‘Shocking’ moment Mercedes blocks mum’s path as she pushes son’s wheelchair

Michelle Williams has lent her voice to a campaign calling on the government to introduce an outright ban on pavement parking (Picture: Michelle Williams)

A mum whose son has a brain injury has said they are having to ‘chance our lives’ due to cars blocking the pavements.

Michelle Williams was pushing Ashley in his wheelchair on Monday when they encountered a ‘shocking’ example of the problem.

Ms Williams is among those who want a change in the law to prevent selfish drivers leaving little or no space for pedestrians to pass.

Ashley, 25, has a brain injury after a violent attack last year and is restricted to a manual wheelchair which she pushes.

Ms Williams said: ‘I took the picture because I was annoyed at having to take my son onto the road and chance our lives just because an inconsiderate driver has not thought about anyone else but themselves.

‘It’s not just on this one street, it happens in other places as well.

‘It’s totally out of order and I think they should bring a law in to ban it completely. We’re both put at risk, left looking up and down the road when that’s our right of way.

‘Even a baby in a pushchair wouldn’t have been able to get past that car.’

Michelle Williams and son Ashley are among pedestrians who are finding they have to step into the road to avoid parked vehicles (Picture: Michelle Williams)

Ashley suffered a bleed on the brain and two strokes after the attack and has been left with a permanent brain injury.

The wheelchair user and his mum, from Bedworth, Warwickshire, are among those calling on the government to take action over blocked pavements.

Campaigners have united behind the #pavementsforpedestrians hashtag and want an outright ban on inconsiderate parking, which they say is ‘making people’s lives a misery’.

Ms Williams, 59, a full-time carer for Ashley, has received many supportive comments on Facebook after sharing the image of the Mercedes coupe taken in Furnace Road.

Cardiff Council has introduced a trial ban on pavement parking in a designated area (Picture: Cardiff Council/Twitter/@cardiffcouncil)

She said: ‘Why should a car be parked somewhere where people walk to feel safe? When you cross the road, you do it at your own risk, but you shouldn’t be doing that when you’re walking along the pavement.

‘It’s not just about us. This affects a lot of people in a lot of areas, so something really needs to be done to stop it.’

Although the issue of pavement parking goes back decades, with the government launching a campaign against it in 1982, reports from local authority areas across England this year suggest it is a growing problem.

In May, Metro.co.uk reported on sustainable transport charity Sustran’s call for the behaviour to be completely banned on the grounds that it is ‘discriminatory’ towards disabled people.

Pavement parking is already outlawed in London and the government is considering extending this across England.

Cardiff Council banned such obstructions in a designated zone under an 18-month trial that began in May 2021, with offending motorists risking penalty charge notices.

Michelle and Ashley are finding it difficult to navigate around their neighbourhood when she pushes his wheelchair (Picture: Michelle Williams)

Sarah Gayton, street access campaign coordinator for the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, said: ’It is shocking to see Michelle and Ashley stuck on the pavement due to a car blocking their route.

‘This situation is happening all the time, with many people not having the ability to speak out about how this affects their lives.

‘This accepted status quo of pavement parking has to be broken as people need pavements to walk, for mobility and for independence.

‘It makes people’s lives a misery and puts their lives in danger, as having to navigate a vehicle may mean stepping into the road.’

Ms Gayton called on the Department for Transport (DfT) to publish the results of a consultation on pavement parking that it undertook in 2020, which could lead to an outright ban across the country.

Campaigner Sarah Gayton wants the government to publish the findings of a consultation which took place two years ago (Picture: Sarah Gayton)

She said: ‘It’s critically important that the results of the consultation are published and action undertaken to bring in a long-awaited ban on pavement parking. Too many blind and visually-impaired people, people using mobility aids and vulnerable pedestrians like mums with small children in buggies are having their lives blighted and put in danger.

‘It’s high time action was taken to resolve this issue once and for all.’

The DfT received more than 15,000 responses from the public, local authorities, disability organisations, businesses and other organisations after the consultation ended in November 2020.

A spokesperson said: ‘We are determined to help declutter our streets, and make them safer and more accessible.

‘Following our recent consultation on pavement parking, we are now considering the next steps and will set out details in due course.’

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