Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 251: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will legislate to allow for partial parking on footpaths in dense urban areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1696/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Under the Traffic and Parking Regulations, partial parking of vehicles on pavements is currently not permitted. Since coming into office, I have been asked about this issue a number of times and have given it some consideration.

The argument for changing the Regulations relates to the difficulty which many people have parking in urban areas, especially areas with high residency and narrow streets. Last year, Dublin City Council wrote to me arguing in favour of partial parking, and submitted a Footway Parking Study Report in support. However, it was clear from that Report that the number of locations where partial parking would be suitable is fairly limited, and so the benefits from changing the Regulations would be small.

The potential risks from a change would be serious. Footpaths are provided for the safety of pedestrians, by segregating them from passing or parking traffic by means of the kerb. Safety is my number one concern, and pedestrians are innately vulnerable road users. Furthermore, footpaths are not constructed to the same specifications as roads and are not built to bear the weight of vehicles. There would be potential damage to kerbs, paths and utility access covers, as well as congestion and obstruction.

On balance, I believe the arguments in favour of the current Regulations substantially outweigh those for change. In dealing with urban parking, local authorities have a range of options open to them. It remains a matter for them to apply whichever of the legally permitted range of parking arrangements they consider most appropriate on any given street. As the Minister responsible for the Regulations, I am satisfied that partial parking would entail great risker than benefit.