Plans to fine motorists £70 if they park on pavements, which have been put on hold by the Welsh Government

Plans to fine drivers who park on the pavement have been shelved by the Welsh Government after council leaders complained about too many new traffic laws.

Consultation on the plans has been pushed back to 2024 by the country’s employment service.

If the law had been implemented this year, it would have given council officials new powers to clear sidewalks blocked by drivers getting their cars onto the curbs.

The move would have resulted in officers handing out fines of £70.

But on Monday 3 April Mark Drakeford’s government postponed measures as more and more traffic laws were introduced.

Drivers who parked on pavements would have been fined £70 under new laws in Wales, which would have given council officers new powers

Deputy Climate Change Secretary Lee Waters said he ‘listened to the feedback’

Council leaders had complained that too many new traffic laws were being introduced at the same time.

Later this year, Welsh Labor will introduce a blanket speed limit of 20mph for 30mph roads.

In addition, they will eliminate all new road construction and remove support for bus services.

In a letter to ministers, the Welsh Local Government Association explained the reason for the curb parking plan’s delay, saying councils were “struggling to cope with the sheer volume of transport-related issues” being imposed on them by Cardiff Bay’s administration.

It states: “There is a long list of transport-related projects and requirements, all of which are being pushed forward at the same time. The proposal to enforce sidewalk parking is just the most recent example.

“This puts a lot of pressure on the highways and city governments’ transport staff, much of which is done on top of ‘daily work’, such as

Deputy Climate Change Secretary Lee Waters said he had “listened to the feedback”.

But he said consultation on sidewalk parking plans is now being pushed back to 2024.

Mr Waters went on to say that the delay “will allow local authorities to focus on the implementation and introduction of standard 20mph speed limits in September 2023 and work to prepare for bus franchising”.

In a statement, Lee Waters MS said: “I recognize that we are asking many local authorities who are under pressure at what remains a difficult time. I’ve listened to executive feedback and decided to postpone the sidewalk parking consultation until next year.

“This will allow local authorities to focus on the implementation and introduction of standard 20mph speed limits in September 2023 and work to prepare for bus franchising.

He added: “This is an incredibly busy time for local government.

“Communities across Wales continue to provide vital services that people rely on every day and we continue to support them in doing so. We have worked closely with local authorities, supporting them through the tough times of austerity, flooding, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.”

Currently only the Police in Wales have the power to issue parking fines for obstructing the walkway. However, the armed forces are under too much pressure to address it.

Sidewalk parking should be introduced later this year an 18-month pilot in Cardiff in 2021 that would see motorists automatically fined for on-street parking along City Road.

The move was welcomed by disability organizations and new parents who hoped it would have resulted in clearer sidewalks.

But the plan’s delay is a major blow to many wheelchair users and parents, who just a few months ago felt the new rules needed to be implemented sooner rather than later.

Disability Wales power wheelchair user Kat Watkins said blocked pathways put people’s lives at risk and create barriers for disabled people.

She said: “For me it’s exhausting and extremely frustrating because then you have to struggle to get to the places you want that you thought you could easily get to.

“It’s so ruthless, people have lives too. Wheelchair users, we have lives too. We have to go places. It is broken.’

And new mum Gwenllian Wyn, from Cardiff, said: “People give their cars priority over pedestrians and that means I have to pull a pram from the pavement to the main road from time to time to avoid cars.

“I’ve always been aware of this, but since having a baby it’s become a much bigger problem because I’m pushing a stroller and that’s my child’s safety, which is very important to me.” Parking on pavements is not illegal in Wales and in the UK it is illegal only in London, while Scotland is in the process of banning it.

However, if your vehicle is classified as an obstacle by your local authority, it is a criminal offense and the action can be enforced by the police.