RESIDENTS in Rowney Green are calling for West Mercia Police to clampdown on drivers parking their cars on pavements and blocking footways in the village.
One man, who did not want to be named, reported two cars which left little room on the path on Rowney Green Lane, near the village hall, bus stop and junction with Newbourne Hill.
He said: “It’s a busy section of road where a pavement is needed to keep pedestrians safe.
“More often than not there is less than two inches of a gap, and you certainly can’t pass with pushchairs, wheelchairs or any other mobility devices – I have to walk in the road if I walk the dog.”
He reported it to officers and checks he carried out on the DVLA website showed the tax and MoT status of one of the cars had expired and was two weeks out of date.
The issue was also discussed at a meeting of the Rowney Green Association (RGA).
Coun Adam Kent, who represents Wythall on Worcestershire County Council, has campaigned against pavement parking in the past.
He said: “I managed to get pavement parking restrictions put on a section of Shawhurst Lane in Wythall but then when it was consulted on, residents and businesses said there was no other space to park.
“It was also found that people would park on pavements where there wasn’t a ban so it just moved the issue down the road.”
He added often action taken against pavement parking depended on the individual police safer neighbourhood team and some officers would ticket cars.
“But that can only be done if the person is sufficiently far over on the pavement to block wheelchairs and pushchairs and you can get a police officer to come out, see it for themselves and issue the ticket.
“My solution would be to include pavement parking in Operation Snap so people could submit photographs or footage to the police in the same way they do for dangerous driving and jumping red lights. Drivers could be prosecuted in that way, based on the evidence.”
Currently pavement parking is banned in London and new powers are set to be given to councils across England later this year to ban pavement parking in designated areas.
Coun Kent added: “The problem is, in London, public transport is a lot more reliable and less people there own cars so it works.
“That’s not the same in Worcestershire and most of the roads in these areas were built in the 1950s and 60s when people were lucky to have one car but now some households have three or four.”
Sgt Luke Jackson, from Alvechurch and Wythall Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “We are aware of concerns around parking in Rowney Green and are monitoring the situation.
“Officers have been out to the area to engage with residents and given advice on safe parking.
“We are also working with local partners on the issue and to establish whether there are safe alternatives that avoids parking on pavements and still allowing enough room for emergency vehicles to pass through.”
