Today, on behalf of local councillors and constituents in Manchester, Gorton, I presented my public petition to Parliament calling on the Government to outlaw pavement parking across England.

Pavement parking has a daily impact on people in Manchester and across the UK. For some people, it is beyond frustrating and actively stops them from enjoying the things that many of us take for granted. For others, it prevents them from living their daily lives. That includes people who have mobility impairments, who are blind or partially sighted, and people who are neurodiverse.

Other constituents have told me about how difficult it is to navigate pushchairs around parked cars, having to take children into the road to get around, and speeding and reckless driving as a result. It discourages people from choosing active travel alternatives to cars, and prevents people from accessing public transport. With cars parked on pavements, bin collections are missed with trucks being unable to drive through roads, and expensive damage is caused to our streets.

Today, I'm presenting my petition in the House of Commons to stop pavement parking.

Pavement parking is not only an issue for those with disabilities or young children, but encourages speeding and reckless driving in neighbourhoods. It's time the Government takes action. pic.twitter.com/ej5QnI61YU

— Afzal Khan MP (@Afzal4Gorton) May 24, 2023

That is why, today, I urged the Government to respond as a matter of priority to its own consultation launched in 2020 on options for changing pavement parking, so that we can look at resolving this issue which blights our neighbourhoods and troubles our residents.

In London, pavement parking is already banned by default, and has been for decades. It is unfair that the Government continues to drag its heels and refuses to extend this right to the rest of the country. We know that there are some places in the constituency where pavement parking is absolutely necessary, but we should make that the exception and not the rule – by giving councils the same power as London, they can decide where to make appropriate exceptions.

My petition, signed by many constituents, has now been presented to Parliament and to the Department for Transport, and I will continue to press them on this issue.