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Motorists parking on pavements could face action, says minister

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

Ways of clamping down on motorists who park on pavements are to be investigated by Welsh ministers.

Deputy Transport Minister Lee Waters said it was "not about penalising car users, but redressing the balance of power in our urban environment".

The RAC says parking on pavements is not illegal outside London, but drivers can be fined for parking dangerously or causing an unnecessary obstruction.

Mr Waters was speaking at an "Active Travel" conference in Cardiff.

Mr Waters said: "Our goal is for people of all ages and abilities to be confident that they can make every day journeys by walking and cycling, and do so safely.

"But there are barriers in our villages, towns and cities to allow this to easily happen and this is something we must look at ways of addressing - not least as part of our wider response to the climate emergency, the air quality crisis and the obesity epidemic."

An advert from the 1970s encouraging people not to park on pavements

He told the conference he had asked an expert group to consider how to tackle pavement parking and illegal parking "which we know is a particular issue around schools in Wales".

"This, alongside the task group shortly being set up to provide concrete advice on changing the default speed limit from 30 to 20mph are tangible things we as a government must lead on if we are serious about facilitating safe walking and cycling," Mr Waters added.