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Drivers face £120 fine for parking over dropped kerbs
David Williams13 Feb 2009
Motorists who are caught parking next to dropped kerbs in Westminster are to be fined up to £120.
Previously motorists in the borough have been allowed to park next to the kerbs during times when single yellow line parking restrictions are not in force - after 6.30pm and on Sundays.
But from Monday, that policy will change and wardens have started issuing notices warning of the move.
The kerbs are to help wheelchair and pushchair users off pavements.
Motoring campaigners have criticised the move. Paul Pearson, of website penaltychargenotice.co.uk, said: "Thousands of motorists will now make the mistake of believing they have parked legally, only to be fined £120.
"This seems more aimed at raising money than helping keep dropped kerbs clear. It's a licence to print money."
However, Westminster said it had begun issuing warning notices and that this had already cut parking over dropped kerbs by 70 per cent.
Westminster's assistant parking director, Kevin Goad, said: "Parking in front of vital drop kerbs endangers the lives of hundreds of pedestrians and other motorists.
"A small minority do not know their parking is illegal. From 16 February motorists who continue to flout the law will be issued a ticket."
Motorists settling within 14 days will pay the discounted fine of £60.
Reader views (15)
Why dont they make cars that can fold up and put in your hand bag. There are virtually no parking space. STOP selling cars, why am I paying ROAD TAX if I can not use the road? Why am I paying Council TAX if I can not park in my area??? what on earth is going on???
- Aisha, london, 16/03/2010 16:57
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For me, what would be nice, is an honest traffic warden. I had to park outside charing cross police station, it was just after 18:30 so i double checked with a very helpful traffic enforcemnet officer if i could park where i had. His response was yeah its after 18:30 so the yellow lines arent in force. so i thought great. then at 18:39 a lovely little bit of paper with the value of £120 quid was slapped on the windscreen of the car. i dont know if it was the same nice enforcemnt officer or his friend he called up but come on talk about entrapment.
Now maybe i should of been aware of the drop down curb law/rules/powers what ever you want to call them. but when there is a drop down curb with no where on the other side of the street with a drop down curb till you get to the end of the road, 200 meters away. wheres the logic in that? it was dark and neither me nor the enforcement officer had seen the drop down curb.
I think that drop down curbs should be marked up with a double yellow line. that way there is no confusion and with the ever extensive powers councils are getting no way of a gray area being created to rake in the money. and that is what it is.
needless to say im still waiting for the council to get back in touch with me. but im not holding 0ut much hope really.
- John, Westminster, london, 19/12/2009 10:13
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Money grabbing lunatics.
- John Smith, London , England, 19/12/2009 09:13
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I would support this but only if the single yellow lines are replaced with double yellow lines as currently, the understanding is that it is fine to park on a single yellow line, outside of the controlled hours.
- Ross, London, UK, 19/12/2009 09:13
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No mdj it is not an offence. The Highway Code is not law, merely persuasive, but councils have a duty to ensure that they are not in contravention of DDA law, and must ensure that pedestrian ramps from pavement to road are kept clear.
Arguably cars blocking the ramps should be towed, but on balance Westminster have been incredibly fair with this, by first issuing warnings. Other authorities have not been.
My own have been issuing tickets, without any warning, since they completed a borough wide scheme of dropping the kerbs at every junction in 2002.
Ticketing across vehicular crossovers to residences only occurs where the stretch of road in fron of the ramp has been specifically excluded for parking (i.e. with yellow lines/markers). Ohterwise it is up to the home owner to get a car moved if it is blocking the ramp, and even then, so I understand it, when you need to gain exit rather than entry.
- Escobar A-Lop-Lop, Camden County, 19/12/2009 09:13
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I got stffed by Camden on this one, I was close to the junction but the kerb was at the same level as the road surface all the way round the junction. Their argument was that I had blocked a dropped kerb because the nose of my vehicle was above 3 inches worth of one piece of tatty tactile pavement. I pointed out to them that no one was inconvenienced and that for a kerb to be 'dropped' it was to drop from somewhere it was all at the same level.
Guess what they wouldn't accept any of my points, refused to play ball on a Freedom of Information request etc. In the end I just paid them their money, it's just legalised extortion.
- Jonathan, London, 19/12/2009 09:13
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Jock, does Rule 243 actually make it an offence, or not? Almost every street corner crossover is already quite rightly protected by double yellows,surely? Being considerate or not shouldn't come into the matter.
Councils delight in creating ambiguity in order to entrap. A single line lays down a certain pattern of lawful behaviour: if Councils don't want cars there at any time, they only have to put a double line, as Ross says. Unfortunately the article is unclear whether this crackdown applies also to private driveway crossovers, which only need to be kept clear for the brief times that the householder needs to come and go. If so, it's another fund-raising exercise.
- Mdj E10, london, uk, 19/12/2009 09:13
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Excellent.
As a disabled person I wish all local authoirties would enforce this rule. Dropped kerbs are essential for wheelchair users and parent's with pushchairs.
Drivers who park over dropped are selfish and ignorant. They are no better than non-disabled drivers who park in designated disabled parking spaces.
They deserve to be fined!
- Andrew Little, Gloucester, UK, 19/12/2009 09:13
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I'd suggest that the people leaving "money grabbing" comments refresh their knowledge of The Highway Code rules on Waiting and Parking.
Quite clearly states under rule 243:
"DO NOT stop or park where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles."
People who do, and then complain, really have only themselves to blame.
- Jock, London, 19/12/2009 09:13
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I think its about time too, it will not be long before we have nothing but dropped pavements all over Westminster. that will make it easier for cyclists to go from road to pavement and back again without getting caught.
Now if they could only start fining cyclists with no lights on their bikes, that should even things up a bit.
- Mr S.Port, London, 19/12/2009 09:13
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Good start, and wish they'd do it in less posh South London too. The public pavements round here are littered with cars "for sale" with mobile numbers to call, often outside struggling businesses for which these lumps of metal blocking off customers are the final death knell.
Next, crackdowns on motorists in cyclist boxes at red lights please - this threatens pedestrians too.
- Reg, London, 19/12/2009 09:13
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If real inconvenience is caused then people should have a ticket issued to them however it seems that some councils plan to use this or a similar power to ticket people who have parked close too peoples driveways, some people have arrangements with their neighbours to park however they may well still be ticketed even if they are causing “no” inconvenience to the property owner.
- Mike Melbourne, Bedford England, 19/12/2009 09:13
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"Parking in front of vital drop kerbs endangers the lives of hundreds of pedestrians and other motorists".
It's blatant rubbish like this that reveals the money hungry and dictatorial motives of these deluded appuratchniks.
Martin H.W. of Teddington, yellow lines help, especially at night, why worry about that though, half the street signs in London are missing these days, for the money we all pay every street should have a large illuminated sign.
- Frank H., London., 19/12/2009 09:13
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I was interested to view the comments on your web site concerning parking alongside dropped kerbs. The legislation, which has been available to London Boroughs for quite some time, is about to be made avaiable to other Local Authorities throughout the country in June. I work for a large Local Authority and obstructive parking of this type is one of our biggest complaint areas. Enforcement is currently carried out by the Police, but they have enough on their plates without having to deal with this sort of thing. The obstruction of pedestrian and vehicular dropped kerbs by motorists is very inconsiderate as it affects the most vulnerable members of society, whether it be wheelchair and mobility scooter users or mothers with prams and young children to take care of. In addition there is nothing worse than wanting to get your car out of your driveway only to find someone parked there who you have no way of contacting. We recently had a surgeon, needing to get to work, blocked in by a pub goer.
Having been involved in discussions about this issue I know for a fact that it is not seen as a way of making money out of motorists. The fact is that enforcing this legislation is going to be a pain in the proverbial, but if motorists were more considerate and thought of the needs of others rather than their own entirely selfish requirements, the legislation would be quite unnecessary. Parking in front of someone's dropped kerbs is something which would never enter my head.
- Mr D Butcher, Barnsley, South Yorks, 19/12/2009 09:13
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Do motorists REALLY need yellow lines to indicate that blocking pedestrian ramps is illegal and thoughtless?
- Martin H. Watson, Teddington, 19/12/2009 09:13
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