Chris Andrews (Dublin South East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 295: To ask the Minister for Transport his views on granting city and county councils the discretion to regulate partial footpath parking in areas in which parking shortage is an issue. [7658/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 it is an offence to park a mechanically propelled vehicle on any part of a footpath.

Footpaths are provided for the safety of pedestrians to segregate them from passing or parking traffic. Mounting of footpath kerbs by vehicles is potentially an unsafe practice.

It is also important to have a minimum width of passable footpath for the safe passage of wheelchairs or prams/buggies, and to bear in mind that footpaths have been constructed to a certain weight bearing standard and provide access points for utilities.

Local authorities have other options including, for example, restricting parking to one side of a street or the indenting of the footpath to provide on street parking.

Accordingly, I have no proposals to amend the Traffic and Parking Regulations insofar as they relate to parking of vehicles on footpaths.