Forum Topic

Eastbourne Road parking on pavement

For last 3 months I have been appealing parking ticket that I received from Hounslow council for being parked on two wheels on carriageway and two wheels on footpath, something that every car in Eastbourne Road does, so there is no obstruction of traffic in the street. Now, parking adjudicator has decided in favor of council and noted to me that every car in that road is breaking the law as there are no proper signs in the road allowing cars to park on the pavement.Can you help me with any details, why cars in Eastbourne Road are parking with two wheels on footpath and two wheels on carriageway?

Mirko Petrovich ● 6093d20 Comments

Mike, I still believe I haven’t done anything wrong. Irony of this Kafkaesque case is that, since I am having new car and lost the old one, I am still parking in same road, same as everybody else, not blocking anybody to pass by and still haven’t received fine for something what everybody does. Wish I can upload picture so you can see what I mean, even on pictures from council parking officer, show that I have been parking same as everybody else. Comment that parking adjudicator gave to me when he saw all pictures of cars parked same way is that they all are breaking parking law! Isn’t it little bit bizarre?

Mirko Petrovich ● 6065d

I seem to remember an article in the local newspaper, probably the Hounslow Informer, (don't know if it still exists) stating that there are 14 roads in Hounslow where the byelaws allow you to park on the pavements. I believe that Enfield Road was one of them, but I am unsure whether Eastbourne was on that list. My road was listed but I'm not telling you where, or you'll all want to park on it.I do feel that the council has got a 'duty of care' to warn people not to park on the pavements, if they are aware of such a contravention taking place, and as such they should legally be responsible for paying the fine that they have issued you.

Mike Houghton ● 6065d

Thanks for your support Alan! my comments were 't intended to insult anyone personally just a comment on the way local authorities view parking solutions!

Elizabeth Price ● 6078d

I was given a ticket for this in Enfield Road. However I won my appeal. As I found that the Council had never formaly adopted the section of footpath where I parked

Robert Ayres ● 6079d

"But I won’t pass on your less than polite comments about my colleagues as none of them deserve or particularly like to be insulted on internet forums."Oh come on Chris, lighten up a little.  I hardly think Elizabeth's comments were particularly insulting.  In my view anyone who works in a local authority has got to expect that there's always some residents of the Borough who won't be happy with what they do and will criticise, regardless whether that criticism is fair or in any way justified.  I reckon most employees of any private company or local authority have been subject to comments along the lines of "you haven't got a clue what you're doing" in their careers by customers, and far better in my view to simply let little comments like that pass.I'm pretty sure there have been times in your life when you've thought to yourself or said to someone else "what the bloody hell are those idiots are the Council offices doing ?" and that is all Elizabeth was saying.

Adam Beamish ● 6080d

“Trouble is, there's no revenue in workable solutions.”  Not so, Mick.  A more correct statement might be that sometimes  there’s  no revenue to create workable solutions.  The simple matter is that when councils actively allow footway parking they take responsibility for any damage to the buried utility services under the footway.  Footways have to be checked first  and if necessary strengthened.  The ideal solution is of course a properly constructed bay set into the footway.  All this takes money and staff time, which are not always available.Elizabeth, I’m sure that if the full extent of double yellow lines on Augustus Close and Justin Close are not required to allow traffic to flow reasonably freely or large vehicles (including fire engines) to get past at all times, the restrictions could be reconsidered.  I’ll pass your observations through to colleagues who will look into it.  But I won’t pass on your less than polite comments about my colleagues as none of them deserve or particularly like to be insulted on internet forums.

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 6081d

"Not much brain power needed to solve a real problem but that seems beyond the parking dept of LBH."Unfortunately, in most local authorities nowadays (and I would be very surprised if ours was any different) parking regulation is viewed primarily as a revenue raising tool, not a means of solving parking problems and making life easier and more convenient for residents and traffic in general. The Eastbourne Road situation is a classic in this regard. Obviously allowing vehicles to park "two on two off" would easily solve the problem allowing people to park and traffic to pass easily. Trouble is, there's no revenue in workable solutions.

Mick Brent ● 6081d

Please can I nominate a road for some pavement parking? Parts of Augustus Close and Justin Close,Brentford Dock.The situation for parking at night is dire.Double yellow lines have been painted without any thought or imagination as to how a better solution could resolve a serious situation.Eg single yellow lines with time restrictions eg parking allowed from 6.30pm -8.30 am. Not much brain power needed to solve a real problem but that seems beyond the parking dept of LBH. Too much to ask for a solution to an extremely difficult situation that is easy to solve?

Elizabeth Price ● 6081d

I believe that two trees have recently been felled in Amhurst Gardens, Isleworth, to maximise pavement parking.JL.

Jim Linwood ● 6089d

This whole matter of pavement parking has been an absolute minefield for years in Hounslow and something that this administration and indeed the last one to be fair has constantly been looking for a solution but I am glad to say we are nearly there at long last. I was to present the following report to the Executive in January this year but it was decided that Officers should first identify every road in the Borough to see which ones should be exempt and which we should enforce as we are legally obliged to do so http://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/Published/C00000262/M00004951/AI00043858/$PavementParkingexec.docA.ps.pdf As you can imagine this was a massive task for Officers and they have been working area by area since then so as they can report their findings to each Area Committee where members and indeed the public can then make additional suggestions on the premise that they know the area concerned best.. The first area to receive this report will be the West Area followed by the other four and then the whole report will return to the Executive for the final decision I hope in the next few months.

Paul Fisher ● 6089d

Hounslow seem to have a very inconsistent approach to pavement parking. In many roads it is allowed,some are even marked up for parking. To penalise one person seems very unfair, there needs to be a more consistent approach and maybe a review where this can be allowed.

Elizabeth Price ● 6089d

Basically you use the link that is highlighted when you click on "Link" above the top-right corner of the Street View.  I've sent you a PM with more detail.

Richard Jennings ● 6090d

Thanks Richard - is there an easy way to explain to me how you do that trick?  :-)I have sent you a PM.

Sarah Felstead ● 6090d

"Could you give directions to Bollo House Pub on google street view, Richard?"Click here for a view of part of Bollo Lane where pavement parking is permitted in the marked areas straddling the kerb.  It's between the Bollo House and the North London Line level crossing.

Richard Jennings ● 6090d

Thank you John for feedback. I was shocked when I showed to adjudicator picture of line of cars parked with 2 wheels on footpath and other 2 on carriageway and he stated that they all are in breach of contravention. It is paradoxal situation and it worries me that there will be abuse of situation. There must be some logic in all this case!

Mirko Petrovich ● 6092d

Hounslow did have a policy on pavement parking that designated roads exempt from the normal rule that all four wheels should be on the road surface. This appears to have been misplaced - convenient when the policy objective appears to be to maximise income from parking fines - but a list of streets where exemption applies does exist in Council records. I do not know the history of Eastbourne Road in relation to this, however.As to "cars legally parked on both sides of the road", this is never the case if the outcome is obstruction of vehicles trying to pass. If this were to occur everyone would be liable to a parking ticket. Given the current fervour of Hounslow's Parking Taliban it would be a brave deed to try and park "legally" in this way in Eastbourne!Sounds like the present situation is a bit of a Catch 22.

John Connelly ● 6092d

"If cars are legally parked (i.e. all four wheels on the carriageway) on both sides of the road, then there may not be enough room for emergency vehicles like fire engines to get through quickly."I think thats where problem is, and if anybody tries to park with 4 wheels on only carriageway, any traffic would be blocked. Another issue is that, without proper signs, it allows Council to go to the Eastbourne Road and fine every car parked there. There must be reason why council is not doing that. This forum indicates me that people petitioned to council to be allowed to be parked with 2 wheels on pavement, but nowhere is if they been allowed that!

Mirko Petrovich ● 6092d

Looking at Google maps and street view, it is clear that informal parking arrangements have been allowed to develop using the pavements on both sides of the road.  You probably need to get somebody out from the pavement section to help you design a parking arrangement which is safe for everyone.Could you give directions to Bollo House Pub on google street view, Richard?

Sarah Felstead ● 6093d

If cars are legally parked (i.e. all four wheels on the carriageway) on both sides of the road, then there may not be enough room for emergency vehicles like fire engines to get through quickly.  If so, something needs to be done.  Either get the council to agree that pavement parking is allowed, and to put up signs and markings to achieve this, or, as Colin suggests, to restrict parking to only one side of the road.A good example of a street where pavement parking is allowed despite the pavements being quite narrow is Bollo Lane, Chiswick, near the Bollo House pub.  It would be a useful comparison to use if Hounslow say that the pavements are too narrow to allow parking on them. 

Richard Jennings ● 6093d

Cars are parking with two wheels on the pavement, because the residents cannot decide amongst themselves as to which side of the road they should legally park on, instead of both sides parking illegally. One way to make this happen, perhaps is for the council to paint double yellow lines down one side of the road.

Colin Murphy ● 6093d