Activists protest over illegal parking on pavements

[Paphos Life]

Activists in old town Nicosia protested on Saturday over illegal parking on pavements.The activists placed wheelchairs and child strollers on Nicosia pavements with placards saying "No Parking". They wanted to raise awareness over how parking on pavements restricts the mobility of people with disabilities....

Read the article and chat about it below...

[ApusApus]

It doesn't help planting palm trees in the middle of pavements either!


Shane

[kingfisher]

Shane- I agree with the protest against pavement parking. Sometimes the planting of trees on the pavements can be inconvenient, but I’m all for as many trees as possible for shade and air improvement.
I frequently walk five or six miles around the area, and fail to meet one pedestrian. It seems that many of us fortunate folk with potentially functioning legs, have allowed them to morph into vestigial appendages which hang down from the abdomen, and are only useful for operating the pedals in the car. I have close neighbours who I have never seen once in thirteen years outside their electric gates, except in their cars.
Finally, am I correct in thinking that the pavement is actually part of the building plot, and constructed at the builder’s expense, therefore I imagine legally the property and responsibility of the house owner- not sure if this is the case in the UK?.

[ApusApus]

Try pushing a wheelchair along the pavements which I do several times a week! It's practically impossible so you resort to using the road and negotiating the high curbs here! Do you see mobility scooters trundling along the pavements, no because they can't for the same reasons? And then there are the partially sighted and blind people who can't go out without assistance! Planting trees is not a problem, it's where you plant them that is!


Shane

[darrow]

Shane- I agree with the protest against pavement parking. Sometimes the planting of trees on the pavements can be inconvenient, but I’m all for as many trees as possible for shade and air improvement.
I frequently walk five or six miles around the area, and fail to meet one pedestrian. It seems that many of us fortunate folk with potentially functioning legs, have allowed them to morph into vestigial appendages which hang down from the abdomen, and are only useful for operating the pedals in the car. I have close neighbours who I have never seen once in thirteen years outside their electric gates, except in their cars.
Finally, am I correct in thinking that the pavement is actually part of the building plot, and constructed at the builder’s expense, therefore I imagine legally the property and responsibility of the house owner- not sure if this is the case in the UK?.

I think in UK when a developer builds an estate, he has to provide facilities, including pavements, but, as far as I am aware, they are for the use of everyone, not just the person whose house they hapoen to be outside of. I know that the Mukta in Tala, when she first got her position, did mention about sending householders letters telling them to remove obstacles on the pavements. I don't believe she ever got around to it though! It is very inconsiderate to deliberately place obstacles on public footpaths. Yes, we need trees, but in the right place! Not only are they an obstacle, they often uproot the paving slabs, which cause even more problems for people who need to use them. Pedestrians may be a minority, but the pavements are there for them.

[kingfisher]

Shane and Darrow, I do agree entirely with you both about the obstruction and damage to pavements by trees, and with the protest, as I said. I’m sure we’re on the same page as regards the environmental value of trees.

I was hinting that maybe some people plant trees because they don’t view the pavement as a necessary thoroughfare, but rather as their own property.

[Dominic]

Shane- I agree with the protest against pavement parking. Sometimes the planting of trees on the pavements can be inconvenient, but I’m all for as many trees as possible for shade and air improvement.
I frequently walk five or six miles around the area, and fail to meet one pedestrian. It seems that many of us fortunate folk with potentially functioning legs, have allowed them to morph into vestigial appendages which hang down from the abdomen, and are only useful for operating the pedals in the car. I have close neighbours who I have never seen once in thirteen years outside their electric gates, except in their cars.
Finally, am I correct in thinking that the pavement is actually part of the building plot, and constructed at the builder’s expense, therefore I imagine legally the property and responsibility of the house owner- not sure if this is the case in the UK?.

That's not the case in the UK at least. I know, for example, that you have to ask for permission and pay if you want a curb dropped outside your property.

[Dominic]

Shane- I agree with the protest against pavement parking. Sometimes the planting of trees on the pavements can be inconvenient, but I’m all for as many trees as possible for shade and air improvement.
I frequently walk five or six miles around the area, and fail to meet one pedestrian. It seems that many of us fortunate folk with potentially functioning legs, have allowed them to morph into vestigial appendages which hang down from the abdomen, and are only useful for operating the pedals in the car. I have close neighbours who I have never seen once in thirteen years outside their electric gates, except in their cars.
Finally, am I correct in thinking that the pavement is actually part of the building plot, and constructed at the builder’s expense, therefore I imagine legally the property and responsibility of the house owner- not sure if this is the case in the UK?.

That's not the case in the UK at least. I know, for example, that you have to ask for permission and pay if you want a curb dropped outside your property.

[Anarita John]

I walked down the Polis Road to the old town this year, whilst Rosemary was at the physio. Dangerous, as so many parked cars blocking the pavement, so most of the walk was on the road. One shop owner had actually built a wall to make the pavement outside his shop a parking area. Would not do this walk again.
It would have been impossible negotiating a wheelchair and a mobility scooter would have had to use the road.

[WHL]

I think the pavement outside your property belongs to you, hence you can plant trees there, but you also have to maintain it.

[glang3000]

when you build a house in the UK you have to build the pavement and roads at the same time, after construction you can offer the road and pavement to the council to adopt, if they are happy with the workmanship they will do this hence some houses are on un-adopted roads, if the council do not adopt the road and path then each house owns the section outside of their house and are responsible for the upkeep.