Earlier this month, I was delighted to receive a star on Guide Dogs’ pavement parking Walk of Fame for supporting the charity’s campaign to stop cars parking on pavements.

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I attended Guide Dogs’ event at the Houses of Parliament on the 10^th of June in support of their campaign. The charity wants people living with sight loss to feel confident and independent when they are out and about, and believes that vehicles parked on pavements put people living with sight loss in danger.

The event highlighted the problems faced daily by guide dog owners who are being forced to walk into the road to avoid cars blocking their path.• MPs heard from one guide dog owner who had even considered giving up his guide dog because of the constant obstructions he faced when out and about.

Pavement parking is already an offence in London, but the rules in the rest of the country are complex and patchy, leaving drivers uncertain of where they can and cannot park.• Guide Dogs is calling for the introduction of comprehensive laws across the UK, which will outlaw pavement parking, but allow local councils to grant an exemption in areas where pavement parking is unavoidable.

I’ll be looking closely at this issue in the coming months so that blind and partially sighted people can walk the street with confidence.

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