Mr Cameron is grateful for the time and trouble you have taken to get in touch.

Because the Department for Transport is best placed to respond to the matters you raise, he has asked me to forward your letter to the Department so that they may reply to your concerns directly.

It is good of you to take the time to write to Mr Clegg. I hope you will understand that as the points you raise are a matter for the Department for Transport, he has asked me to forward your correspondence to them so that they may respond directly.

Whilst I understand your concerns about road safety as a public health [sic], the matters you raise are not within the remit of the Department of Health.
Road safety campaigns and the expansion of public and private transport are matters for the Department for Transport. You may therefore wish to contact that Department directly with your concerns. The contact details are: ...
With regards to the implementation of parking restrictions, this is a matter for local authorities and you should continue to pursue your concerns with Wirral Council directly.
I am sorry I cannot be more directly helpful.

We have noted your concerns regarding vehicles parking on footways. Mr Milliband is always grateful to hear people's views and suggestions as to how matters can be improved and believes that people such as you, who take the time to write in, provide a crucial input to the politicial process.

Thank you again for taking the time to get in touch with Mr Milliband to share your views.

...as Sarah is not your MP, Parliamentary Protocol prevents her from acting on your behalf. Your Member of Parliament is Esther McVey ... You may like to contact her on this issue.

Thank you for your letter to Karen Lumley MP of 27th February which she read with interest as a member of the Transport Committee.

Members of Parliament are only able to correspond with their own constituents, and so should you require a response to your letter or any action taken then please address any further correspondence to your own member of Parliament who, from your address, I believe is Esther McVey MP.

Whether there's a consensus or not it will be a court that ultimately determines what is or isn't legal so the [?] is one of enforcement and you should take this up with your local authority and constabulary.

I have made enquiries and I have been assured that both the police and the local authorities have adequate powers to deal with all issues relating to illegal parking.

As far as I am aware, unless there are specific Traffic Regulation Orders in place, or that a specific driver is witnessed causing specific damage, the Council is not formally able to take legal action.
Issues such as driving onto footways or obstruction of these are matters for the Police and I understand that the Police have been in correspondence with you over this on a number of occasions over recent years.
The Council takes its responsibility for road safety seriously ...
The overall number of pedestrian road casualties has reduced significantly ...
I do not consider it appropriate for the officers of the Council to comment on the legality of issues which are beyond our legislative scope and will therefore refrain from completing your survey.

I am not able to comment on the specific photographs as there are numerous factors and circumstances that would need to be taken into consideration. However in terms of pavement parking in Liverpool I would make the following general comments:-

• It is an offence to wilfully obstruct the free passage along a highway under Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980. This can be enforced immediately by Merseyside Police with a Fixed Penalty Notice.
  
• The City council can take action if damage arises from vehicles driving on the footway and this damage can be attributed to a specific road-user.
  
• Powers exist for local authorities to implement footway parking bans through Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO's); however, a city-wide footway parking ban has not been implemented in Liverpool.
  
• If there is a TRO in place on the carriageway this will normally extend to the back of footway; allowing the City Council to take enforcement action for contraventions of the TRO during times it is in force.
  

Please advise my colleague Paul Hughes, Team Leader, Highways and Transportation if you have concerns about specific locations and he will arrange for officers from the Highway and Transportation to investigate them and report back. ...

illegal: nearly always; legal: where specifically permitted - where pavements are wide enough and have been constructed in order to facilitate such parking i.e. Dovedale Rd and Avondale Rd in Hoylake.

Unusually for me, I am going to have to give you a bit of a politician's answer...! (We have discussed previously many of issues detailed below)

1. The Highway Code appears to state that DRIVING ON to a pavement is 'illegal' - but being parked on one is not. (The answer to this could be to create a law that prosecuted the OWNER of any vehicle that was on the pavement without just cause)

2. If parking on pavement was banned on both sides of many of the narrow roads in the borough, it would prevent the passage of emergency, service and HGV vehicles.

3. If parking was only to be allowed on one side of the road, it would immediately halve the parking provision in many areas - including parts of West Kirby. This would be practically, politically and democratically unacceptable to many residents.

4. In other words, we inevitably and regrettably need a compromise solution (that I have been pursuing all along) It should be clearly deemed illegal to cause OBSTRUCTION to the extent that pedestrians or permitted wheeled vehicle users (push chairs and mobility scooters etc) are forced off the pavement into the road.

5. And the Council should ALWAYS prosecute those causing damage to pavements - including the residents of properties where THEY allow workman to block or damage pavements and grass verges with their heavy vehicles.

SUMMARY

Clearly my conclusion is that parking on pavements is illegal in principle - but the practicality of enforcing it MUST take into consideration the issues outlined above.

My position on all this has not changed since I first raised this parking issue in committee and at Council. The devil is in the detail of how to develop appropriate unambiguous laws - that are enforceable.

Hope that clarifies my opinions

Apologies for my non-reply to your survey letter. I had put it aside for a more detailed response and since your recent exchanges with David; I have just uncovered it again.

Much as I would have liked to simply tick the first (illegal) box, for reasons explored in various reports including your own, I do not believe that would be correct. My understanding is that (regrettably) parking on the footway (apart from some specified and signed verges) is not currently illegal in Wirral; but the act of driving onto and off the footway would be an offence if witnessed by a police officer - hence your use of the second photo.

It would be my wish that for reasons of pedestrian safety and costly surface repairs, parking on the footway should become just as universally unacceptable as smoking in enclosed public places has become.

Those with off-street space should use it and, where possible, create more (as I have done) thus leaving on-street space for temporary visitors. Those who cannot park fully on the carriageway without causing obstruction should be obliged to park elsewhere and, if inconvenient, consider the long-term suitability of their accommodation for their vehicle usage.

For the time being and to avoid significant extra expenditure by the police and council, the use of windscreen stickers and a database to record repeat 'offenders' together with an ongoing publicity campaign seems to me to be the best way of achieving the goal of 'universal unacceptability'.

I strongly support David's continuing efforts to get the police and council officers to use the stickers. From the exchanges at the latest West Wirral Constituency Committee, it would appear that this has unanimous support.

I hope this helps and I shall be returning the unused s.a.e.!

The law is not clear. Driving on a pavement is an offence, but exactly what constitutes 'driving on a pavement' has probably not been tested.

It is further confused by the decriminalisation of parking enforcement.

Use of signs to indicate a local ban is a possible option for specific problem areas.

Unfortunately, I am not in a position to comment on the legality of footway parking as this is a matter for each local authority to determine. Therefore, I have forwarded your letter to the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership for each local authority partner to respond directly to you so that they can explain their approach to the matter.
However, in the meantime, I would draw your attention to the Merseyside Local Transport Plan ...

I will confirm with you that my answer that I gave you is because I do not have the expertise on what is or is not Legal parking so to get a definitive answer I have asked Inspector Kolkotroni to respond as to what is enforcement and what is not I think this is appropriate the you have a Legal and expert opinion rather than a incorrect one from a Councillor that is off the cuff

To the best of my knowledge mounting the pavement with a vehicle is against the law unless an access to driveways is available Parking on footpaths is illegal and should be enforced

Parking on the pavement is not, in itself, illegal. Most parking matters have been decriminalised and are now enforced by the local authority rather than the police. Local signage should indicate any restrictions which are in place.
There remains the possibility for proceedings for obstructing the highway (including pavement or footpath) under the Highways Act 1980, Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, depending on the circumstances.
The investigation of any alleged offences is the responsibility of the police.
I hope that this letter assists you in understanding the law and our position in respect of such matters.