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Plea to park safely to help guide dogs and their owners

Paws for thought: Guide dogs have to navigate around vehicles parking on the pavement

Motorists parking their cars across pavements are causing serious issues for people with impaired vision.

Guide dogs are trained to combat poor parking by guiding their owners off curb as a last resort, but it means there is a risk from passing cars.

Sian Healey, 52, from Cardiff, said people parking on pavements had caused her "enormous amounts of anxiety."

Though she now relies on her guide dog Uri, it can still be scary to walk to the bus stop.

BBC Wales Sian Healey with guide dog UriBBC Wales
Sian Healey with her guide dog Uri

"It causes an enormous amount of anxiety because you don't know which way to go, or which is the best course of action," she said. "I have to trust the dog.

"When I was a cane user, I was too nervous to go out. It was too scary to even go to the bus stop."

Cars parking on the pavement has meant that Sian has had to change her routes to avoid built up areas over the years.

"I do have to walk out of my way quite a lot," she said. "I have been known to double back and do an extra mile.

"I once had to go back home to trace back to somewhere I knew because there was a car in the way on the pavement. You can't make it up as you go along like other people; I can't see road signs or judge distances so I need to know where I am.

BBC Wales Sian Healey walking down the street with her guide dog UriBBC Wales
Cars parking on the pavement has meant that Sian has had to change her routes

"It is difficult to describe how visual impairment can impact you, and how scary it can be to do something so simple.

"Guide dogs are a major tool but some people still use canes and it's really tough.

"People just have to think about it when they park not just for us but for wheelchair users, scooters and pushchairs. We see and hear the world differently, and we want people to consider that when they park."

Andrea Gordon, engagement manager for Guide Dogs Cymru, added: "Cars parked on pavements are an everyday nightmare for people who are blind and partially sighted, as well as other vulnerable pedestrians, such as wheelchair users and those pushing prams.

"Too often, pedestrians are being forced out into busy roads and into the flow of traffic because an inconsiderate motorist has blocked the pavement."