Decision details

Cabinet considered the proposed response to the Department for Transport’s public consultation on tackling pavement parking.  In England, parking is permitted on pavements and verges unless specifically prohibited by a local authority under a formal Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).

Options considered and rejected:

Option 1 – to rely on improvements to the existing TRO system

Option 3 – a national pavement parking prohibition

Resolved to support option 2 of the consultation to allow local authorities with Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) powers to enforce against “unnecessary obstruction of the pavement”.

Reason for recommendation:

The Open Consultation will shape the Government’s decision over what option to take, moving forward. Each of the three options has distinct impacts on Spelthorne, and Surrey in general, so it is important that formal feedback is provided to the consultation in that capacity, regardless of the outcome of the national consultation that is open to all citizens of the United Kingdom. Option 2  is the most likely to strike the right balance between flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and immediate positive impact on the key issues identified.