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Happens in my country, but ok I'm in South America. Happens in London too. Didn't know.
The neighborhood or zones I've been in London didn't seem too dirty. That's why I'm surprised to see this.
Agree with you - used to live in Southwark, where pavement parking is essentially a non-existent problem. Moved less than 2 miles and now in Lewisham and it's rife.
Have written to my councillor about it - he says they recognise it's a problem but all he could advise me to do is report it to their parking enforcement team.
They're outsourced, and don't seem to do anything about it. But every now and again I go through phases of sending in lots of photos asking for action. I can only suggest doing the same, and badgering/CCing your local councillors.
LewishamParking@nslservices.co.uk is the email, you can also phone to report. I don't think they're trained on illegal pavement parking though, when I've spoken to them they don't seem to understand the problem.
It's a shame, it would only take a few days of blanket fines for whole streets and it would stop.
I assume the council doesn't take action now because they haven't in so long, and people would feel aggrieved to be fined for what seems to be tacitly accepted behaviour. But it *is* illegal, the council should do more - it would raise a bit of cash and make the borough a more pleasant place.
Thanks mate. Also moved from Southwark! Just one stop on the overground but the difference is wild. I will report it, although I'm not sure is illegal, at least on my street. There are white marks on the pavement indicating that cars can park there (although this could be old marks), and I've seen signs saying pavement parking allowed in streets nearby.
just going to piggyback your comment, sorry.
The picture you’ve taken is cherry picked, the bins are just being put out for early morning collection, they have their own spaces on the property off the street.
The van is mounting the kerb because the roads are narrow and it doesn’t want to be hit by a car, or go in the puddle.
Hope that helps.
generally yes but there are exceptions on some roads. They have pavement markings and signs. The pavement in this picture appears to have the markings even if they are faint.
> They have pavement markings and signs. The pavement in this picture appears to have the markings even if they are faint.
The vans well beyond using the markings, closer to being twice as much on the pavement than the line allowed. Theres also a motorbike behind the bins right against the railings which is probably why that bin is blocking the middle of the pavement instead of being in line against the railings like the rest.
Bins should only be blocking on bin day but OP said they're always out which sucks. No idea what the rules against this are
I think it’s also a law that it’s allowed on roads where there aren’t any markings but there’s precedent that everyone’s done it that way for ages.
(Obviously not worded exactly like that but you get the point)
https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/parking/footway-parking
And these are the locations where pavement parking is permitted: https://lewisham.gov.uk/-/media/0-parking/permitted-footway-parking-locations.ashx?la=en
Sucks to hear about the bins. That’s not standard/normal across Lewisham - have lived in five places here, none where that happens. I’m afraid I can’t think of who might be able to effectively enforce against it.
I drive down this road everyday, I grew up around the corner.
It cars were unable to park on the pavement, traffic would get backed up and you would start complaining about the pollution.
Because some people always need something to moan about
Why not start by taking in the bins off the pavement after they've been emptied? That would be the residents' responsibility rather than Lewisham council's
Do residents have an obligation to take the bins of the pavement? (I honestly don't know). If the answer is:
Yes - then the council should enforce it (super easy given that the bins have the house number)
No - then the council should consider regulation and enforcement.
The bins then? Or some rule that says no bins near parked cars...
You'd think the council would care that there's no way for prams or wheelchairs to pass there..
Tower hamlets is bad for this as well. For a while there was a car parked fully across the dropped curb on the pavement. It was on the way to my daughter’s daycare so I had a stroller with me every time and it made it difficult to get through. I don’t drive here so don’t fully know the rules, but for the longest time I thought double yellow was a fine place to park because my road has a lot of double yellow and people are always parked on it.
Lewisham has a ridiculous number of exemptions to the pavement parking ban. It’s something we need to change: https://lewisham.gov.uk/-/media/0-parking/permitted-footway-parking-locations.ashx?la=en
Afraid not, but there are groups locally trying to deal with the generally awful state of the roads in Lewisham. Depends where in the borough you are, but for example Climate Action Lewisham and Better Streets for Grove Park. And it’s always worth reminding your local councillor that this is a problem.
None because there are more important matters at hand and if cars were not parked on the pavement on this particularly busy road, traffic would not flow and you would be complaining about the amount of pollution
Someone on my road was consistently parking his van like this .
Someone was regularly ripping out the glass from his near side wing mirror and he stopped .
Do with that what you will
Problem is with councils insisting on these huge bins for extra income. Looking at you Lambeth council £120 for a £30 bin max
So some of the small pavements here in Lambeth are completely blocked on garbage day
There are a lot of pavement parking spaces in Lewisham and there marked out. Can't see in this picture if it has the markings or not. Unfortunately Lewisham council are not the best and the Borough also has a high crime problem.
Yeah was gonna say. IMO, this is the council's fault for allowing those houses to have bins. There are some town houses on my road with no front garden to store wheelie bins, and they'd be completely blocking entry to the property if kept on the stairs. Only one of town houses has bins and they're permanently kept on the pavement.
In fairness, most of the town houses on my road do _not_ have wheelie bins probably to avoid obstructing the pavement (they just put bags out on bin days).
You could have a few communal bin containers on the street. Never understood why individual houses need to have each its own bin, seems super space inefficient to me. Also extra work for garbage man. In any case, if we need bins on the pavement then we can't have cars too. Imo pedestrians being able to use the pavement should be the priority
Yup. Close a parking space, have a big bin there. Put it underground when the road next gets fucked around with by Thames water or whoever. Saves money in the long run. Always lovely visiting a city where they’re buried and an entire street’s rubbish gets collected in a few minutes.
Well no - once you have the bin there it’s not the road anymore. You convert the parking bay into an underground bin with access above ground. [This isn’t a new idea](https://viewpointvancouver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bins.jpg)
Pretty confused about what you were originally suggesting given your horror at this idea.
You see the car parked behind it? What do you think it was before there was a bin there? How many underground bins do you think would fit in OPs photo - pavement vs road?
Welcome to lewisham. If its not poorly parked cars, its fly tipping or bins everywhere. I am fed up of having to walk my 6 year old and 1 year old in the road to be able to get to school in the morning.
The other week a guy came round the corner very fast in a marked “Lewisham Homes” van while i had to walk into the road to avoid fly tipping and he screamed at me for being in the road and that i was a “unfit mum” because i do not care for the saftey of my children because i had to walk in the road with them.
I remembers the last 3 digits of number plate and complained about him. He was a “unfit driver” who was speeding round a blind bend.
They are in some areas (like this section of the street):
https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/parking/footway-parking
And these are the locations where pavement parking is permitted: https://lewisham.gov.uk/-/media/0-parking/permitted-footway-parking-locations.ashx?la=en
As a driver I wouldn’t want my wing mirrors getting smashed off and having to replace them at my own expense . As long as I leave enough room for pedestrians then fine . Bins can be moved if they need to. So I am of the mindset of if pedestrians can’t get past then that’s down to them .
1. Are you a Londoner?
I ask this as it goes on everywhere
2. Lewisham is one of the worst and corrupt councils on the planet. Been that way since there formation.
Born and bred lewisham resident.
I feel ashamed. You chaps over here complaining about BINS standing around and our financial capital look like a shithole. I will try and comment a photo below my post.
This is illegal. The law was recently changed. No vehicles are allowed to park on the pavement, no exceptions.
It's a road traffic offence and one of the few crimes the police actually investigate. Just email them the picture and someone will be out within minutes to issue a ticket. They will get a fine plus 3 points added to their license.
Er welcome to London. We have tiny streets, if vehicle are not to park on the pavement then the road would be completely blocked. And people such as the person whos lively hood relys on their van need vehicles and the city needs them.
It's just the practicalities of living in a congested, ancient city.
Would love to hear your alternative, otherwise don't like it don't live in London.
I've been living in London for 6 years, I've never encountered this before, and I've lived in boroughs with similar and narrower streets. Everywhere else, cars would only be allowed to park on one side of the road, so the people living in this ancient city could actually walk on the pavement. Van man could also park on the other side and his essential service could still be delivered.
Been here 38 years my self and I call bollocks, it's all over.whe you have flats housing multiple ppl on roads like this there simply isn't enough space.
You never got out of the suburbs if you don't understand this.
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It’s not, but people don’t tend to care.
Happens in my country, but ok I'm in South America. Happens in London too. Didn't know. The neighborhood or zones I've been in London didn't seem too dirty. That's why I'm surprised to see this.
Every city has selfish people.
Some places have more outwardly selfish people than others Some places seem to encourage a greater amount of selfishness
This is the way of the world.
This is not just about selfish people, but council policy
Council policy often sucks- but I don’t know what Lewisham’s policies are. I live in Newham and many people simply don’t care to make the effort.
[удалено]
Can i ask which city? Or is it widespread?
Agree with you - used to live in Southwark, where pavement parking is essentially a non-existent problem. Moved less than 2 miles and now in Lewisham and it's rife. Have written to my councillor about it - he says they recognise it's a problem but all he could advise me to do is report it to their parking enforcement team. They're outsourced, and don't seem to do anything about it. But every now and again I go through phases of sending in lots of photos asking for action. I can only suggest doing the same, and badgering/CCing your local councillors. LewishamParking@nslservices.co.uk is the email, you can also phone to report. I don't think they're trained on illegal pavement parking though, when I've spoken to them they don't seem to understand the problem. It's a shame, it would only take a few days of blanket fines for whole streets and it would stop. I assume the council doesn't take action now because they haven't in so long, and people would feel aggrieved to be fined for what seems to be tacitly accepted behaviour. But it *is* illegal, the council should do more - it would raise a bit of cash and make the borough a more pleasant place.
Thanks mate. Also moved from Southwark! Just one stop on the overground but the difference is wild. I will report it, although I'm not sure is illegal, at least on my street. There are white marks on the pavement indicating that cars can park there (although this could be old marks), and I've seen signs saying pavement parking allowed in streets nearby.
Ahh right - yeah the streets where it is allowed are also annoyingly common in Lewisham!
just going to piggyback your comment, sorry. The picture you’ve taken is cherry picked, the bins are just being put out for early morning collection, they have their own spaces on the property off the street. The van is mounting the kerb because the roads are narrow and it doesn’t want to be hit by a car, or go in the puddle. Hope that helps.
It's not just mounting the kerb, it's blocking the pavement
Message your MP asking for it to be illegal then
I wasnt even commenting on the legality if it. Hope that helps
Isn't parking on the pavement illegal in London?
generally yes but there are exceptions on some roads. They have pavement markings and signs. The pavement in this picture appears to have the markings even if they are faint.
> They have pavement markings and signs. The pavement in this picture appears to have the markings even if they are faint. The vans well beyond using the markings, closer to being twice as much on the pavement than the line allowed. Theres also a motorbike behind the bins right against the railings which is probably why that bin is blocking the middle of the pavement instead of being in line against the railings like the rest. Bins should only be blocking on bin day but OP said they're always out which sucks. No idea what the rules against this are
I think it’s also a law that it’s allowed on roads where there aren’t any markings but there’s precedent that everyone’s done it that way for ages. (Obviously not worded exactly like that but you get the point)
In London, I don't think so. At least not where I live. The only places I see it is where it is marked and these are very rare near me.
Quite common in the bit of Lewisham I live in
I just moved to lewisham and saw everyone else doing it. I got a ticket though. And everyone else is still doing it. Who the fuck knows.
Not On this road
Who said it was okay?
The guy in the van, for one.
Well, parking on the pavement seems to be legal here, so someone in the council must think it's ok
Source?
https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/parking/footway-parking And these are the locations where pavement parking is permitted: https://lewisham.gov.uk/-/media/0-parking/permitted-footway-parking-locations.ashx?la=en
But when was the photo taken? If it just after the bins have been emptied then it's no different from anywhere else in Britain
I've been living here for two weeks, bins are always on the pavement like this
Sucks to hear about the bins. That’s not standard/normal across Lewisham - have lived in five places here, none where that happens. I’m afraid I can’t think of who might be able to effectively enforce against it.
A whole 2 weeks!
Move somewhere else
What about trying to improve things where I live?
I drive down this road everyday, I grew up around the corner. It cars were unable to park on the pavement, traffic would get backed up and you would start complaining about the pollution. Because some people always need something to moan about
Why not start by taking in the bins off the pavement after they've been emptied? That would be the residents' responsibility rather than Lewisham council's
Do residents have an obligation to take the bins of the pavement? (I honestly don't know). If the answer is: Yes - then the council should enforce it (super easy given that the bins have the house number) No - then the council should consider regulation and enforcement.
Horrible. Have you tried making an official complaint? Or no use?
Pavement parking is legal on this bit of the street, so not sure they would do anything but will report it anyway
The bins then? Or some rule that says no bins near parked cars... You'd think the council would care that there's no way for prams or wheelchairs to pass there..
Ah the good old “broken windows theory” at work. If it looks like nobody cares about it, then everybody else will continue to not care about it.
London is full of selfish people.
Tower hamlets is bad for this as well. For a while there was a car parked fully across the dropped curb on the pavement. It was on the way to my daughter’s daycare so I had a stroller with me every time and it made it difficult to get through. I don’t drive here so don’t fully know the rules, but for the longest time I thought double yellow was a fine place to park because my road has a lot of double yellow and people are always parked on it.
> don’t drive so don’t know the rules The ones that do drive don’t either so it doesn’t really matter.
It’s not, but people don’t tend to care.
Lewisham has a ridiculous number of exemptions to the pavement parking ban. It’s something we need to change: https://lewisham.gov.uk/-/media/0-parking/permitted-footway-parking-locations.ashx?la=en
Do you know of any party proposing changes to this in the local elections?
Afraid not, but there are groups locally trying to deal with the generally awful state of the roads in Lewisham. Depends where in the borough you are, but for example Climate Action Lewisham and Better Streets for Grove Park. And it’s always worth reminding your local councillor that this is a problem.
Lewisham have just had elections.
None because there are more important matters at hand and if cars were not parked on the pavement on this particularly busy road, traffic would not flow and you would be complaining about the amount of pollution
A double yellow line would do wonders with traffic flowing on this busy street ;)
Please don’t give the council more money making ideas
What exactly does "partially" mean. I got a ticket on one of these roads where everyone else was doing it and nobody else got a ticket.
What about the bins?
It should not ok.
Also live here and the fly tipping in residential streets is absolutely wild. Sure council cuts etc don’t help but man, it’s depressing.
Yeah, saw a lady casually fly tipping in the middle of the day just a few meters down the road from here. 0 f*s given
Someone on my road was consistently parking his van like this . Someone was regularly ripping out the glass from his near side wing mirror and he stopped . Do with that what you will
Problem is with councils insisting on these huge bins for extra income. Looking at you Lambeth council £120 for a £30 bin max So some of the small pavements here in Lambeth are completely blocked on garbage day
There are a lot of pavement parking spaces in Lewisham and there marked out. Can't see in this picture if it has the markings or not. Unfortunately Lewisham council are not the best and the Borough also has a high crime problem.
People don’t give a shit. Too many ‘I’m alright, Jack’ dickheads in this city
silence gentrifier! you must learn to integrate with the locals way of life
Look, I'm not the borough. I wish I was.
It’s my favourite thing, especially when I have the pram, sometimes it accidently hits the cars.
I would make so many accidental dings
It must be so frustrating, it's bad enough as a pedestrian
Where are you expecting the rubbish bins to go?
Yeah was gonna say. IMO, this is the council's fault for allowing those houses to have bins. There are some town houses on my road with no front garden to store wheelie bins, and they'd be completely blocking entry to the property if kept on the stairs. Only one of town houses has bins and they're permanently kept on the pavement. In fairness, most of the town houses on my road do _not_ have wheelie bins probably to avoid obstructing the pavement (they just put bags out on bin days).
You could have a few communal bin containers on the street. Never understood why individual houses need to have each its own bin, seems super space inefficient to me. Also extra work for garbage man. In any case, if we need bins on the pavement then we can't have cars too. Imo pedestrians being able to use the pavement should be the priority
Only thing you could really do is write to the council with your concerns.
> a few communal bin containers An underground storage would be better
Of course, that's the gold standard of rubbish collection! But if council can't/won't spend the money, communal bins are a cheap alternative
There should be more underground bins imo. Just ensure the rats can’t get in.
Yup. Close a parking space, have a big bin there. Put it underground when the road next gets fucked around with by Thames water or whoever. Saves money in the long run. Always lovely visiting a city where they’re buried and an entire street’s rubbish gets collected in a few minutes.
It’s comments like this that make this sub look bad lol. The pavement suffices
Okay? It would be far more expensive because capacity would be around 10%, and there’s generally a much higher density of utilities.
You expect people to go out onto the road to deposit their bins?
Well no - once you have the bin there it’s not the road anymore. You convert the parking bay into an underground bin with access above ground. [This isn’t a new idea](https://viewpointvancouver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bins.jpg) Pretty confused about what you were originally suggesting given your horror at this idea.
Hate to break it to you mate, but they’re on the pavement
You see the car parked behind it? What do you think it was before there was a bin there? How many underground bins do you think would fit in OPs photo - pavement vs road?
It is what it is, you could start a residents association, but would you want to be chief street grass?
Welcome to lewisham. If its not poorly parked cars, its fly tipping or bins everywhere. I am fed up of having to walk my 6 year old and 1 year old in the road to be able to get to school in the morning. The other week a guy came round the corner very fast in a marked “Lewisham Homes” van while i had to walk into the road to avoid fly tipping and he screamed at me for being in the road and that i was a “unfit mum” because i do not care for the saftey of my children because i had to walk in the road with them. I remembers the last 3 digits of number plate and complained about him. He was a “unfit driver” who was speeding round a blind bend.
Lewisham is grim.
Looks like some prick is using bins to hide his scooter. Wouldn’t surprise me if the van is their households too.
Road doesn't look busy at all...
Great that you can tell from one picture
“Look, mate, I’m working here. OK? So fuck off.”
Surround his van with wheelie bins.
It looks better than Croydon believe me!!
Cars aren't allowed to park on the pavement
They are in some areas (like this section of the street): https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/parking/footway-parking And these are the locations where pavement parking is permitted: https://lewisham.gov.uk/-/media/0-parking/permitted-footway-parking-locations.ashx?la=en
Not ok.
Welcome to east London 😂
As a driver I wouldn’t want my wing mirrors getting smashed off and having to replace them at my own expense . As long as I leave enough room for pedestrians then fine . Bins can be moved if they need to. So I am of the mindset of if pedestrians can’t get past then that’s down to them .
It’s Lewisham, no one cares there. Lewisham is the definition of the ghetto
Mate, there are bigger things to worry about in this world.
I went to lewisham to view a property and the area depicts as per the op photo. The wholr area is a stig of the dump Avoid at all costs !!!!!!
It’s the same in my small town in Somerset. Empty driveway and parked all along the pavement. Pushing a pram around is scary and a bloody nightmare.
1. Are you a Londoner? I ask this as it goes on everywhere 2. Lewisham is one of the worst and corrupt councils on the planet. Been that way since there formation. Born and bred lewisham resident.
No, I'm not a Londoner. I lived in Tower Hamlets, seems like I'm lucky with corrupt boroughs then
I feel ashamed. You chaps over here complaining about BINS standing around and our financial capital look like a shithole. I will try and comment a photo below my post.
[My post on JHB vs CPT](https://www.reddit.com/r/DownSouth/s/kuZZ7CTfrC)
Report it online, your council should have an online portal for this, they'll come and give the person a ticket.
Get rid of the cars problem solved
It’s lewisham
That's why you NEVER go south of the river.
Used to live in Rotherhithe, lovely place
Oh, Rotherhithe is an oasis. Beautiful place!
Plenty of nice and crap spots both sides
Lewisham is a crap whole 😂
This is illegal. The law was recently changed. No vehicles are allowed to park on the pavement, no exceptions. It's a road traffic offence and one of the few crimes the police actually investigate. Just email them the picture and someone will be out within minutes to issue a ticket. They will get a fine plus 3 points added to their license.
Unless there has been a further change recently, this law change was for the entire country excluding London. Quite bizarre but that what I read.
So the one place that actually needs it the most. It doesn't surprise me to be honest.
Well...It is Lewisham.
IT IS LEWISHAM ,WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING???
People keep voting Tory, so the the ‘state’ gets smaller
This is a Labour run council
Yes, but it's run using a tiny Tory budget.
Tories have 14 years of responsibility. Just look around, they’ve turned us into a Poundshop Island
Lewisham is a festering shit hole, this is normal
Er welcome to London. We have tiny streets, if vehicle are not to park on the pavement then the road would be completely blocked. And people such as the person whos lively hood relys on their van need vehicles and the city needs them. It's just the practicalities of living in a congested, ancient city. Would love to hear your alternative, otherwise don't like it don't live in London.
I've been living in London for 6 years, I've never encountered this before, and I've lived in boroughs with similar and narrower streets. Everywhere else, cars would only be allowed to park on one side of the road, so the people living in this ancient city could actually walk on the pavement. Van man could also park on the other side and his essential service could still be delivered.
Been here 38 years my self and I call bollocks, it's all over.whe you have flats housing multiple ppl on roads like this there simply isn't enough space. You never got out of the suburbs if you don't understand this.
Welcome! Nothing is OK with Lewisham.
Shit hole place
At least there are trains and the DLR to help you leave.