It can sometimes be hard to find a parking space when you are out and about, and in those circumstances parking on the pavement may seem like the best, or only, option.

But it can be difficult to know, especially if you are in an area foreign to you, what the laws are around parking on the pavement and if you are allowed. 

Driving and parking fines, especially during the cost of living crisis, can hurt your wallet, so that is why it is always good to know what the laws and legislations are before you head out.

So if you are looking to venture out anywhere in Wales and want to know what the rules are when it comes to parking on the pavement and whether or not you can get fined, we have you covered.

South Wales Argus: Do you know the laws in Wales when it comes to parking the pavement?Do you know the laws in Wales when it comes to parking the pavement? (Image: PA)

Is it illegal to park on the pavement in Wales?

It is not illegal to park on the pavement in Wales - according to the Highway Code - unless there is signage in place indicating otherwise. 

There are three other circumstances where parking on the pavement is not allowed in Wales according to Money. 

According to the finance experts, the police can get involved in the following circumstances:

  • A vehicle or trailer is left in a dangerous position
  • A vehicle or trailer blocks a road
  • A vehicle is driven on the pavement

Can you be fined for parking on the pavement in Wales?

According to the Money website, you could be fined up to £130 for breaking any of the rules mentioned above "depending on whether it is the police or council who issues the fine".

According to the finance experts, if you find a yellow plastic envelope attached to your windscreen after parking on the curb you can expect one of the following:

  • A Fixed Penalty Notice, which can be issued by the police, local council or the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, charging you £50 or more
  • A local council-issued Penalty Charge Notice, typically from £50 to £130

Both Fixed Penalty Notices and Penalty Charge Notices can be paid online and are usually halved if you pay within 14 days or 21 days.

Outside of those circumstances or if an area is signposted asking drivers not to park on the pavement, currently, councils in Wales are unable to fine drivers for parking their cars on the pavement.

However, that could soon change.

Pavement parking has been banned across Scotland with new legislation officially being introduced on Monday (December 11, 2023) and Wales could soon introduce similar laws.

The Wales Pavement Parking Taskforce (WPPT) was set to hold consultation sessions this year with the hope of introducing new legislation late in 2023.

The new legislation would have looked at introducing further restrictions when it came to pavement parking and the potential for councils to issue fines to those who did so. 

It follows an 18-month pilot scheme that has been ongoing in Cardiff since 2021 in which drivers who parked their vehicle on the pavement on City Road faced a £70 penalty charge notice.

Leader of the WPPT Lee Waters MS - Deputy Minister for Climate Change - said: "The current law is not as clear as it could be.

“There is no specific offence of parking on pavements, and though the Police can enforce the existing criminal offence of causing ‘unnecessary obstruction of any part of the highway’, it is rarely enforced.

“We want more people to walk for short journeys and yet we tolerate an environment that is often not pedestrian-friendly; too many routes are cluttered or blocked."

South Wales Argus: Councils in Wales may soon be able to fine drivers for parking their cars on the pavement.Councils in Wales may soon be able to fine drivers for parking their cars on the pavement. (Image: PA)

However, the planned consultation has now been postponed until next year, so there will be no decision made on changes to legislation around pavement parking until then. 

In a statement released earlier this year, Mr Waters said: "I have listened to the feedback from leaders and decided to delay the consultation on pavement parking until next year (2024).

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