Thank you to Cllr Bethia Thomas and the Lib Dem Group on Oxfordshire County Council for this motion.
This Council:
- Recognises that dangerous parking, on pavements, in cycle lanes, around schools and in many other instances, causes significant danger and inconvenience to many people particularly those with limited mobility.
- Understands that this is a county wide issue, and many representative groups have worked tirelessly to highlight these issues.
- Recognises the findings from the Government’s consultation, allowing the highway authority to enforce a ban on pavement parking.
- Recognises that a ban on pavement parking needs to be accompanied by the consideration of parking as whole, and by extra budget from Government or else effective enforcement may not be possible.
Council therefore:
- Fully endorses the objective to end pavement parking and doing so in a way which suits local needs best.
- Commits to supporting the use of civil enforcement powers in a way which enforces this policy effectively in a cost neutral way to the council.
- Asks the Cabinet Member for Transport to:
- oversee the introduction of an enforcement mechanism, recognising that different areas will require different solutions.
- ensure that key stakeholders and representative groups of people with restricted mobility be consulted throughout.
- ensure that the Council follows the progress of Government’s latest research exercise into this issue, responding as appropriate.
- Asks the Leader of the Council to write to the Minister for Local Transport to request further resources to be able to implement the enforcement mechanism effectively.