THINK before you park!

This is an important plea to all Wingham residents and visitors to the village which we hope you will help us to share as widely as possible.

Please be considerate and always think before you park your vehicle in the village, particularly along the busy A257 High Street.

There are places in the High Street where vehicles are frequently being parked on the pavement leaving nowhere near enough room for pedestrians to safely get by, especially where shops or houses have steps or other structures protruding into the pavement.

For residents and visitors whose sight is impaired this is potentially a very dangerous issue, not to mention scary, especially if they need to walk into the road facing oncoming traffic to get by. It has been noted that such situations can impact people’s confidence and lead to them feeling lonely and isolated from their local communities. There are many videos online that clearly demonstrate the issues faced by people living with a visual impairment. One such eye-opening video on the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association website: https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/blog/pavement-parking-causes-problems-for-guide-dog-owner demonstrates this issue very clearly.

Pavement parking also impacts those in wheelchairs, mobility vehicles or with pushchairs and many Wingham residents are experiencing this issue all too often in the village.

Pavements are for people and we encourage you all to please park with consideration.