The Highway Code on pavement parking
The changes in the Highway Code over the last few editions are responsible for the doubt over whether pavement parking is illegal.
The 1983 and 2004 versions were clear and unambiguous that drivers must not park on pavements. The 2007 version introduced inconsistency and doubt for no good reason - the general law did not change. (In London, a law prohibits being parked on a pavement in addition to the laws banning driving on a pavement and obstructing the highway, but this does not mean that pavement parking by driving on to the pavement is legal elsewhere.)
The 2007 wording has caused much danger and distress for vulnerable people and should be changed back to the 2004 version.
The Highway Code (1983):
140. Think before you park. DO NOT park your vehicle where it would endanger or inconvenience pedestrians or other road users, for example:
• on a footpath, pavement or cycle track;
• ...
• on a footpath, pavement or cycle track;
• ...
The Highway Code: Revised 2004:
218. DO NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, the visually impaired and people with prams or pushchairs.
The Offical Highway Code: Revised 2007 Edition [Latest version]
145. You MUST NOT drive on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway except to gain lawful access to property, or in the case of an emergency.
Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & RTA 1988 sect 34
244. You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs.
Law GL(GP)A sect 15
Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & RTA 1988 sect 34
244. You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs.
Law GL(GP)A sect 15