "Freedom to do just exactly what I choose with my car" brigade would have taken the result lying down.

I thought it was outrageously unfair of the Council to only give votes to the people who lived on Westwood Park - after all, the street belongs to everyone, not just those who live there. So I again lobbied for change, and the Council eventually put a moratorium on introducing any new footway parking schemes.

This doesn't mean they aren't continuing to turn a blind eye to footway parking infringement, of course...

And Hi! Big Julie, Baggy Dave...

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #6
25-03-2008 10:21 PM

Footway parking schemes should only be introduced where pavements are extra wide.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #7
26-03-2008 08:47 AM

I agree there are some pavements which are very wide and this could be considered but Devonshire Road is NOT in this category.
Would be an interesting legal case if a blind or handicapped person injures themselves on parked car.
Sherwood says the road is too narrow. If that is the case surely a yellow line should be put down one side of the road.

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Kendal Paul


Posts: 3
Joined: Mar 2008
Post: #8
26-03-2008 07:35 PM

I think you have to be realistic about what is actually achievable.

Just consider the consequences of slashing parking availability on Devonshire Road in half - house values would plummet, and lots of the residents would go absolutely ballistic. In that atmosphere, there is just no way the Council will do anything at all.

The real problem is that the situation has been allowed to get where it is now. If you're really public-spirited, the first step has to be to remain vigilant for where obstructive footway parking is just starting to creep in - if it's jumped on before it gets established, at least the situation won't get any worse. And there's a real possibility that the Council WILL take action to stop it becoming established anywhere new - so long as they are put under considered but determined pressure to do so.

In the longer term, I guess the solution is many fewer and/or smaller cars.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #9
27-03-2008 10:57 AM

Paul
Thanks for your comments . Not sure how being vigilant would help. Either council going to do something or not.
Are you suggesting I approach the offenders .?

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bigjulie


Posts: 68
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #10
27-03-2008 01:18 PM

Brian, I think Paul means being vigilant about noticing where new bad behaviour starts to creep in, and reporting it. It seems once precedents are set it is more difficult to get anything done. For example, in Boveney Road a few years ago a few drivers started parking on the pavement. There is a "sheep mentality" to driving/parking (that affects us all I have to say) and very soon others followed suit. If nothing had been done, pavement parking would now be common. Fortunately, someone took issue and reported it, tickets were handed out a few times and very soon it was knocked on the head.

Good to see you are keeping an eye on your old manor Kendal Paul, and you have made an important point. Now I must do something about the people from the wooden furniture shop in Honor Oak Park who are getting into the habit of parking their vans / tonka toys on our lovely new raised pedestrian crossing point....

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Kendal Paul


Posts: 3
Joined: Mar 2008
Post: #11
27-03-2008 06:15 PM

Go Big Julie, Go!

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Nicecupoftea


Posts: 7
Joined: Jul 2009
Post: #12
03-12-2009 09:11 AM

I don't live on Devonshire Road, but I can't help noticing as I trudge along it in the winter rain that it looks a bit, ahem, scruffy.

Seems to me the biggest problem is parking on the pavement.

I can think of two solutions:
- Ban parking on one side of the road.
- Make Devonshire Road one-way, and ticket anyone parking on the pavement.

The first I imagine would cause howls of protest. Has the second been considered at any point?

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Johnc


Posts: 138
Joined: Jan 2007
Post: #13
03-12-2009 10:17 AM

Well I do live on Devonshire road and leave for work quite early in the mornings and before the bin men turn up on a Wednesday. It is often like going through an assualt course due to the lack of space on the pavement. Personally I don't mind if cars just have a couple of wheels up on the kerb, but when it extends to over halfway across the pavement then it is a bit much. I think that it is an offence (but not sure) for cars to park on the pavement unless the road has a special dispensation, but never seen any tickets in Devonshire Road

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #14
06-12-2009 12:08 AM

It is an offence to park on the pavement except where designated by the Council, But this is rarely enforced.

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andrewr


Posts: 296
Joined: May 2006
Post: #15
09-12-2009 06:26 PM

IF we want Devonshire Road to remain a two way road and IF local residents want to be able to park their cars then parking on the pavement has to be allowed. Surely the answer is for the Council to mark the pavement with permitted parking bays which leave a reasonable amount of space for pedestrians, buggies etc. Then to enforce the parking bays by ticketing anyone who parks too far onto the pavement or on the pavement where a bay is not marked. This has happened in Westwood Park and it works reasonably well.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #16
09-12-2009 06:34 PM

In most cases the pavements Devonshire Road are NOT wide enough to permit parking and allow pedestrians two abreast to walk and pass other pedestrians.
DR was not built with cars in mind. You have to consider this when choosing to live there.

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