A JOHNSTONE woman is backing moves for a ban on pavement parking in a bid to put the brakes on selfish motorists.

Morag Clunas, 61, who has cerebral palsy, needs to use a wheelchair in her day-to-day life but is often forced to go onto the road to avoid cars and wheelie bins which are blocking the path.

She decided to speak out after one recent incident saw her end up stuck between a car and a bin in Rankine Street.

Morag, of Rankine Place, was only able to escape after a friend arrived at the scene to pull her free.

“I shudder to think what would have happened if she hadn’t been there,” Morag told The Gazette. “I would probably have had to phone the police and ask them to come and rescue me.

“The driver who had parked on the pavement returned to her car after I’d been freed but she didn’t offer much of an apology. She just got in her car and drove away.”

As previously reported in The Gazette, the Scottish Parliament has agreed in principle to implement a nationwide footway parking ban.

Under current legislation, pavement parking or double parking are not specific offences in Scotland but MSPs have now backed plans to outlaw such actions.

Morag believes the legislation will make a difference but wants drivers to think about how their careless actions affect other people.

She said: “Rather than parking as close to their location as possible, can they not go another 100 yards to reach a car park?

“The legislation will make a difference but, until it comes into force, I hope drivers will be more aware of what they are doing and the impact their actions can have on other people.”

Campaigners at the Living Streets Scotland charity have welcomed the plans for a nationwide ban on pavement and double parking.

A spokesman said: “This will help to create safer and more welcoming streets for all.

“As well as offering huge financial savings to councils that are charged with fixing footways damaged by the weight of vehicles, it will give new freedom to people in wheelchairs, parents with pushchairs and older people who are currently forced into oncoming traffic when they’re faced with a vehicle blocking their path.”

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